Large commercial freeze dryer
Six trays and 1,283 sq in of tray area at 1.6 in spacing, a cold trap that holds 25 lb of ice, zoned heating and shelf fans, with the Commercial pump. On wet food it is the best output per dollar we build.
$4,335
Commercial vacuum pump included. Shipping to the lower 48 states included. Also built for 220–240 V, 50 Hz.
Who the Large is for
Farms, growing food brands and anyone drying wet product most days. It holds 25 lb of ice, enough for about 27 lb of strawberries or 35 lb of cooked meals in one load, and it shares the Mega’s published drying rate. Running nonstop on fruit, a Large turns about two and a half batches a week, roughly 68 lb of fresh product, for $1,020 less than a Mega.
That makes the Large the better buy per pound when nearly everything you dry is wet, and two Larges the strongest setup we sell for a produce or meal business: about 136 lb of fresh fruit a week between them, two independent cycles, and no 220 V circuit.
Candy
At 1.6 in between shelves, the Large has the same headroom as the 5-Shelf, which handles gummies, taffy and caramels as well as Skittles. Its 1,283 sq in holds about 128 oz of Skittles-size candy per batch. For the most headroom, the Mega’s 2 in is the step up. See freeze dryers for candy.
Wet loads, honestly
A full load of fruit runs about 50 to 65 hours from loading to finish. Loading it already frozen, from a chest freezer on spare trays, saves around 7 hours a cycle, and spare trays are the cheapest throughput you can buy.
- Model
- 8H11560US
- Price
- $4,335, pump included
- Fresh food per batch
- 20–35 lb
- Ice capacity
- 25 lb
- Trays
- 6 × 9.5 × 22.5 × 0.75 in
- Total tray area
- 1,283 sq in
- Shelf spacing
- 1.6 in
- Shelf temperature
- −50 °F to 180 °F
- Cold trap
- −40 °F
- Vacuum pump
- Commercial oil vacuum pump, 7.2 CFM
- Power, 110–120 V 60 Hz
- Dedicated 110 V 20 A circuit with a NEMA 5-20 outlet, required
- Power, 220–240 V 50 Hz
- Dedicated 15 A circuit, required
- Average draw while drying
- About 1,200 W
- Cabinet, W × D × H
- 22 × 29 × 34.5 in
- Weight without pump
- 224 lb
From the published specifications, checked November 12, 2026. User manual (PDF)
The chamber, to scale
Six shelves at a 1.6 in pitch, and one 9.5 × 22.5 in tray from above.
Installing and running it
- Power
- A dedicated 110 V, 20 A circuit with a NEMA 5-20 outlet is required. The 220 V version needs a dedicated 15 A circuit. The machine averages about 1,200 W while drying and about 550 W while freezing, so a full load of fruit uses roughly 70 kWh, about $13 at the 2026 US household average of 18.2¢ per kWh.
- Space
- The cabinet is 22 in wide, 29 in deep and 34.5 in tall, and weighs 224 lb without the pump. The vacuum port and drain add about 2 in on each side. Air goes in on the left and out on the right, so leave 12 in clear on both sides and keep heat sources off the left: about 50 in of width in all.
- Pump
- The Commercial pump moves 7.2 CFM down to 3.75 micron, wants an oil change about every 30 batches, runs at 55 dB and can be repaired in the field. It weighs 55 lb and connects through a 5 ft stainless steel vacuum hose with KF25 fittings. Keep it in clean air between 50 and 75 °F.
- Delivery
- It ships on a 30 × 48 × 48 in pallet, about 350 lb in all, with curbside delivery booked by appointment.
Built in
- Zoned heating and fans on the shelving for faster, more even freezing
- Motorized ball valve that closes the vacuum line to keep pump oil out of the chamber
- Dedicated vacuum release valve, so you can backfill with dry nitrogen
- Stainless steel drain line, 5 ft stainless vacuum hose and a stainless mesh filter on the vacuum line
- KF25 flange on the cabinet
- RTD temperature sensing, with an optional 2-pin probe in standard, needle or pad form
- Glass-to-metal sealed feed-through, replaceable solid-state relays, stainless and aluminum construction
- Patented automatic cycle (U.S. Patent 11,287,185), candy mode, and an Advanced mode with a nine-step shelf temperature curve
In the box
- Commercial vacuum pump
- Six stainless steel trays, 9.5 × 22.5 in
- Oil filter and impulse sealer
- 50 mylar bags and 50 oxygen absorbers
- The Stay Fresh recipe book, 125 recipes with settings, emailed as a PDF after shipping
Worth adding for production
- Large trays, set of 6 ($175)
- Large tray dividers ($35)
- Tray stacker ($18–$36) for pre-freezing loaded trays
- Commercial pump demister ($245)
Large questions
Large or Mega?
For wet food, the Large: it shares the Mega’s published drying rate, so a Mega’s bigger loads mostly mean longer cycles, and the Large costs $1,020 less. For candy, bulky low-moisture food, vials or anything tall, the Mega, for its 2 in shelf spacing and 35% more tray area.
How much can it produce in a week?
Running around the clock, about 68 lb of fresh fruit or 82 lb of cooked meals a week, or a little more if loads go in already frozen. Candy batches take hours, at about 128 oz of Skittles-size candy each. Try your own numbers in the calculator.
Is there a 220 V Large?
Yes. The 220–240 V, 50 Hz Large is the same price and needs a dedicated 15 A circuit. See 220 V models.
The yearly rating says up to 7,000 lb. Is that realistic?
It’s a rating at about 200 full batches a year. A full load of wet food runs two to three days, so a Large drying fruit nonstop makes closer to 3,500 lb of fresh product a year. Light loads and candy cycle much faster. Plan with your own product, not the rating.
Need a written quote?
Buying two or more machines, shipping outside the US, or need a quote for a purchase order? Send the details and we’ll reply with a written quote.