• Karonda ( Carissa carandas L.) is an underutilized fruit shrub and is mostly grown in Indian subcontinent as economic protective hedge around orchards. • Its berry like fruits are highly nutritious. Its daily intake un the diet can remove malnutrition and iron deficiency in the poor and tribal people. • The major concern with karonda fruit is less post-harvest management due to which most of the fruit on harvesting get wasted. • The present study aims in finding the impact of economical drying methods like sun, oven and microwave on the nutritional quality of karonda fruit so that its fruit powder can be utilized in various food items as a natural nutritional supplement. • The results revealed low power (200W) microwave and sun drying as the best processing methods to retain maximum nutritional compounds in karonda powder. • Both drying methods like sun and microwave showed better color retention and anthocyanin content compared to oven dried samples. • The findings of this study will help the consumers in bulk drying of karonda fruits for utilization in various food preparations as a nutritional substituent. It is one of the best way to improve nutritional and food security. Karonda ( Carissa carandas L.) is an underutilized fruit shrub and is mostly grown in Indian subcontinent as economic protective hedge around orchards. Its berry like fruits are edible and are enriched in nutrients. Its intake can be a boon for the people suffering from malnutrition and iron deficiency especially residing in tribal areas who can't afford costly fruits and vegetables. The major concern with karonda fruit is its post-harvest management as most of this fruit get wasted because of the high perishability, limited harvest time, improper processing and storage conditions, thereby reducing its nutritional quality. Drying is considered as a best food processing method for making the fruit available for extended period (s) of time. Therefore, the present study aims in finding the impact of economical drying methods like sun (SD), oven (OD) and microwave (MD) on the nutritional quality of karonda fruit. The nutritional parameters tested were the proximate composition, bioactive compounds (total phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanin), vitamin C, antioxidant activity and mineral content. The results revealed low power (200W) microwave and sun drying as the best processing methods to retain maximum nutritional compounds in karonda powder. Also, both the drying methods showed better color retention and anthocyanin content compared to oven dried samples. The findings of this study will help the consumers in bulk drying of karonda fruits for utilization in various food preparations as a nutritional substituent.