The work aims to investigate the drying characteristics of Antarctic krill meal and the variation of its nutritional quality. The krill raw materials were dried under different vacuum levels (0.04, 0.06 and 0.08 MPa) and temperature (75, 85 and 95 ℃). The drying characteristics were assessed through moisture content (dry base), drying rate, and moisture diffusion coefficient, and the nutritional quality was evaluated by determination of astaxanthin, TBA and colour difference. At the drying temperature of 75 ℃, the drying time at 0.06 MPa and 0.08 MPa was reduced by 15% and 21%, respectively, compared with the vacuum pressure of 0.04 MPa. The effective moisture diffusion coefficients of krill under different vacuum drying conditions ranged from (3.555 77 to 6.574 12)×10−10 m2/s. The Midilli model reflected the vacuum drying process of krill meal accurately, with a good fit between the predicted values and the experimental values (R2>0.999). Increasing the vacuum level significantly inhibited the decomposition and lipid oxidation of astaxanthin. At 75 °C, the astaxanthin content was increased by 21% and 48% at 0.06 MPa and 0.08 MPa, respectively, compared to 0.04 MPa. At 95 °C, the TBA value was reduced by 47% at 0.08 MPa compared to 0.04 MPa. Land avalues were more markedly affected by drying temperature compared to bvalue, and ∆E value decreased with the increased vacuum pressure at the same drying temperature. In conclusion, the vacuum drying at 0.08 MPa and 75 ℃ can effectively reduce the degradation of the active substances in Antarctic krill meal and ensure the drying rate. This study can provide a theoretical reference for the design and production control of vacuum drying process with Antarctic krill meal.