How to Freeze Dry Milk
Do you hesitate to freeze dry milk because you can’t stand the taste of powdered milk? I encourage you to give it a try. Homemade freeze dried milk is nothing like powdered milk from the grocery store.
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Servings: 16 Servings
Calories: 142kcal
Cost: Varies
Equipment
- Freeze Dryer We love our Harvest Right freeze dryer.
- Storage Containers Mylar bags or glass canning jars with a jar sealer work best.
- Oxygen Absorbers Using an oxygen absorber gives extra insurance to your airtight seal.
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Milk Each Harvest Right freeze dryer tray holds about one quart of milk.
Instructions
- Take fresh raw milk (or store-bought milk), give it a good shake, and pour it into your freeze dryer trays, filling them until they’re about half full. There’s no need to pre-freeze the milk, but don’t overfill the trays! Each of my trays holds about 1 quart of milk.
- Slide each tray back into the freeze dryer, put the insulating cover in place, close the door, lock down the pump and press start.
- Once your machine is running, you’ll then need to select the “Not Frozen” button since the milk is not yet frozen. This will first freeze the milk before the freeze drying process starts. You’ll need to come back once the milk is frozen and run it through the freeze drying process.
- When the cycle is complete, you can simply remove the trays and crumble the milk with your fingers to prepare it for long-term storage.
Notes
How to Tell if Freeze Dried Milk Is Done:
It’s important to always test your freeze dried products before packaging them for long-term storage to ensure they’re completely dry. When the freeze dryer has completed its cycle, do not shut down your freeze dryer.
Remove the trays, and make sure the milk is completely dry, and is no longer cold to the touch. If so, that means there’s still moisture in the milk. You’ll need to return the trays back into the freeze dryer, add more drying time, and recheck it in a couple of hours.
If the milk is completely dry and no longer cold to the touch, you can shut down your freeze dryer and package it for storage.
Storage Instructions:
Freeze dried foods are best stored in vacuum sealed containers such as a glass jar or Mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. Fill, seal, and label your container of choice, and store it away from direct sunlight and heat.
When properly packaged, freeze dried milk powder is shelf-stable for 20 years, holding onto 90-95% of its nutritional value.
How to Rehydrate Freeze Dried Milk:
To use your freeze dried milk, reconstitute it at a 1:1 ratio (by volume) of water to freeze dried milk powder.
I like to fill up a pint-sized jar with powdered milk, then add water to the top of the jar. Allow it to sit for just a few minutes before capping the jar and giving it a good shake.
Because milk tastes best when it’s cold, straight out of the refrigerator, you may want to place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes or so.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 355mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Calcium: 291mg
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