How long until a freeze dryer pays off?

Last Updated on December 15, 2025 by Michelle

How long does it take for a freeze dryer to pay for itself? I’ve been wondering this, so I decided to do the math, and I was SHOCKED.

We’ve owned this freeze dryer for 5 months. I’ve freeze dried everything from leftover meats to bone broth to pumpkin. We’ve eaten a lot of our efforts and still put away 302 quarts of food. Yes, I actually counted.

• What has it cost us to freeze dry 302 quarts of food?
• How much electricity have we used to freeze dry 302 quarts of food?
• Have we made back the cost of our freeze dryer after 5 months of using it?

Read on for the answers to these questions and more…

How long until a freeze dryer pays off?

I’m not going to make you read my whole cost benefit analysis to fish for the answer. I’ll just straight up tell you… I was SHOCKED. I truly thought it would take years to recoup the costs of buying and running a freeze dryer, but I figured the convenience would be worth the wait. Boy was I wrong.

We made back the full cost of our freeze dryer in 3.38 months. Less than 4 months! What!??? I couldn’t believe it. So I triple checked my math. And it’s true.

A few caveats:

1. I’m of course estimating. I am not an engineer or a math freak. I did not keep documentation of every piece of food I purchased, or the cost of every seed I planted or any fertilizer I spread on my garden. I didn’t monitor the electric usage with every batch or account for any food that I “messed up” with my learning curve as a new freeze dryer owner.
2. I am not adding in the cost of my vacuum sealer for jars, but it was cheap and it’s recharageable.
3. I’m not adding in the cost of 10 new trays I purchased so I could have 2 batches in prep and ready to go in the freeze dryer if I wanted to, but these are standard cookie trays and I can use them in the kitchen too, not just my freeze dryer (one thing I really love about my Large freeze dryer unit.)
4. I’m not adding in cost for food storage. I use mason jars and the canning lids that come with them (they reseal again and again). I did use some mylar bags that came with my freeze dryer, but I haven’t purchased any of those. I’m sure those would skew my savings a lot, but I don’t plan on using many mylar bags. I like the ease of mason jars much better.

Even so, the numbers are amazing. Even if my estimations are skewed and off by a large percentage, even if you personally won’t freeze dry so much food in your first few months or even if you personally won’t find organic, high-quality produce on clearance (honestly, I get most of mine through Azure Standard. Find out more about that option–and how to save $$ if you want to try it–here.)… I think my simple cost analysis and my humble attempt at estimating how long it takes for a freeze dryer to pay for itself proves that everyone should find they’ve recouped their costs in well under one year.

Then everything–all the deliciously preserved snacks, meals, meats, and bone broth–costs you only a few dollars per load.

It’s like you’re saving hundreds of dollars every time you run your freeze dryer.

Not to mention what you’re saving in wasted food, if you’re big on freeze drying left overs like I am.

My freeze dryer paid for itself in 4 months

I know the idea of owning a freeze dryer is daunting. I’ve been there. But for me? My freeze dryer has quickly become one of my favorite tools I own to help me keep my pantry filled with the best food possible.

I’m literally BEGGING you to stop buying expensive snacks. Not only because they’re expensive but guys they’re loaded with ingredients that are wreaking havoc on your body.

Buy a freeze dryer instead.

Here’s my cost analysis on the 9 quarts of deliciously addictive banana chips I preserved last week…

Cost analysis of how a freeze dryer will pay for itself in less than a year

Here’s the story of how I saved almost $180 on our favorite healthy snack.

Last week I spent $3.65 on many large bunches of ripe bananas that I found on the clearance cart in my local produce section (most of them organic). 

I made 9 quarts of freeze dried snacks. 

If I bought this many freeze dried banana slices? It would cost $176.43. I spent $0 on packaging and storage (I reuse mason jars and lids and have a simple vacuum sealer I bought years ago–find it here). And we can liberally enjoy a truly healthy snack anytime, cracking open a new jar whenever we want, all winter long.

Of course we also have jars of freeze dried peaches, pears, apples, blueberry cubes, and plenty of (totally NOT nutritious) skittles and sweet tarts.

I’ve only done the math on the bananas, but I’m pretty sure, based on that, my 302 quarts of food I freeze dried over the past five months (yes, I seriously just went and counted them) have saved me well over $5,000 comparing my cost to purchasing these foods freeze dried. Of course this isn’t taking into account the fact that when I own my own freeze dryer I can totally preserve food the way I want to, the way our family loves it (like our freeze dried tomato sauce), with the exact seasoning and measurements we love… this is food we simply couldn’t buy anywhere else, no matter what the price tag.

Yes, a freeze dryer is worth the investment

With my $3.65 worth of bananas, I saved $19.20 per quart compared to if I bought them at Vitacost. (If I was going to buy them, these are the ones I’d buy.)

I spent about $86 in electric running my freeze dryer over the past 5 months and roughly $12 in oil changes.

Adding in my very rough estimate of food costs I might have spent about $220.48 total expenses for my 302 quarts of food.

Comparing my preserved food, roughly, as best I could, to purchasing similar food, my beautiful jars of snacks, meals, and bone broth are  valued at $5,920.21. 

Take a second and let that sink in.

Almost $6,000 worth of food that will last for well over 2 decades in perfect condition, ready for our family whenever we want or need it. 

Yes, oh yes indeed, I’ve have been won over. I’m convinced that a freeze dryer will pay for itself in well under a year’s time and it is very much worth the investment.