Freeze drying eggs is one of the best uses for your home freeze dryer. If stored properly, freeze-dried eggs can last for years and still work perfectly in recipes. Plus, they take up much less space than whole eggs.
Here’s what you need to know.
Instructions: How to Freeze Dry Eggs
1. Prepare the eggs
If using raw, you will want to mix them up first. If using boiled or scrambled eggs, cut them into evenly-sized pieces. Put them on the Harvest Right trays. You can usually get around 18 raw eggs per tray.
Tips:
- You can line the trays with parchment paper first for easier cleanup. It’s completely optional though.
- Using silicone dividers will make it easier to get the eggs out of the trays later on. You can even freeze-dry directly in silicone muffin cups!
2. Pre-freeze the eggs
If using raw eggs, you’ll need to pre-freeze them on the tray first. Otherwise the eggs will splatter everywhere when the freeze dryer pump turns on.
It usually takes around 3 hours to completely freeze the eggs on the tray. *Note that ALL liquids should be pre-frozen before turning on the freeze dryer!
Tips:
- Put the tray in your freezer first and then pour the eggs in. Otherwise, you’ll likely spill eggs everywhere when you try to carry the full tray to the freezer!
- Can’t fit the tray in your freezer? You can freeze the eggs in ice cube trays. Make sure it is a silicone tray or you will have a hard time getting the eggs out! This method also makes it easier to powder the eggs later.
3. Turn on the freeze dryer
It will take roughly 24-40 hours to completely freeze-dry eggs. The more eggs you put on a tray, the longer it will take.
4. Check the eggs
Using a clean spoon, grab some of the eggs. Squeeze it firmly with your fingers. If any moisture comes out, they are not done yet. Hit the add more time button to finish drying.
5. Powder the eggs
Break up the freeze-dried eggs with a spoon and scoop them into a blender. Blend into a powder. You can also use a food processor.
*This isn’t necessary for freeze-dried cooked eggs but will give you a better texture when rehydrating.
6. Store
For long-term storage, you’ll want to use Mylar bags or mason jars and oxygen absorbers.
How to Use Freeze Dried Eggs
Raw Freeze-Dried Eggs
You can use freeze-dried raw egg powder in place of fresh eggs for any recipe, including scrambled eggs, pancakes, or baked goods. You’ll need to rehydrate the eggs first.
- One egg = 2 tbsp of freeze-dried egg powder
- To rehydrate one egg, mix 2 tbsp egg powder with 2 tbsp of water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then mix well.
- Cook or bake before eating
Scrambled Freeze-Dried Eggs
To rehydrate scrambled freeze-dried eggs: mix ½ cup of scrambled egg powder with 1/3 cup of water. Let it sit for a few minutes and then stir.
You can add more water to adjust the texture. Because they were pre-cooked, you don’t have to cook them before eating – but they will taste better if you at least heat them up. So pour the rehydrated mixture into a hot pan and cook for a minute or two.
FAQ’s
Raw eggs work best for freeze-drying. You’ll want to crack them into a bowl and mix them up. You can also mix them in a blender. It’s also possible to separate the yolks and whites and freeze dry them separately.
I’ve seen people freeze-dry whole raw eggs without mixing them but the yolks and whites will get mixed up when you rehydrate them.
Yes, it is possible to freeze-dry scrambled eggs. Most store-bought brands of freeze-dried eggs are pre-cooked.
However, because the proteins are already cooked, they take longer to rehydrate and always end up a bit rubbery. For this reason, it’s better to freeze-dry raw eggs.
You can freeze-dry boiled eggs. You’ll need to remove the shell and cut the cooked egg into small pieces first.
Just like with scrambled eggs, freeze-dried boiled eggs also end up a bit rubbery. It’s also hard to rehydrate them evenly since the yolks and whites have different rehydration times.
If you want to freeze dry boiled eggs, I recommend separating the cooked yolks and whites beforehand.
Hello,
I just finished a batch of freeze dried duck eggs. They were prefreezed and the cycle completed leaving nice dry powdery eggs. My question is regarding a strong egg smell. It is more than when you are working with freshly cracked eggs. Is this right?
Thanks for your input
It’s normal for the eggs to have a strong smell. They’ve basically been concentrated, so they get a more intense smell.
I scrambled up a bunch of my surplus eggs from my hens, along with some frozen sauteed morels we picked last spring, cooked it all together & freeze dried them. They were DELICIOUS rehydrated. I used a 1:1 ratio of boiling water to eggs & let sit for 10 minutes, stirring at 5 minutes. It left a little water in the bowl, but I found that heating it covered with that leftover water removed the rubbery texture. They were just like fresh scrambled eggs
Great tip! Thanks!
Agreed!
Dear Angie,
How long did it take for your scrambled eggs to freeze-dry? Did you freeze the cooked scrambled eggs before putting them in the freeze-dryer?
Thank you for sharing!