How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Food at Home

What is Freeze-Dried Food?

Freeze-dried food is just one of many types of food preserved to give the food an extended shelf life. And it all goes through a freeze-drying process in a special machine. The whole thing is really cool & just real quick it goes like this. 

Fresh food (or pre-frozen food) is placed on trays inside a chamber. A vacuum pump removes the moisture content. You know how bad moisture & enough water is for storing most things. This preservation method allows the food to keep its original form, texture, flavor & nutritional content for long periods of time. That makes it incredibly popular for emergency preparedness & your outdoor enthusiasts especially. But it’s also great if you just prefer making just-add-water meals. 

You can can of course freeze dry your own food with home freeze dryers like what we have. We have a Harvest Right freeze dryer. I’m not totally familiar with other models/brands, but I would assume the freeze drying process is the same. If you do go this route, you can preserve just ingredients or whole meals. Freeze-dried ingredients would be handy for adding a lil something extra to an existing dish. But the freeze-dried meal would be ultra convenient.

Types of Freeze-Dried Food

What can’t you freeze dry? Really.

We’ve preserved a wide variety of foods like fruits, vegetables & meats. But don’t stop there! You can even freeze dry complete meals like oatmeal or chili. It’s on my list of things to try but I’ve seen many people swear by it in freeze-drying Facebook groups. 

Freeze-dried fruits such as berries, apples & bananas are popular for their sweet & crunchy texture. And my family (who easily spends half the grocery budget on just fruit) loves when I freeze dry fruit, especially freeze-dried strawberries.

Freeze-dried vegetables like peas, corn, and leafy greens give you versatile ingredients for cooking or snacking. And then I love preserving meats, including beef, chicken (but also seafood) because they can be used in their freeze-dried state in all sorts of dishes. You can even freeze dry dairy products like milk, cheese, ice cream & yogurt. I do this all the time. The milk that is.

Additionally, you can just do like spaghetti sauce to add a convenient option to your shelf or cabinet for a rainy day. Just remember that these foods will have a stronger, more intense flavor after being freeze dried.

Girl, do you wanna know how we even got into freeze drying our food anyway? Breastmilk.
Yep. We freeze dried my breastmilk & turned it into homemade baby formula. But since starting, I haven’t looked back since. Here’s the full story because it was Cuhhh-raaayyyyy-zzzzz. Real life.
Related Blog Post: How to use a Freeze Dryer at Home to Make Homemade Baby Formula

Why Rehydrate Freeze Dried Food?

Rehydrating freeze-dried food is how you add the life back into it to get it back to it’s original state. Freeze-dried food items are super lightweight & compact. Nothing at all like dense foods which take up space & can have some weight to em! These foods are like dehydrated foods & ideal for long-term food storage & transpo. So if you live on the go, or just want to have something quick to take on the go, this is great way to make sure you still have something to eat. Guaranteed either you or someone you’re with (*ahem* my kids) are gonna wait food while out. SMH. 

However, if you don’t want to enjoy it crunchy, rehydrating is a good way to get the food back to a delicious meal or healthy snack. Especially since you’re probably more used to the fresh counterpart. Say, fresh strawberries (maybe even frozen or canned) over the freeze-dried fruits version.

Benefits of Rehydrating Freeze-Dried Food

We’ve already touched on how the nutritional value of freeze-dried food isn’t altered much during the process. But rehydrating freeze-dried fruits and vegetables is pretty cool because you can then enjoy what you love about those foods year-round, regardless of the season. Rehydrated freeze-dried meat is a convenient source of protein for meals (or as a crunchy snack if you leave it!). And it perfect for emergency situations. Additionally, rehydrating freeze-dried meals can be a quick, easy way to get dinner served up too hello. This is one of the best methods of long-term food storage without sacrificing taste or quality.

Methods of Rehydration

To rehydrate freeze-dried food is a simple. You just add water or another liquid to the freeze dried food. How much water or liquid is up to the consistency you’re going for. Especially since the best way to rehydrate this food will depend somewhat on the type of food too. For most freeze-dried meals, simply adding hot boiling water and allowing the food to sit for a few minutes is an effective method. Like the cup a noodles we all know anyway. Same concept.

For fruits and vegetables the best option is soaking them in cold water or room temperature water. That will achieve the right results. On some scale, there’s a “right amount of water” to use to  make sure the food reconstitutes properly.

Personally, I shoot for the minimum amount of water necessary to get my food to it’s fresh state without excess water. I don’t like soggy & I don’t think you will either. I also tend to stick with water so our food retain their original flavors. But you could rehydrate with broth, soup, or fruit juices depending on what you’re rehydrating.

Tips to Rehydrate Your Food

I know you wanna do this right, especially if this is your first time. So here’s a few tips. 

First thing, you can find “recipes” for reconstituting freeze-dried food online. They’ll recommend a certain amount of water & time for the type of food being rehydrated. Foods with higher water content, like fruits, a small amount of water will be good. More dense foods like meats will require more water, especially if they’re uncooked raw meat. 

Don’t rush. Add your food to a small bowl of water (hot water) and stir it around to distribute everything evenly. Additionally, if you use hotter water can expedite the rehydration process if you needed to.Rehydration time varies of course, but generally larger pieces of meat or vegetables will take longer to rehydrate. Long enough like, soak them in water overnight in the refrigerator.

If you’re ever rehydrating and forget then check back & the container is dried out, add some extra water. Maybe you didn’t use quite enough water. Or if you live somewhere with high temperatures, maybe the water vapors evaporated out! If that’s the case, put a moist paper towel over your container to keep that moisture in.

The only thing is, not all freeze-dried items reconstitute to their original texture! Some rehydrated fruit like tomatoes or apples are soggy. Use then either dried or add to soups & such. If you’re uncertain how you’ll like it reconstituted, I suggest running a small batch first. It’s a good idea to not preseve a ton until you’ve tried it. Or don’t rehydrate all your food at once.  

Storage & Shelf Life

Store any rehydrated leftovers properly for the best quality. To do this, store the rehydrated food in an airtight container in the fridge. This helps prevent harmful bacteria from growing & preserves its flavor. Rehydrated food will typically last in the fridge for a few days, but if you need it to go longer than that girl, put it in the freezer. 

Time & Temperature Considerations

These two factors play a part in food safety, optimal taste and texture. So don’t overlook either frfr. 

Start by using water at the appropriate temperature for the type of food being rehydrated. For most freeze-dried foods, hot or warm water helps speed up the rehydration process. But like I said, some foods can go mushy, like cucumbers. So cold water might be better if you’re dead set on rehydrating it & want to maintain texture. You could just as easily use the dehydrated vegetables as decorative toppings for casseroles. The steam there softens up the food without it oversaturating.

How long it takes to rehydrate freeze dried food varies too. This factor depends on the size of the food. Generally, smaller pieces rehydrate more quickly than larger ones. Just like a cup of freeze-dried food will reconstitute quicker than freeze-dried full meals. Just check on your foods periodically to be sure you get the desired consistency you’re going for & don’t overshoot.

Safety Considerations for Rehydrating Freeze-Dried Food

Since food safety is pretty important, I just want to throw this out there. 

Start by using clean, potable water to rehydrate your freeze dried food. Use a trusted water source or tap water that’s properly treated. You will be consuming this so avoid using water from unknown or potentially contaminated sources. They could introduce harmful bacteria or contaminants to the food.

Afterwards, keep rehydrated food refrigerated if not consumed immediately. This will prevent foodborne illnesses. And you wanna do this especially if your dish/item contains perishable ingredients like meat or dairy. Then just consume it within a reasonable time frame. Don’t let it go to spoiling!

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