How long do cooked potatoes last in the fridge? 4 days
Cooked potatoes with no meat, cheese or egg in them keep 4 days in the fridge. They freeze for up to 2 months, but mashed potatoes freeze best.
By Zain Nazeer, founder and editor
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Cooked potatoes last 4 days in the fridge. That is the USDA FoodKeeper time for leftovers without meat, fish, poultry or egg, and it covers boiled, baked, roasted and mashed potatoes. If the dish also has meat, cheese or egg in it, follow the time for those ingredients too, because the shortest time wins.
How long do cooked potatoes last in the fridge?
Four days, counted from the day you cooked them. Put them in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking, in a sealed container. Food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be thrown away. The four days are for best quality and safety when the fridge stays at 40°F (4°C) or colder. For the wider picture, see how long meal prep lasts in the fridge.
Can you freeze cooked potatoes?
Yes, for up to 2 months, according to FoodKeeper. The texture changes, though. Boiled and roasted chunks can turn grainy and watery after freezing, so they are best used in soups, stews or fried dishes. Mashed potatoes freeze better, and the method is in can you freeze mashed potatoes. Shop-bought frozen potato products, such as fries and tater tots, are a different case: they are made to be frozen.
How do you store cooked potatoes?
- Cool them quickly. Spread them on a tray, or cut large potatoes into smaller pieces so the middle cools fast.
- Use a shallow, sealed container. A flat container cools faster than a deep one.
- Label it with the date. See how to label meal prep.
- Keep cooked potatoes apart from raw meat in the fridge, so nothing drips onto them.
How do you reheat cooked potatoes?
Reheat until they are steaming hot all the way through, 165°F (74°C), the same temperature used for any leftovers. In a microwave, stir halfway so the middle heats. To crisp leftover roast potatoes, heat them in a hot oven on a tray. More methods are in how to reheat meal prep.
Which meal prep uses potatoes well?
Potatoes work well in grain bowls and sheet-pan dinners that you reheat once or twice during the week. The chicken rice bowls recipe is built for batch cooking. For how to plan the whole week around one shopping trip, see plan a week with one shopping list.
Related questions
- Can you freeze mashed potatoes
- How long does cooked rice last
- How to thaw meal prep safely
- Printable fridge and freezer storage chart
Sources
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