Potatoes are one of those staple foods that it’s hard to imagine not having on your plate. Versatile, they can be cooked and eaten in so many ways so it is no wonder you might be asking, can you freeze potatoes?
Potatoes can be frozen for up to 1 year. This does depend on the form the potato is in. It is possible to freeze baked, boiled, mashed and roasted potatoes. You can also freeze fondant and dauphinoise potatoes.
Do Do Potatoes freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Potatoes? No
How To Freeze Potatoes
You can freeze potatoes in so many ways, and how you prep, cook and freeze them is entirely down to how you prefer to eat your potatoes.
So let’s start with how to freeze potatoes in the simplest way possible. Then we can get onto how to freeze potatoes in different ways.
- Clean
To start with, you need to clean and prep your potatoes. So wash them in cool water and scrub any dirt and skin off them. - Peel
Peel and prep your potatoes however you best like them. If you prefer the skin on, then great if you prefer peeled, now is the time to do it. Cut out any bad patches of the potato. - Rinse
Rinse your potatoes in cold water to get rid of any excess starch. - Cut
Cut your potatoes to their desired size. - Cook
Next, it’s time to cook your potatoes. Choose how you prefer to cook them and follow your usual recipe. Potatoes can be boiled, blanched, baked, roasted or even fried. - Cool
Drain the potatoes (if you have boiled them) and allow them to cool completely. - Bag Up
Put the cooled potatoes into freezer bags. The best way to do this is to put a portion into each bag. This way, when it comes to using the potatoes, they are already portioned out and easy to grab. - Freeze
Label the freezer bags with the date and put them in the freezer.
How to Freeze Different Potato Types
Potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients on the planet. They form the structure of different dishes, are an essential side dish and work great as a snack.
This is precisely why we have covered a whole range of different potato forms below, so you know how to freeze each of these:
How to Freeze Mashed Potatoes
Not only can you freeze mashed potatoes, but this is one of the best ways to freeze them!
All you need to do is cook potatoes as you normally would. Next, mash the potatoes with plenty of butter. Pop your mashed potato into freezer bags, then label and put them in the freezer.
This is such an easy process, and frozen mash is super easy to defrost and use too.
When you want to eat your potatoes, grab them out of the freezer, empty the potatoes into a microwave-safe bowl and put it in the microwave and cook! You need to stir the potatoes now and then and heat until they have defrosted and are piping hot throughout.
How to Freeze Roast Potatoes
Roast potatoes can be frozen, and they freeze really well! Perfect if you have leftovers or are a fan of the traditional roastie with your main meal but donāt like the hassle of cooking roast potatoes.
All you need to do is cook up your potatoes how you normally would, using your favourite methods and seasoning. Then do the following.
- Cool
Allow the roast potatoes to cool completely. - Bag Up
Pop them into a freezer bag and label it with the date. - Freeze for 30 Minutes
Put the bag of roasties into the freezer for half an hour or so. After thirty minutes to an hour, grab the bag of roast potatoes and give it a little shake. This will help to separate the potatoes and stop them from sticking together too badly. - Return to the Freeze
Put the bag back into the freezer and let them freeze completely.
You should be able to grab the number of potatoes you want and keep the rest frozen.
How to Freeze Fondant Potatoes
Fondant potatoes do not freeze well. You will find the texture breaks down, and they are no longer buttery but grainy instead. You can prepare fondant potatoes and leave them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
But, where possible, avoid freezing fondant potatoes. If you want to have something similar, then roast potatoes (using the method above) do freeze well.
How to Freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes
Although it is possible to freeze dauphinoise potatoes, it’s not something we would advise freezing as a complete dish. Unfortunately, the combination of cream and cheese is not a good one in the freezer.
When frozen, dauphinoise can become gritty and grainy, making it far less appetising. You can, instead, freeze the slices potato blanched so that you can pour a fresh batch of cheese sauce over the top and bake fresh.
How to Freeze Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes take a while to cook. You have to leave them in the oven to go soft and fluffy, which isn’t ideal if you want a speedy meal. But you can bulk bake potatoes and freeze the ones you don’t use, so they’re ready to go.
