I have always referred to fruit as nature’s candy: it’s delicious, nutritious, and sweetened with all-natural sugars. Truly, natural is the word and that is why I constantly find ways to infuse natural fruits in many recipes.

Unfortunately, fruit in all forms has come under speculation, because said natural sugars which are made up of a combination of sucrose, fructose, and glucose—are sometimes confused for refined sugars derived and processed from sugar cane and/or sugar beets. Fortunately, these myths are steadily being debunked one by one.

However, frozen fruits have been proven time and again to preserve nutrients, and dried fruit has been cleared as fine for snacking, as long as you’re mindful of portion sizes and reaching for the unsweetened variety. So what’s the 411 on freeze-dried fruits? Are they healthy? Do they, too, preserve the nutrients of freshly picked options? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is freeze-dried fruit, and how is it made?

According to Gabby Geerts, a registered dietitian at Green Chef,  the freeze-drying process is unique because the fruit undergoes sublimation, in which frozen water is evaporated directly from ice to water vapor, removing 99% of moisture from the fruit, without ever having to enter a liquid phase.

Here’s how it works: “[Fruit] is placed inside a vacuum chamber where the temperature is below freezing,” Geerts explains. “The temperature is slowly raised, and the solid water molecules enter a gaseous state without ever becoming a liquid.” In doing so, the structure of the fruit, as well as its nutritional value, is preserved.

How does freeze-dried fruit compare nutritionally to frozen and dried fruits?

While fresh fruit is obviously the ideal choice, Lindsey Kane, RD for Sun Basket, says freeze-dried and frozen fruits are actually your next best bet in terms of nutrition. In fact, “frozen and freeze-dried fruit are often more nutrient-dense than their fresh counterparts because they are harvested while in-season and immediately flash-frozen or freeze-dried to lock in all of its good-for-you nutrients,” Kane explains.

What’s more, compared to dried fruit that “only removes about 75-95% of moisture through simple dehydration,” which is “often associated with a loss of vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin,” Geerts explains that freeze-dried fruit maintains most of its nutrients, save for fiber and vitamin C, as fiber is contained in the cell walls and skin of fruit, while vitamin C is water-soluble and quickly broken down. Plus, freeze-dried fruit is bursting with natural flavor, so it doesn’t need to be sprinkled with additives or extra sugar to please your taste buds.

So, What are the benefits of consuming freeze-dried fruit?

Taste

Fruit is naturally bursting with flavor, and freeze-dried fruit packs just as satisfying of a punch, despite all the steps it goes through. So if you were unsure what would pair best with freeze-dried fruit, just know it’s the same foods you would pair with fresh fruit!

“In theory, freeze-dried ingredients can store for years,” McMullen says. The benefit of freeze-dried fruits, in general, is that because they can live in your pantry, choosing freeze-dried fruits for smoothies over bulky bags of frozen fruit  saves you space in your freezer, and they’re always readily available when you’re looking for something nutritious.

Not only do freeze-dried fruits take up minimal space in your pantry, but they’re also lightweight, portable, and, as a result, perfect for travel.