Have you ever been in the middle of egg season and looked around to see that you have gone from getting an egg or two a day – to over two dozen in a day?! Learn how to freeze dry eggs and why this is the perfect solution for using a large quantity of eggs easily. This is one of my favorite ways to preserve eggs!
Every year when this happens, I panic and think to myself….
- Where did all of these eggs come from?
- What am I going to do with all of these eggs??
- How did SO MANY eggs pile up on my countertops so quickly?
- Who bought so many chickens (confession – it was ME, but you never think of these things when they are little, tiny fluffy chicks!)?
- And last but not least – maybe I should throw them away and start over? I don’t do this, but in a moment of panic, it’s a quick fix thought that runs through my busy mind!
How to Freeze Dry Eggs
I purchased my Harvest Right Freeze Dryer in 2021 and have enjoyed experimenting with lots of different food throughout the years. Eggs was one of the foods that I chose to try out as soon as my machine arrived.
I will say that I was skeptical at first. Especially when I removed my first tray and scraped the freeze dried eggs into a jar to store on my shelf.
These eggs sat in this jar for months while I debated if I should actually try them and feed them to my family.
Well, then it happened. I went from fresh eggs everywhere, to only a getting a couple eggs a day again. I was hoarding the fresh eggs to use for breakfast, but it couldn’t hurt to try the freeze dried eggs in a baked good recipe.
And from that day forward, I still hoard my fresh eggs for everyday eating, but in the middle of winter, when I am running short, I always grab for my stash of freeze dried eggs stored in jars and mylar bags on my shelves.
4 Things I Love About Freeze Dried Eggs
Here are a few of the reasons why I like to keep freeze dried eggs on hand at all times.
- I never run out of eggs – I always have a back-up supply stored on the shelf.
- The ease of freeze dried eggs – Rehydrating eggs is quick and easy. This only takes 2 minutes to fully absorb the water.
- I can use them like I would any freshly cracked egg – Freeze dried eggs work great for scrambled eggs, as well as in baked goods. They also work well as an egg wash. I even have a friend who puts freeze dried egg flakes into her morning smoothie for extra protein.
- The convenience – I can take these when I’m camping or traveling and don’t have to worry about keeping them cold. I mean have you ever put eggs in a cooler before? They either end up broken or floating in melted ice!
Ingredients Needed to Freeze Dry Eggs
Whether you own your own chickens and get your eggs straight from the coop, purchase them from the farmers market, or a wonderful friend shares some of their bounty with you, freeze drying is the perfect way to preserve eggs.
Eggs – You probably guessed this already, but eggs are the only ingredient that you will need. You don’t need to season them unless you are planning to take them on a backpacking trip and don’t want to carry extra spices with you.
Supplies Needed to Freeze Dry Eggs
Let’s quickly cover everything that you will need to freeze dry eggs at home. You can find a printable version at the end of the post.
- Freeze Dryer – I purchased my freeze dryer from Harvest Right in 2021. I have a medium 4 tray Freeze Dryer. They have now updated this model to hold 5 trays.
- Oil or Oil Free Pump – When you purchase a freeze dryer, you will get a pump too. The pump is the key to freeze drying foods. This kicks on to pull the moisture out of the food. I chose the Premier Industrial Pump.
- Freeze Dryer Trays – I actually have 2 full sets of trays for my freeze dryer. One set is in the freeze dryer and one set is in the freezer filled with food ready to be dried. Homesteading Tip: Each freeze dryer has a set of trays that fit that specific machine. Make sure you purchase the ones that fit your machine.
- Freeze Dryer Lids (optional) – I didn’t have a set of lids for my first year, but since investing in them, I now wonder what took me so long! I highly recommend grabbing a set of lids right away, so you can stack the trays in your freezer. The lids also double as trays with dividers to freeze dry food in.
- Freezer – I use my chest freezer to pre-freeze foods before placing them into my freeze dryer. It makes the freeze drying process a lot quicker, because you can save hours by having everything frozen before you fill your machine. This also works well to always have your extra set of trays filled and ready to place into your machine after the defrosting process.
- Funnel – A good funnel is a must have in the kitchen. I use this for transferring freeze dried food into jars, as well as into Mylar bags.