Just wrap each baked potato and freeze it in foil. Place them in a freezer bag to keep them all together.
How to Freeze Raw Potatoes
Raw potatoes have a very high water content, which means that you shouldnāt freeze them raw. The water in them crystalises while being frozen, and then when this is thawed, it leaves the potatoes mushy and often unusable.
If you donāt want to fully cook your potatoes before freezing, then you at least need to parboil or blanch them.
The method of doing this is mentioned above. Still, to refresh your memory, you need to boil your potatoes for a few minutes and then remove them from the boiling water and immediately submerge them in iced water to stop the cooking process.
Once you have done this, you should be able to freeze the potatoes with no problems.
3 Tips for Freezing Potatoes
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing potatoes to have the best results:
Avoid Raw Potatoes
Raw potatoes do not freeze well at all. They’ll become incredibly mushy if frozen and thawed. The good news is that potatoes can be frozen in a range of cooked ways.
Mix with Other Vegetables
Potatoes don’t have to be frozen on their own. You can mix with other root vegetables such as swede, carrots, beetroot and turnips. Freeze them all together in freezer bags for instant roasted vegetables. You can even mix with cauliflower and spices to create frozen aloo gobi.
Season After Thawing
Seasoning before freezing can ruin the texture of potatoes. It can make roast potatoes soggy, for example. Instead, season potatoes after they have been thawed and reheated.
How Long Can You Freeze Potatoes?
Cooked and frozen potatoes can be kept in the freezer for up to twelve months! This is ideal for gardeners with an overabundance of potatoes or for anyone who finds they have many leftover potatoes!
You could even buy a big bag of potatoes and cook them using all your favourite methods so that you can freeze them for easy and quick meals at a later date. Perfect for anyone who loves to batch cook their meals.
You Can Freeze Potatoes for Around 12 Months
How Do You Defrost Potatoes?
In most cases, you can cook and heat potatoes that have been pre-cooked right from frozen. Whether this is baked, fried, roasted or boiled potatoes. Just pop them into the oven and cook as you normally would.
You will need to adjust your cooking times because it will take a little longer than usual to cook.
Mashed potatoes can be defrosted and heated up in the microwave – super simple!
If you do want to defrost your potatoes because they have only been blanched or because you prefer to cook them this way, then you can take them out of the freezer and put the bag in the fridge to defrost overnight.
If you forget to take the potatoes out of the freezer the night before, then you can speed up this process a little by putting a portion of frozen potatoes into a bowl and leaving them on the kitchen side to defrost at room temperature.
How fast this is will depend on the temperature of the room, but you should have thawed out potatoes in about an hour.
Can You Refreeze Potatoes?
Potatoes shouldnāt be frozen more than once. Freezing always affects food, and the texture is often the first thing to change. Sometimes the taste of the food can change too, and it could even spoil.
Once you have thawed out the potatoes, you should be using them within 24 hours to avoid them going bad.
Do Potatoes Freeze Well?
Cooked potatoes do freeze very well. Potatoes often freeze so well that you wouldnāt even be able to tell the difference between fresh and frozen versions.
However, you should always expect minimal changes in texture, but it shouldnāt be enough to make a difference in your enjoyment of your food.
Some types of cooked potatoes freeze better than others. A great example of this is mashed potatoes. These freeze well, and they might even be a little creamier in texture once they have been frozen.
However, raw potatoes do not freeze well, and it isnāt recommended to try. The potatoes are likely to become too mushy to be edible. To avoid this, you should, at the very least, parboil or blanch your potatoes before freezing.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing potatoes or potatoes in general, then these may help:
Can You Freeze Potato Salad?
Instead, we would recommend just freezing potatoes on their own using the method on this page before dressing it fresh on the day you want to eat it.
Can You Freeze Potatoes for Chips?
Drain them – be careful as they will be a little delicate now. Give them time to steam dry, then spread out on a baking tray. Flash freeze the chips on the tray. Once frozen solid, you can tip them into a freezer bag to freeze for the long term.
When you’re ready to eat them, grab a handful and deep fry as you normally would – straight from the freezer.
