# Freeze-dried Instant Coffee Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/freeze-dried-instant/ Last updated: 2026-10-19 > Freeze-dried instant coffee is made by brewing coffee at scale, concentrating it into an extract and freezing it, at temperatures as low as -40°C. The frozen extract is broken into granules and put under a vacuum, where gentle heat turns the ice straight to vapour. Because it never gets hot, it keeps more aroma than spray-dried coffee, but costs more to make. ## At a glance - Category: Instant & Industrial (Industrial) - Difficulty: Beginner - Origin: Global & Modern - Also known as: freeze-dried coffee, freeze-dried instant, instant coffee granules ## Steps 1. **Boil and cool the water**: Boil the kettle and let it stand a moment, so the water is just off the boil. 2. **Add the granules**: Spoon the freeze-dried granules into your mug, using the amount on the jar. 3. **Dissolve**: Add a splash of water and stir to dissolve the granules. 4. **Top up**: Top up with hot water and stir. Add milk and sugar to taste. **Freeze-dried coffee** is instant coffee made the gentle way. Instead of drying the coffee with hot air, it's **frozen**, then the ice is removed under a **vacuum**, so the coffee never gets hot. That keeps **more of its aroma and flavour** than [spray-dried](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/spray-dried-instant/) instant, which is why freeze-dried granules fill the premium jars. It's also slower and more **expensive** to make. Here's how it works. ## The short version - **Frozen**, at temperatures as low as -40°C, then **dried under vacuum**. - **The ice turns straight to vapour**, without melting. - **More aroma kept** than spray-drying, because it stays cold. - **Larger granules**, a little slower to dissolve. - **Costs more** to make, so it's used for premium instant. ## How is freeze-dried coffee made? 1. **Brewing and concentrating.** Coffee is brewed at scale and concentrated into an **extract**, as for any instant. 2. **Freezing.** The extract is **frozen** quickly, so that only small ice crystals form, at temperatures as low as **-40°C**, according to one source. 3. **Granulating.** The frozen extract is milled into **granules**, which are sifted to an even size. 4. **Vacuum drying.** The granules go into a **vacuum** chamber. A Procter & Gamble patent gives an example: a vacuum of less than 500 microns of mercury, with the coffee kept below about -26°C. Gentle heat then makes the **ice sublimate**, turning straight from solid to vapour without melting. 5. **Packing.** What's left is dry, very porous coffee granules, ready to dissolve. The first freeze-dried instant coffee was launched by **General Foods**, under the **Maxwell House** brand, in **1963**, according to Wikipedia. Today Nescafé, for example, uses spray-drying for its Original jar and freeze-drying for its pricier Gold, Tasting Table says. ## Why does it taste better than spray-dried? Because it **never gets hot**. In spray-drying, hot air drives off some of the coffee's **volatile aromas**: the Procter & Gamble patent says only about 50–60% of the aroma added to the extract survives, which is why makers add aroma back afterwards. Freeze-drying removes the water "without significant heating", the patent says, so it **retains more** of them. The trade-off is **cost**: the patent calls freeze-drying more capital intensive and costly to run. ## Freeze-dried vs spray-dried | | Freeze-dried | [Spray-dried](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/spray-dried-instant/) | | --- | --- | --- | | How | Frozen, then dried under vacuum | Sprayed into hot air | | Looks like | Larger, porous granules | Fine powder | | Aroma | More retained | Some lost to heat | | Dissolves | A little slower | Very fast | | Cost | Higher | Lower | ## How do you make a good cup? 1. **Boil the kettle** and let it stand a moment. 2. **Spoon in the granules**, using the amount on the jar. 3. **Add a splash of water** and stir to dissolve. 4. **Top up** and add milk or sugar to taste. A Procter & Gamble patent notes that freeze-dried coffee dissolves **less readily** than agglomerated spray-dried coffee, especially in hot water, and that the chunks tend to float, so give it a good stir. *General guidance only. Take care with boiling water, and check the jar for caffeine content if you're watching it.* ## Freeze-dried vs other methods - **[Spray-dried instant](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/spray-dried-instant/):** the cheaper, more common instant, and its history. - **[Camp Coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/camp-coffee/):** the liquid coffee and chicory essence. - **[Coffee bags](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/coffee-bags/):** real ground coffee steeped in the cup. - **[Canned coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/canned-coffee/):** coffee ready to drink. Explore every industrial method in the [instant and industrial chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/instant-industrial/). ## Words used in this guide - [Extraction](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/extraction/): Extraction is the process of water dissolving flavour compounds out of ground coffee. - [Steeping](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/steeping/): Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew. ## FAQs ### Is freeze-dried coffee better than instant? Freeze-dried coffee is a kind of instant. Because it's dried without heat, it generally keeps more aroma and flavour than spray-dried instant, which is why it's used for premium jars. ### How cold is freeze-drying? One source describes the extract being frozen at temperatures as low as -40°C before the ice is removed under vacuum. ### Why is freeze-dried coffee more expensive? Freeze-drying is slower than spray-drying, and a Procter & Gamble patent describes it as more capital intensive and costly to run, which makes freeze-dried coffee generally more expensive. ### Does freeze-dried coffee dissolve as easily? Not quite. A Procter & Gamble patent notes that freeze-dried products typically have poorer solubility than agglomerated spray-dried coffee, especially added to a cup of hot water, and that the chunks tend to float. A stir sorts it. ### Is specialty instant coffee freeze-dried? Some are, because freeze-drying keeps more of the coffee's flavour, but methods vary between brands, so check the pack. ## Sources - [Freeze-dried vs spray-dried instant coffee: what’s the difference?](https://www.tastingtable.com/1781200/freeze-vs-spray-dried-coffee/) - [US 5,922,385: Process for preparing low density soluble coffee products (Procter & Gamble, 1999)](https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/5922385) - [Comparison of freeze-drying and spray-freeze-drying coffee with different roast degrees](https://scielo.br/j/cagro/a/H9qzfFHzbSQTmSCVzw8N98S/?lang=en) - [Instant coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_coffee) - [How is instant coffee made?](https://www.brewcoffeehome.com/?p=4629)