Objective To enhance the added value of Morchella esculenta and optimize its hot-air drying process.Methods The effects of cutting methods (whole mushroom, 1/2 cut, and 1/4 cut) and drying temperatures (50, 60, and 70 ℃) on drying characteristics, nutritional quality (rehydration ratio, protein content, and total phenolic content), and antioxidant activity were systematically investigated, and a drying kinetic model was established.Results The hot-air drying process of M. esculenta could be divided into two stages: an accelerating drying stage and a falling-rate drying stage. The Page model accurately described the moisture variation during drying (R²=0.980). With increasing cutting degree, the drying rate increased and the drying time decreased. However, the effective moisture diffusivity (D_eff), total phenolic content, and DPPH radical scavenging activity significantly decreased, while the rehydration ratio showed no significant difference (P>0.05). With increasing drying temperature, the drying time decreased, the drying rate increased, and D_eff increased. The rehydration ratio first decreased and then increased, while the protein content, total phenolic content, and DPPH radical scavenging activity all showed an increasing trend followed by a decreasing trend.Conclusion Drying whole M. esculenta at 60 ℃ was identified as the optimal processing condition. Under this condition, the drying time (240 min) and rehydration ratio (2.31 g/g) were relatively low, while D_eff (1.296 9×10^-9 m²/s), protein content (26.97%), total phenolic content (5.32%), and DPPH radical scavenging activity (78.07%) were maintained at relatively high levels.