Abstract: In order to reduce the influence of external factors in drying process of dried squid, the traditional dried squid was simulated by hot air drying process. Low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to monitor the moisture content of squid slices during the drying process. The changes of flavor during the hot air drying and sun-drying were measured by electronic nose. The flavor compounds during the hot air drying were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the bound water was stable in the process of squid drying, and the content of flowing water was not easy to decrease greatly. The hot air drying conditions of squid slices were 45 ℃ and 6 h.The flavor release of hot air dried squid was consistent with that of traditional sun-dried squid, and the similarity was more than 95%. The variety of flavor compounds increased gradually with the prolonging of drying time, and the variety of flavor compounds increased obviously in the later period of drying. The variation of water content and the similar flavor volatilization during hot air drying indicated that hot air drying could simulate the traditional squid drying process.