How to Make and Use Freeze-Dried Celery 

Celery is a nutritious vegetable that is simple to grow (learn how here). I grow celery yearly in my cool-season garden and often have abundant fresh celery at harvest time. Freeze-drying is my favorite way to preserve celery’s flavor and nutrition. Learn how to make and use freeze-dried celery and enjoy its benefits for up to 20 years.

Article Outline:

• Benefits of Consuming Celery
• Why freeze dry home-grown celery?
• How to Freeze Dry Celery
• A note about dehydrating celery
• How To Use Freeze-Dried Celery

Benefits of Consuming Celery

Celery is often referred to as a superfood, and it’s easy to see why. Research has shown that some benefits of consuming celery include:

• Lowering high blood pressure: Celery contains compounds that can help relax the blood vessels, lowering blood pressure levels.¹
• Cancer prevention: Celery is rich in antioxidants, which may help prevent cellular damage and reduce cancer risk.²
• Boosting digestion: The high fiber content of celery can promote bowel movement and reduce the risk of constipation.³
• Reduced inflammation: Certain compounds in celery have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects, which may help reduce inflammation in the body.⁴
• May improve skin health: Celery contains vitamin C and other antioxidants that can help reduce skin damage caused by free radicals.⁵

Freeze-drying is known to preserve the nutritional content and quality of food, so you can enjoy these benefits for years.⁶

New to freeze drying? This article shares tips for getting started.

Why freeze dry home-grown celery?

Although celery is very nutritious, conventionally-grown celery can be high in pesticides. Preserving the abundant harvests of your homegrown celery allows you to reap all the benefits of consuming celery without the possible pesticide risk.⁷

How to Freeze Dry Celery

Feeze-drying celery is quite simple. All you need is some fresh celery, a freeze dryer, and an airtight container or vacuum sealer bag for storing them when they’re done. 

I freeze dry celery stalks and leaves. The processing times for leaves and stalks are different, so process them separately. 

• Cut the stalks/leaves into uniform sizes and place them on freeze dry trays up to the top of the tray.
• Follow your freeze dryer’s instructions to process them.
• Freeze dry until completely dry. Once they are crisp enough to snap when bent gently in half, they are ready to be stored away. 
• Using a blender, process into powder or leave whole.
• Immediately after freeze-drying, place the dried stalks into an airtight container or mylar bag with an oxygen absorber for storage until ready for use.

A note about dehydrating:

Dehydrating celery also works as a preservation method. You may lose more nutritional value when dehydrating, however.

How To Use Freeze-Dried Celery

Use freeze-dried celery and celery leaves whole

To rehydrate freeze-dried celery, place the celery in a bowl covered with cool water. Cool and let sit until desired consistency is reached. Use as you would fresh in recipes.

To use in soups or stews, add freeze-dried vegetables to the pot while cooking.

To rehydrate celery leaves, place them in a plastic bag and spritz them with water and then toss them until rehydrated.

Crumble celery or process it into powder before using

I like to process freeze-dried celery in the blender and make celery powder. I use this powder anytime I want to add extra nutrition or celery flavor. 

Some ways I like to use freeze-dried celery powder or crumbled freeze-dried celery leaves include:

• Homemade seasoning mixes. Mix together equal parts of freeze-dried herbs like thyme, oregano, parsley, etc., with freeze-dried vegetables like carrots and celery. 
• Smoothies – adding some freeze-dried celery powder will give your smoothie a fantastic texture and extra nutrition!
• Adding it to soups, dips, and stews. 
• Homemade celery salt. Learn how to make it here.

Get my favorite recipe for garden fresh vegetable stock in this post.

Learn more about the best way to preserve herbs – freeze drying!

Freeze-dried orange juice? Yes, please!

Sources:

1. High blood pressure: Ali, B. H., & Blunden, G. (2006). Pharmacological and toxicological properties of Nigella sativa. Phytotherapy Research, 20(8), 659-665.
2. Cancer prevention: Sharififar, F., Moshafi, M., Mansouri, S. H., & Khodashenas, M. (2007). In vitro evaluation of antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extract of endemic Zataria multiflora Boiss. Food Control, 18(7), 800-805.
3. Digestion: Slavin, J. (2013). Fiber and prebiotics: mechanisms and health benefits. Nutrients, 5(4), 1417-1435.
4. Inflammation: Kim, H. W., & Kim, B. K. (2010). Anti-inflammatory effects of apigenin in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice. Archives of Pharmacal Research, 33(10), 1675-1680.
5. Skin health: Cho, J. Y., & Lee, J. H. (2007). Anti-acne effects of Oriental herb extracts: a novel screening method to select anti-acne agents. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 20(3), 125-131.
6. Freeze-Drying – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics (www.sciencedirect.com). According to this source, compared to other drying methods, such as air drying or sun drying, freeze-drying can retain more of the food’s original flavor, texture, and nutrient content. This is because freeze-drying involves removing water from the food by sublimation (ice turns directly into vapor) without exposing it to high temperatures or oxygen, which can cause nutrient degradation. As a result, freeze-dried foods can have a longer shelf life without compromising their nutritional quality.
7. Dirty Dozen™ and Clean Fifteen™ Lists | EWG’s 2021 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ (www.ewg.org). According to this source, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) lists celery as number 10 on the Dirty Dozen list for 2021, which means that it was found to have a high amount of pesticide residue. The EWG recommends that consumers buy organic celery or wash it thoroughly before eating to reduce exposure to pesticides.

If this post about freeze-dried celery was helpful, please share it.