Freeze-dried peas
Sweet, bright green and ready in minutes. How to rehydrate freeze-dried peas, cook with them and even snack on them.
Freeze-dried vegetables
Peas that pop, sweetcorn that crunches and veg that is ready when you are. Here is how to use freeze-dried vegetables at home and outdoors.
Veg that waits for you
Freeze-dried vegetables are the quiet heroes of the store cupboard. They take up little room, keep for a long time, and are ready in minutes. Stir a handful of peas into a risotto, add sweetcorn to a chowder, or pack a bag for a camping trip and leave the cool box at home.
How they differ from fruit
Most vegetables are blanched briefly before freeze-drying, which sets their colour. They rehydrate best in warm liquid, and they are more often an ingredient than a snack, though crunchy peas and sweetcorn are a fine exception.
Good to know
If you have ever thrown away half a bag of spinach, you already understand the appeal. Use what you need, reseal the pack, and the rest will still be there next month.
Good questions, short answers
How do you rehydrate freeze-dried vegetables?
Cover them with hot or cold water and leave for five to ten minutes, or add them straight to soups, stews, rice and noodles, where they take up liquid as they cook.
Can you eat freeze-dried vegetables without rehydrating them?
Yes. Peas and sweetcorn in particular are pleasantly crunchy as a snack or a salad topping. Denser vegetables are nicer once softened.
Are freeze-dried vegetables as good as fresh?
They are real vegetables with the water removed, and the gentle, low-temperature process is kind to colour and flavour. Texture after rehydrating is closer to cooked-from-frozen than to raw. Typical nutrition values vary by product, so check the label.