- Metal Spatula – Use a metal spatula to remove the egg flakes from the trays. I like to use a metal one so that I can scrape every last bit off of the trays.
- Blender – I like to use my blender to crack my eggs into. Then I blend them quickly to not get too much air in them, but enough to fully incorporate the whites and yokes. I also use my blender after freeze drying and rehydrating the egg flakes to make a big batch of scrambled eggs. It incorporates the flakes and water better than using a whisk.
- Mylar Bags -These are the bags needed to protect your freeze dried food for long term storage. I purchase mylar bags directly through Harvest Right or the quart sized ones and the gallon sized ones that I purchase through one of my favorite companies, Azure Standard. I do have all three sizes in my freeze drying supply tote, but if you had to start with just one, I would suggest the Harvest Right ones. They are about 2 quarts worth and usually will hold a full tray of my freeze dried food well, plus I got some included when I purchased my freeze dryer from Harvest Right.
- Oxygen Absorbers – Oxygen absorbers are placed into the mylar bags before sealing. I purchase the ones that fit the Harvest Right bags here, the quart sized ones here, and the gallon sized ones here.
- Impulse Sealer – This is the sealer that you will need to seal mylar bags for long term storage. Mine came with my Harvest Right Freeze Dryer.
- Canning Jars – You can store your freeze dried food in quart canning jars or in half gallon sized jars for short term storage, up to a year.
- Canning Lids – Canning lids will be used on the canning jars when storing your food short term.
- FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer – You will need a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer to use with the FoodSaver Jar Sealer. These work together to vacuum the oxygen out of canning jars for short term storage of your freeze dried foods.
- FoodSaver Jar Sealer – Another must have tool for your kitchen. I recommend that you have a wide mouth and regular mouth jar sealer to vacuum the air out of the jars of freeze dried food and make them shelf stable for a year.
- Permanent Marker – I have multiple permanent markers throughout my home. The worst thing you can do is forget to label your bag. Trust me, you won’t remember what is in the bag! I speak from experience. Label the bag.
How to Freeze Dry Eggs
Fill the freeze dryer with eggs:
- Wash any debris from the eggs.
- Crack 12-18 large eggs into a bowl. You are looking to fill your trays about one-half to three-quarters of the way full. It is VERY important not to overfill the trays.
- Use a whisk or a blender to break up the yokes and make sure that all of the eggs are combined.
- If it is at all possible, I highly recommend pre-freezing ALL liquids on your trays in a freezer before placing them into your freeze dryer chamber. To do this, I have a dedicated spot for my trays. I carry the trays and lids to the freezer empty. Then I bring each bowlful of eggs to the freezer and fill the trays as they sit. Place the lid onto the tray and repeat with all of the trays.
- Wait at least 24 hours for the eggs to freeze completely.
- Turn on your freeze dryer and follow the instructions on the screen.
Removing Eggs from the Freeze Dryer
- Wait until the freeze drying process is complete. Do not begin defrosting yet.
- Push the ‘warm trays’ button and wait until the trays are all brought up in temperature.
- Inspect the eggs. Making sure that they are completely dry. If they are gummy or sticky at all, close everything up and continue to dry for another 2 hours before checking again. Continue this until all of the eggs are dried all of the way.
- Decide how you plan to store the eggs. You can place them in short term or long term storage.
- Remove the trays and push defrost, or let your machine naturally defrost.
- Use your spatula to ‘chop’ the eggs into smaller pieces. Use the funnel over a jar or mylar bag and scoop the eggs in.
- Feel free to break up the eggs as you are putting them into your container. Or you can put them into a blender to make a finer powder.
How to Store Freeze Dried Eggs
You can store your freeze dried egg flakes in one of two ways – short term storage or long term storage.
- Short term storage – Anything you will use within a year. This can be stored in a jar, vacuum sealed, and placed on your shelf.
- Long term storage – Anything you want to store for a year to 20+ years. This should be stored in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber.
Short term storage – store in a glass canning jar:
- Wash and dry your jars and canning lids. Homesteading Tip – This is one way I would recommend reusing your canning lids. Make sure they are in nice shape without any dents, and you can reuse them lots of times for freeze dried food storage. I used to always dent my lids when removing them until my son bought me this can opener for my birthday. I highly recommend getting one!
