The influence of drying and dewatering of a yttrium hydroxynitrate precursor with transient morphology was investigated. The ability of this precursor to form soft agglomerated nanoparticles after calcination is dependent on the dewatering method. Freeze drying leads to finer particles than other dewatering methods that involve removal of the solvent from its liquid state. As water is directly removed by sublimation during freeze drying, this method inhibits the formation of solid bridges between hydroxynitrate platelets. These bridges, which form with the other dewatering methods, destabilize the spheroidization process of the platelets during subsequent firing at high temperatures.