This study was intended to determine the drying kinetics of persimmon puree in a freeze drier. Experimental drying data were fitted to theoretical (Fick's Law of Diffusion) and ten well-known empirical thin layer drying models. In addition, the effective moisture diffusivity and color changes depending on the drying time were determined. The criteria considered for selecting the most suitable model were to obtain the highest R2 and lowest RMSE, and χ2 values. Depending on these criteria, Logarithmic model (R2=0.994, RMSE=0.0250 and χ2 =0.0009) was chosen to estimate the moisture ratio of persimmon puree during the drying process with a great accuracy. The effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) of freeze dried persimmon puree was calculated by using the Fick's Law of diffusion model, and it was found to be as 7.302 x10-10 m2/s. During the drying operation L* values increased and a* and b* values of persimmon puree decreased with a total amount of color change (Δ E) of 32.20