Can whole potatoes be frozen?

Few things smell as bad as a potato that has gone bad in your pantry. Aside from food waste, there are many reasons why you might want to store your potatoes for long-term freshness.

Many people are under the impression that potatoes cannot be frozen without turning black and mushy. That is a myth.

Can whole potatoes be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze whole potatoes. If frozen carefully, they will retain all or most of their nutrition, flavor, and texture. Results are best when whole potatoes are blanched or cooked before freezing, and they will last up to 1 year in the freezer with these methods.

If potatoes are frozen improperly, yes, they are likely to turn black, have a funny taste and a very strange texture when thawed, but there are many ways to freeze potatoes so that they will withstand the freezing process.

In this article, we will explain multiple ways to freeze whole potatoes, both raw and cooked, large or small. As long as you follow these guidelines, you’ll never waste a potato again.

Can you freeze raw potatoes?

Yes, you can freeze raw potatoes, but you have to be very careful. Potatoes have a very high water content, so if you try to freeze them raw, every drop of water will turn into a little ice crystal.

When the potato thaws, that ice will melt and the structure of the potato will break down considerably, leaving you with a soft, not mashed potato. This is not ideal.

Added to this high water content is enzyme activity that can cause the vegetable to lose flavor, texture, and color over time.

Simply freezing does not stop this enzyme, so if you want to protect the quality of your potatoes as much as possible, you need to stop this enzyme activity before freezing.

You can blanch the potatoes raw or freeze them after they have been cooked and cooled. In both cases, you create protection against ice crystals that ruin your potatoes.

If you decide to freeze your potatoes completely raw, it’s best not to freeze them whole , but instead cut them into small, bite-size pieces and use an acid to protect them rather than blanch them. You can rinse them with white vinegar or use a little citric acid.

How to freeze whole potatoes

Freezing whole potatoes is possible, but it also requires preparation. If you want to freeze whole potatoes, you will find that size matters a lot.

If you have small potatoes, such as new potatoes or baby potatoes, you have more options. They are small enough that blanching is relatively effective in preserving texture. You can also boil, bake, or roast them before freezing for near-perfect quality.

Larger baking potatoes do not freeze well raw. Due to its size, the blanching will not penetrate to the core of the potato, which means that freezing a large potato raw will severely compromise the texture. If you crush it, you may not notice it, but it is not advisable.

On the other hand, if you want to freeze a large potato whole, it is much better if you cook it first.

In the following sections, we’ll outline all of your options for freezing whole potatoes and the steps you need to take to get the most reliable quality.

How to blanch whole potatoes

Blanching only works with small vegetables, because the heat has to penetrate the vegetable to stop the enzymes that compromise the quality of the food during freezing. Therefore, it is only effective on potato wedges or small, tender or new potatoes.

If you want to freeze large whole potatoes, skip to the section on freezing cooked potatoes.

To blanch small potatoes, follow these simple steps:

1. Wash or peel the small potatoes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
3. Fill a large container with ice cold water and have it ready.
4. Put the small potatoes in the water and boil them for 5 minutes.
5. Using a larger straining spoon, transfer the potatoes to the bowl of ice water and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Spread the now cooled potatoes on a clean kitchen towel or piece of kitchen paper and allow the potatoes to air dry well.

How to freeze blanched potatoes

Once the potatoes are blanched, cooled, and completely dry, they are ready to be frozen.

Transfer the potatoes to a dated and labeled freezer bag, making sure the bag is full, but the potatoes are in a single layer when the bag is laid flat. You don’t want the potatoes to squash each other.

Get as much air out of the bag as possible without crushing the potatoes. Place the filled and carefully closed freezer bag on a flat surface, such as a cookie sheet, and transfer it to the freezer.

Make sure that the potatoes do not move or squash until they are completely frozen. Once they’re solid, you can remove the baking sheet and store them however you like.

You should never freeze potatoes more than once, so when you go to use them, take out only the ones you need, leaving the rest frozen and sealed back in their bag.

Freeze whole cooked potatoes

Cooked potatoes freeze quite well even if they are whole, because the enzymes that degrade the color, texture, and flavor of the potatoes have completely stopped. Still, there are some rules you must follow if you want the texture to hold up after thawing.

How to bake potatoes to freeze

If you know you are going to bake the potatoes for the express purpose of freezing them, the best technique is to bake or roast them until they are about 80% cooked. 

If you normally bake your potatoes for 1 hour, try to only bake them for 45 minutes. That way, when you reheat them, you’re not overcooking them, but finishing them off.

If you prefer, you can also boil the potatoes to freeze them. The same recommendations are valid: boil them until they are about 80% cooked.

Once the potatoes are cooked, spread them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer to cool. You should let them cool naturally to room temperature because doing so releases more water. This helps protect their texture quality while they are frozen.

How to freeze boiled potatoes

Once the potatoes have completely cooled, you should notice that they are hard or tight. This is because they have dried out a bit naturally, and will freeze just fine that way.

When you freeze potatoes, you can choose one of two methods.

Method 1: Batch Freeze

1. Transfer the cooled potatoes to a dated and labeled freezer bag.
2. Make sure that each potato is flat and does not overlap any other, and that the bag can be closed tightly.
3. Lay the bag flat on the counter and press to get as much air out as possible as you seal the bag.
4. Transfer the bag of potatoes to the freezer, making sure they are relatively flat, at least until they are well frozen.

Method 2: Individual potatoes

1. Wrap each potato individually in aluminum foil.
2. Make sure there are no holes or places where air or moisture could leak through the aluminum foil.
3. If you want to be more cautious, wrap the potato twice.
4. Using a marker, write the date on the aluminum foil.
5. Freeze all the individual potatoes in a large bag to keep them together or in a freezer-safe Tupperware container.

How long do frozen potatoes last?

Potatoes, if properly prepared and frozen, stay fresh and safe in the freezer for up to 1 year.

If you’ve frozen several whole potatoes together in one bag, it’s a good idea to check the bag every month or so to make sure no moisture or air has gotten into it. If you see ice crystals forming inside the bag, use the potatoes immediately to enjoy the best quality.

Related questions

Why do potatoes turn black?

If you’ve ever peeled a potato, you know how quickly they can turn black. This is because they have an enzyme, just like apples, bananas, and some other fruits, that reacts when exposed to oxygen and turns dark.

Discoloration does not change the flavor or texture, but it does make your potatoes look unsightly.

To prevent this from happening, you can transfer your peeled or cut potatoes to a bowl of fresh or cold water until you are ready to cook them. In this way, the flesh of the potato will not be exposed to oxygen and, therefore, will not react.

Can I freeze sweet potatoes?

Yes you can. Most sweet potatoes are quite large, so either cut into small pieces and blanch before freezing, or fully cook and prepare as suggested above for whole potatoes.

How to freeze potatoes for French fries?

The best way to freeze potatoes for french fries or fries is to cut up all the potatoes and blanch them, as described earlier in this article.

Since the pieces will be smaller, the blanching process will not take as long. Remove the potatoes from the boiling water after 3 minutes and let them soak in an ice bath for another 3 minutes.

Once the French fries have been blanched, allow them to dry well. You can dry them with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel if you’re in a hurry.

Spread the chunks in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Place the entire tray in a safe place in your freezer until the pieces are frozen individually. This will help prevent them from sticking.

Once fully frozen, you can transfer the chunks to an individual freezer-safe bag.