- Use a funnel to fill jars with the egg flakes.
- Seal the lid with your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer and FoodSaver Jar Sealer.
- Label the jars with your permanent marker. Trust me, even if you can see what is in there, label the lid with the contents and the date which they were made.
- Store them away from direct sunlight, moisture, and oxygen (this is why I use the jar sealer).
Long term storage – store in a Mylar bag:
- Grab your bags, a funnel, a permanent marker, oxygen absorbers, and an impulse sealer.
- Label the bags first before adding any food. Write the contents, any quick notes on rehydrating, and the date.
- Use the funnel to fill the bags with the egg flakes.
- Add the properly sized oxygen absorbers to each bag.
- Make sure that the eggs are all at the bottom of the bag. Do not overfill. Use the impulse sealer to seal the bags. I usually seal them twice to be on the safe side.
- Store them for 20+ years by properly sealing them with the oxygen absorbers, placing them out of direct sunlight, and storing them away from moisture.
Homesteading Tip – I place all of my mylar bags with freeze dried food in plastic totes. Label the outside of the tote to easily grab what you are looking for.
Rehydrating Freeze Dried Eggs
Rehydrating eggs is so easy. Simply mix two tablespoons of freeze dried eggs flakes with two tablespoons of cool water in a bowl. Let this sit for two minutes to fully absorb all of the water and stir again.
If you are cooking scrambled eggs, I recommend putting the reconstituted mixture into a blender to make sure it is smooth before adding them to your pan.
Use these eggs the same way you would use any fresh cracked egg.
Common Questions
Yes. I always use the ‘warm tray’ function. This prevents you from removing your trays when the process is in a very cold stage. By warming the trays, it helps to prevent condensation on your freshly dried food.
Feel them. If they feel powdery and not sticky at all, your eggs are ready for storage.
Technically, you don’t have to pre-freeze the eggs, but I do highly recommend it.
By freezing the eggs on the trays first, you save time in the freeze dryer. My home freezer is always running, so I have just dedicated a spot in there to have a stack of trays ready to go into the freeze dryer next.
Next, part of the freeze dryer system is a vacuum pump. In my experience, when you add liquid to the freeze dryer trays and let the freeze dryer do the freezing for you, it doesn’t actually freeze it completely solid. Because of this, when the vacuum pump kicks on, the liquid that isn’t quite froze all the way, explodes and makes a BIG mess in the freeze dryer. I have learned this from experience.
Homesteader Tip – Things like tomatoes are included in this as well. You can see the difference between tomatoes I pre-froze and tomatoes I did not pre-freeze in this Freeze Dried Tomatoes post. This is where I learned my lesson and now, I always freeze anything with a lot of liquid first!
Freeze dried eggs can be used in any way that you would use a fresh cracked egg. They make wonderful, scrambled eggs, can be used in baking, or even for an egg wash. One of my friends puts a scoop of freeze dried egg flakes into her morning smoothie for extra protein.
YES! Just remember 2-2-2.
2 tablespoons egg flakes + 2 tablespoons of cool water + 2 minutes = 1 large egg. If you need a dozen eggs to make scrambled eggs for breakfast, simply times it by however many eggs you need (2×12=24) – 24 tablespoons egg flakes + 24 tablespoons cool water + 2 minutes = 12 large eggs.
A good rule to follow is-
If you store your eggs in a glass jar, seal the top so no moisture gets in (I do this by using my FoodSaver and the jar sealer). These eggs should last for up to one year in a cool, dark location.
If you plan to store them long term (up to 25 years!), you will need to store them in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber.
I hear you! I usually have the same problem. I learned how to salt cure eggs and how to make egg noodles and even egg nog in The Abundant Pantry: Preserving Eggs Class. Use the code NIKI for a discount!
Even More Freeze Dried Foods to Try Next
Freeze Dried Instant Pancake Batter
How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Egg Flakes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons egg flakes
- 2 Tablespoons cool water
Instructions
- Mix the egg flakes and cool water together in a bowl or jar. Wait two minutes to fully absorb the liquid. Stir together again and use as you would any fresh cracked egg.
