•Drying kinetics were well described considering a compositional diffusion model.•Effective diffusivity for pits fraction was higher than in pulps and peels one.•Drying at high temperatures led to an improved antioxidant potential.•Long drying times at high temperatures increased antioxidant potential.•An efficient extraction can be achieved in only 5h. This work aims to evaluate the influence of olive pomace drying (a solid by-product of the olive oil industry) on both antioxidant potential and drying kinetics. The two main fractions of olive pomace (pits, PI and pulps+peels, P+P) were characterized by image analysis and density measurement. The drying process was analyzed in experiments carried out at different temperatures (from 50 to 150°C) and mathematically described from the diffusion and Weibull models. The antioxidant potential of the extracts (ethanol–water 80:20 v/v, 22±1°C, 170rpm for 24h) obtained from the dry product was analyzed by measuring the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity and the main polyphenols were quantified by HPLC–DAD/MS–MS. The drying behavior of olive pomace was well described by considering the diffusion in the PI and P+P fractions separately and the influence of temperature on effective moisture diffusivities was quantified by an Arrhenius type equation. The antioxidant potential was only mildly influenced by the drying temperature. However, long drying times at the highest temperature tested (150°C) significantly (p<0.05) increased the antioxidant potential.