Can you freeze potatoes? Raw, cooked and mashed

Yes, but raw potatoes do not freeze well as they are. Water inside them forms ice crystals, and they turn grey, grainy and watery when they thaw. Cook or blanch potatoes before freezing and they keep their best quality for several months. Mashed, roasted and baked potatoes all freeze well.

How do you freeze raw potatoes?

Blanch them first:

• Peel and cut into fries, wedges or cubes of the same size.
• Boil for 3 to 5 minutes depending on size, until just starting to soften on the outside.
• Cool in iced water, drain and pat completely dry.
• Freeze on a tray in one layer, then bag them with the air pressed out.

Cook them from frozen: roast or air-fry at high heat. Blanched potatoes keep their quality for up to about a year. Blanching guidance is from university extension freezing guides; see the source below.

Can you freeze cooked potatoes?

• Mashed potatoes: yes, especially with butter or cream; see can you freeze mashed potatoes.
• Roast potatoes and wedges: yes, for 1 to 2 months; reheat in a hot oven or an air fryer to crisp them again.
• Baked potatoes: yes, wrapped individually; the texture softens, so they are best as twice-baked or in soups.
• Boiled potatoes: they freeze poorly on their own, but well inside soups, stews and curries.

How long do cooked potatoes last in the fridge?

3 to 4 days, refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking, like other cooked food. UK guidance says eat leftovers within 2 days. Cooked potatoes left warm for hours can support bacterial growth, so cool them quickly.

How do you store raw potatoes without freezing?

In a cool, dark, dry place with air around them, not the fridge for long periods, which can make them taste sweet and darken when cooked. Kept well, they last several weeks. Throw out potatoes that are soft, shrivelled or sprouting heavily, and cut away any green parts.

Which meal prep dishes use potatoes?

Sheet-pan salmon roasts baby potatoes with the fish. For more freezer ideas, see which meal prep foods freeze well and can you freeze carrots.

Sources

• New Mexico State University: freezing vegetables, with blanching times
• USDA: freezing and food safety
• UK government: how to chill, freeze and defrost food safely