Notes
Freeze Dried Eggs
Equipment
- Freeze Dryer
- Oil or Oil Free Pump
- Freeze Dryer Trays
- Freeze Dryer Lids optional
- Freezer for pre-freezing the trays
- Funnel
- Metal Spatula
- Blender
- Mylar Bags
- Oxygen Absorbers
- Impulse Sealer
- Canning Jars and Lids
- FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer
- FoodSaver Jar Sealer
- Permanent Marker
Ingredients
- 12-18 Eggs per tray
Instructions
Fill the Freeze Dryer
- Wash any debris from the eggs.
- Crack 12-18 large eggs into a bowl. You are looking to fill your trays about one-half to three-quarters of the way full. It is VERY important not to overfill the trays.
- Use a whisk or a blender to break up the yokes and make sure that all of the eggs are combined.
- If it is at all possible, I highly recommend pre-freezing ALL liquids on your trays in a freezer before placing them into your freeze dryer chamber. To do this, I have a dedicated spot for my trays. I carry the trays and lids to the freezer empty. Then I bring each bowlful of eggs to the freezer and fill the trays as they sit. Place the lid onto the tray and repeat with all of the trays.
- Wait at least 24 hours for the eggs to freeze completely.
- Turn on your freeze dryer and follow the instructions on the screen.
Removing Eggs from the Freeze Dryer
- Wait until the freeze drying process is complete. Do not begin defrosting yet.
- Push the ‘warm trays’ button and wait until the trays are all brought up in temperature.
- Inspect the eggs. Making sure that they are completely dry. If they are gummy or sticky at all, close everything up and continue to dry for another 2 hours before checking again. Continue this until all of the eggs are dried all of the way.
- Decide how you plan to store the eggs. You can place them in short term or long term storage.
- Remove the trays and push defrost, or let your machine naturally defrost.
- Use your spatula to ‘chop’ the eggs into smaller pieces. Use the funnel over a jar or mylar bag and scoop the eggs in.
- Feel free to break up the eggs as you are putting them into your container. Or you can put them into a blender to make a finer powder.
How to Store Freeze Dried Eggs
Short Term Storage – Store in a Glass Jar:
- Wash and dry your jars and canning lids.
- Simply use your funnel to fill jars with your egg flakes.
- Seal the lid with your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer and FoodSaver Jar Sealer.
- Store them away from direct sunlight, moisture, and oxygen (this is why I use the jar sealer).
Long Term Storage – Store in a Mylar Bag
- Gather your bags, a funnel, a permanent marker, oxygen absorbers, and an impulse sealer.
- Label the bags first before adding any food. Write the contents, any quick notes on rehydrating, and the date.
- Use the funnel to fill the bags with your egg flakes.
- Add the properly sized oxygen absorbers to each bag.
- Use the impulse sealer to seal the bags. I usually seal them twice to be on the safe side.
- Store them for 20+ years by properly sealing them with the oxygen absorbers, placing them out of direct sunlight, and storing them away from moisture.
- Homesteading Tip – I place all of my Mylar bags with freeze dried food in plastic totes. Label the outside of the tote to easily grab what you are looking for.
Notes
Common Questions
By freezing the eggs on the trays first, you save time in the freeze dryer. My home freezer is always running, so I have just dedicated a spot in there to have a stack of trays ready to go into the freeze dryer next.
Next, part of the freeze dryer system is a vacuum pump. In my experience, when you add liquid to the freeze dryer trays and let the freeze dryer do the freezing for you, it doesn’t actually freeze it completely solid. Because of this, when the vacuum pump kicks on, the liquid that isn’t quite froze all the way, explodes and makes a BIG mess in the freeze dryer. I have learned this from experience.
Homesteader Tip – Things like tomatoes are included in this as well. You can see the difference between tomatoes I pre-froze and tomatoes I did not pre-freeze in this Freeze Dried Tomatoes post. This is where I learned my lesson and now, I always freeze anything with a lot of liquid first!
2 tablespoons egg flakes + 2 tablespoons of cool water + 2 minutes = 1 large egg. If you need a dozen eggs to make scrambled eggs for breakfast, simply times it by however many eggs you need (2×12=24) – 24 tablespoons egg flakes + 24 tablespoons cool water + 2 minutes = 12 large eggs.
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How to Freeze Dry Eggs
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How to Freeze Peppers
The Easiest Way To Cut Bell Peppers
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