<p>This work employs vacuum drying to produce porous materials from Ramon starch, a non-conventional starch source. The effect of starch concentration and retrogradation time on the xerogel’s density, porosity and thermal properties was investigated. Obtained xerogels exhibited a high degree of shrinkage with low porosity and a pore size in the range of 75–125&#xa0;nm. Increasing the concentration and retrogradation time generated an increase in density from 0.7 to 1.07&#xa0;g/mL, and a 17% reduction in porosity. Infrared spectra showed a change in the signals present at 1047 and 1022&#xa0;cm⁻¹, which is attributed to an increase in starch crystallinity. The xerogels exhibited a higher thermal degradation temperature of 330&#xa0;°C. This study shows that Ramon starch could be used as an alternative in the production of xerogels using VD. The porosity and thermal properties of these materials could facilitate their application in the packaging and biomedical industries.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>