Is Freeze-Dried Fruit Healthy? Dietitians Reveal Benefits, Nutrients

You've probably seen bags of colorful freeze-dried fruit pop up on the shelves of your grocery store recently. While it looks similar to dried berries, bananas or peaches, it has a texture more akin to astronaut ice cream.

So, is freeze-dried fruit actually healthy?

Freeze drying food is actually a surprisingly great way to retain the nutrients in those foods, Caroline Susie, a registered dietitian based in Dallas and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com.

And while it's not exactly the same as eating fresh fruit, freeze-dried fruit has the benefit of being exceedingly shelf stable and portable, New York-based registered dietitian Theresa Gentile tells TODAY.com.

Adding freeze-dried fruit to your yogurt, favorite snack mix or baked goods can be a great way to boost the nutrition, the experts say. But there are a few things to keep in mind before going all-in on this crunchy snack.

As the name implies, freeze-dried fruit is fruit that's been exposed to very low temperatures and then dehydrated to remove the water. What's left behind is a crunchy, somewhat shriveled version of your favorite fruits.

Freeze-drying is actually "one of the best preservation methods for keeping biological material intact," explains Gentile, who is also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It keeps much of the structure and nutrients of the food with minimal loss of volume, she adds.

Similar to traditionally frozen fruit, freeze-dried fruit is preserved at the peak of its freshness. But, without the water, it has a better shelf life outside of the freezer.

Freeze-dried fruit contains almost all the nutritional benefits of fresh fruit in a shelf-stable, crunchy form.

However, it’s not exactly the same as eating fresh or traditionally frozen fruit. The dehydration method naturally means you’ll lose the hydrating effects of these foods, Susie adds. “And you do lose some of the fiber component,” she says.

That said, freeze-dried fruit still contains the bulk of the nutrition found in fresh fruit, Susie says. Freeze drying is particularly effective for retaining antioxidants and other phytonutrients present in the fruit, she adds. Even vitamins, like vitamin C, remain well preserved, Gentile says.

Without the water, freeze-dried fruit becomes a more concentrated version of fresh fruit in a similar manner to dried fruit. That means it will contain more nutrients per serving, Susie explains, but also more sugar. And it can be easy to eat an entire bag without realizing, Susie says. Think about the difference between eating 20 whole, fresh grapes versus 20 raisins, she adds.

For example, a one-cup serving of fresh, sliced strawberries contains about 46 calories and 11 grams of carbohydrates, including 5 grams of sugar. Compare that to a serving of freeze-dried strawberry slices: Depending on the brand, that can contain upwards of 100 calories and 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates, including around 15 grams of sugar.

"You're getting lots of nutrition," Gentile says. But it's a good idea to be mindful of the portion size and how much sugar you're getting.

Ultimately, freeze-dried fruit can be a healthy snack on its own. But the experts recommend treating it more like a topping or ingredient to be paired with other, more filling foods.

Freeze-dried fruit is a nutritious, crunchy, portable snack that you can eat right out of the package if you want, Susie says. But it's probably best combined with ingredients higher in filling protein or healthy fats.

You can use it as a sweet, colorful topping for your morning Greek yogurt or overnight oats, Susie says.

Freeze-dried fruit is also uniquely easy to take on-the-go, Gentile says. It can be divided into packages that “can go in kids’ lunch boxes or the car very easily,” she says.

Or you can mix it with a few of your other favorite snacks — such as roasted chickpeas, popcorn, nuts and seeds — for a homemade trail mix. You can also take a recommendation from Gentile and add it to baked goods, like high-fiber muffins.