Babies and toddlers
Crisp freeze-dried pieces are a choking risk for babies and young children. How to serve fruit safely by age, what NHS weaning gui...
Who freeze-dried fruit suits, and who should take care
The right answer depends on who is eating it. Start with the guide that matches your situation.
Pets
Plain fruit, tiny amounts, and never grapes. What UK vet charities advise about freeze-dried fruit for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea...
Hiking and camping
A tenth of the weight of fresh fruit, no cool bag and no washing up. What to carry for a day walk or a week in the hills, and what...
Freeze-dried fruit is the same food whoever eats it, but the sensible advice changes a great deal depending on who that is. A crisp strawberry slice that is a perfect lunchbox snack for an adult is a choking risk for a one-year-old, and a piece of freeze-dried grape that looks harmless is still a raisin as far as a dog is concerned.
These guides answer the question for a particular situation rather than in general.
Choose the guide that matches your situation
| If you are | Start here | The short answer |
|---|---|---|
| Weaning a baby or feeding a toddler | Freeze-dried fruit for babies and toddlers | Soften or powder it first; crisp pieces are a choking risk |
| Feeding a dog, cat or small pet | Freeze-dried fruit for pets | Plain fruit only, tiny amounts, and never grapes for dogs |
| Packing for a walk or a camping trip | Freeze-dried fruit for hiking and camping | About a fifth to a tenth of the weight of fresh fruit |
| Watching sugar or counting portions | Nutrition and health | Concentrated per 100g, but a 10g serving is a small portion |
| Baking with it | Baking with freeze-dried fruit | Flavour and colour without the water that ruins icing |
| Just curious what it is | What is freeze-drying? | Frozen, then the ice is drawn off as vapour under vacuum |
The two things that apply to everybody
It is concentrated. Removing the water leaves everything else behind in about a tenth of the weight. That means the flavour, the fibre and the natural sugars are all concentrated too. A 10g handful of freeze-dried strawberries started life as roughly 100g of fresh fruit, and carries about as much sugar. Our fresh to freeze-dried converter does the arithmetic for any amount.
The form matters more than the food. Dry, crisp pieces behave differently from soft fruit. They are light and easy to carry, they dissolve rather than sticking to teeth the way a raisin does, and they can be crushed to a powder. They are also hard and brittle, which is exactly why they need care around small children.
Not medical advice. Everything here is general information about food. If you are feeding a baby, managing a health condition, or worried about your pet, please speak to your health visitor, GP, dietitian or vet.
Where to go next
If none of the situations above fits, the nutrition section answers the common questions about sugar, calories, portions and teeth, and the storage section covers how long a pack keeps once it is open.
Good questions, short answers
Is freeze-dried fruit suitable for everyone?
For most adults it is simply fruit with the water removed, so it suits anyone who eats fruit. The cautions are about form and concentration rather than the food itself: crisp pieces are a choking risk for babies and toddlers, the sugar is concentrated so portions are small, and some fruits that are fine for people are not safe for pets.
What is a normal portion of freeze-dried fruit?
About 10g for an adult, which is a small handful and roughly a tenth of the fresh fruit it came from. The NHS counts 30g of dried fruit as one of your 5 A Day and suggests eating it with meals rather than between them, to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
Can babies eat freeze-dried fruit?
Crisp pieces can be a choking risk for babies and young children, so they are usually softened in a little liquid or crushed to a powder first. Follow NHS weaning guidance on when and how to introduce solid foods, and speak to your health visitor or GP about your own child.
Is freeze-dried fruit safe for dogs?
Some fruits are, in very small amounts, but grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants are toxic to dogs and freeze-drying does not change that. Check the safe and unsafe list on our pets page and ask your vet before giving any new food, especially if your dog has a health condition.