Can you Freeze Potatoes?

QUESTION:
Can you freeze potatoes?

ANSWER:
Yes, you can freeze potatoes. Think frozen french fries!

But… raw potatoes do not freeze well… you must slightly cook, or blanch your potatoes before freezing them. Partially cooked potatoes will freeze well.

freeze potatoes

Can You Freeze Potatoes

freeze potatoes

Instructions for Freezing Potatoes

  1. Wash your potatoes. Choose fairly fresh potatoes, free of sprouts.
  2. Peel your potatoes. If your potatoes are large, then cut them in half or into even quarters.
  3. Blanch your potatoes for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Blanching stops enzyme actions which cause flavor and vitamin loss, cleanses off dirt and organisms and brightens colors to boot. Please read our blanching page for more information, as this is a crucial step to the process. Under-blanching can be harmful to your potatoes and over-blanching will give you a flavorless potato lacking in nutrients.
  4. Cool your potatoes in an ice bath (ice plus water) for 5-10 minutes.
  5. Drain your potatoes. Place them into a strainer after cooling and then use towels to dry them as much as possible in preparation for freezing. Any excess water will turn to ice in the freezer.
  6. Place your potatoes into an airtight freezer bag (and squeeze out any excess air), an airtight container (and burp out any air) or vacuum seal your potatoes.
  7. Freeze your potatoes. Store them deep within the freezer and they’ll be safe to eat for a long time. Recommended storage time is about a year for best quality, but if vacuum packed and stored in a deep freezer they will keep a long, long time.

Additional Info

To learn more about freezing in general, check out our freezer post.

A common question about freezing food is can you freeze cheese.

Another common question about freezing food is can you freeze milk.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.

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