Freeze-dried fruit is particularly popular because it is very aromatic and is available all year round. They are usually used for muesli or as a sweet snack between meals. But there is a lot more to freeze-dried raspberries, strawberries, bananas and the like - here are a few inspirations:
1. spiced up fruit tea
Whether hot or cold - fruit tea always works! To make your tea taste particularly intense, you can add freeze-dried fruit. You can use them to enhance the taste of existing teas or create your own blend. Red or blue fruits such as currants or wild blueberries also add a great color to the tea.
2. fruity baking pleasure
Baked goods such as muffins or sponge cakes can also be pimped up with freeze-dried fruit. You should make sure that you stir the fruit well into the batter, otherwise they will become too dry in the oven. Depending on the fruit, they can also color light-colored batter. If you want to avoid this, opt for fruit with an inconspicuous color such as apple or peach. Freeze-dried fruit also works well in your bread dough. Add nuts and you have a delicious breakfast bread.
3. refined chocolate
Homemade broken chocolate makes a great gift and you can add fruity accents with freeze-dried fruit. Simply melt the chocolate and spread it on a tray. Sprinkle the freeze-dried fruit, whole or crumbled, over the soft chocolate and press down. When the mixture has hardened, break into large pieces.
4. fruity ice cream
When you make ice cream with fresh fruit, the water in the pieces of fruit freezes, resulting in watery and hard chunks in the ice cream. You can avoid this problem with freeze-dried fruit. For the ice cream base, you can mix cream, milk, yogurt or quark with freeze-dried fruit and freeze for a few hours. The ice cream can be pimped up with fresh herbs such as mint or lemon balm. Maple syrup, agave syrup or erythritol provide more sweetness.
5. in smoothies and shakes
If your freezer is too small to always have frozen fruit to hand for homemade smoothies, freeze-dried fruit is a great alternative. Simply mix freeze-dried fruit of your choice with yogurt, plant-based drink or quark in a blender. To make the drink more substantial, you can also add oat flakes or spirulina powder.
6. as a secret ingredient in curry
The thought of a sweet and sour curry not only makes your mouth water, but you also associate it with typical ingredients: Rice, vegetables, curry paste - and fruit! The classics in curries are pineapple and mango. Unfortunately, these fruits are not always perfectly ripe. You can therefore use the freeze-dried variety as an alternative. Freeze-dried pineapple and mango are softened by the sauce and give your curry the necessary sweet touch.
7. for coloring food
It's not just tea that can be colored with freeze-dried fruit. The natural colorant transforms smoothie bowls, yoghurts or energy balls into a taste and visual highlight. You can use the freeze-dried fruit in whole or powdered form. Freeze-dried redcurrant powder, for example, gives your yogurt a rich pink hue.
Storing freeze-dried fruit correctly
So that you can enjoy your versatile fruit for as long as possible, take good care when storing it. It is best to keep them airtight and dry so that they retain their crunch.
