Fresh baby Ganoderma lucidum was taken as the research object, and five different drying methods were employed in this study, including Vacuum Freeze Drying (VFD), Hot Air Drying (HAD), Microwave Drying (MD), Far Infrared Drying (FIRD), and Vacuum Drying (VD), to examine the effects of the different drying methods on the drying characteristics and quality of baby Ganoderma lucidum. The results showed that VFD performed the best in retaining macroscopic quality and the contents of active components, such as polyphenols (4.35 mg/g), flavonoids (3.07 mg/g), and soluble protein (6.28 mg/g), while also exhibiting the strongest antioxidant activity, although it required the longest drying time (8 hours). MD was the best in preserving polysaccharide content (25.92 mg/g) and exhibited the fastest drying speed (taking only 0.75 hours). HAD showed an advantage in retaining triterpene content (19.95 mg/g). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to rank the drying methods based on their comprehensive scores, and the order was VFD>MD>HAD>VD>FIRD, with VFD achieving the highest comprehensive score (2.69). In conclusion, this study evaluated the effects of different drying methods on the drying characteristics and quality of bady Ganoderma lucidum, and assessed comprehensively through principal component analysis, aiming to identify an optimal drying method for obtaining high-quality bady Ganoderma lucidum raw materials, providing a theoretical basis for subsequent related research.