How to Cook With Freeze-Dried Fruit

Good produce options for freeze-drying include strawberries, peaches, bananas, pineapple, grapes, blackberries, raspberries, apples, blueberries, and dragon fruit.

Because it's such a shelf-stable food, there are many uses for freeze-dried fruit, both when baking and as an additive to desserts and savory dishes. For baking, freeze-dried fruit is added in as any other fruit, though extra water is needed in order to plump up the berries, chunks of banana, or pineapple pieces. Add freeze-dried fruit to the batter for waffles, pancakes, and baked goods like muffins, cookies, and quick breads. Add powdered freeze-dried fruit to frostings, fillings, and whipped cream for a pop of fruit flavor, or roll chocolate truffles in the freeze-dried fruit powder.

The most popular way to use freeze-dried fruit is as a topper for foods such as cereal, yogurt, confections, panna cotta, chocolate mousse, and other dishes. Freeze-dried fruit is also a good addition to trail mix and granola. When it's used as a topper or in a mix, there is no moisture needed. In fact, it's the airy, crunchy quality of freeze-dried fruit that makes it work so well in these instances. 

Freeze-dried fruit also makes an excellent addition to milkshakes and smoothies—just add it with the rest of the ingredients before blending.