How to Freeze Potatoes: A Step-by-Step Guide to Preserving Freshness

How many times have you purchased a 5 or 10lb. back of potatoes, only to not use them nearly as fast as you thought you would. Me? Far too many times to count.

But recently, I learned a few tricks that will help me use them up quicker. I can freeze them very easily! It sounded intimidating for me too at first, but once I dove into the process, it really was not that hard at all.

Most people think that to freeze something you just toss it in the freezer. But for some things, it’s not that simple.

What happens when you leave a cut potato just out in the environment? It starts to brown and harden. The same thing will happen if you just cut up a potato, put it in a bag and toss it in the freezer. As it thaws, it will turn brown and gross. Potatoes must be blanched before they are frozen.

Some Science stuff

to Freeze Potatoes, you must first do something called “Blanching” What is blanching you may ask? Well….

Blanching is a cooking technique used to preserve Quality and freshness. It deactivates Enzymes and slows down Vitamin Loss since other cooking techniques kills vitamins C and B, as does certain storage methods.

Now that we know what Blanching is….why do Potatoes need to be Blanched?

Potatoes are a vegetable. And when we freeze Vegetables without blanching them, their natural enzymes are still active. Which means those potatoes are still ripening and slowly breaking down in your freezer.

This means that when they thaw, that will activate a new process kicks in, our little Friend Oxidation. That causes the potatoes to turn brown/Black.

SO then how do we freeze Potatoes?

First you decide what you want to freeze. For my family I’d probably blanch some French fry cut potatoes, as well as maybe some cubed potatoes. The way you cut your potato will determine how long it should blanch for. skin on, or skin off doesn’t matter either.

Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Step 2: Add the potatoes and set timer (see times below)

Step 3: Once Blanched, pour potatoes into a colander and place directly into an ice bath. If you also add 1/2 cup of Vinegar to your ice water bath, it will prevent the potatoes from getting mushy while they’re in the freezer.

*Let potatoes sit in ice bath for 5 minutes before moving on*

Step 4: Place the potatoes evenly on a parchment or wax paper lined baking tray and pat them dry with a towel or paper towel. We don’t want any of the potatoes clumped together, because then they will stick together.

Step 5: Pop that baking tray into the freezer for 2-6 hours. We want the potatoes frozen solid.

Step 6: Once you have a baking tray of potato Rocks, Transfer them to a Ziplock bag for storage and use as needed,

Blanching Times:

Cubes: 1”cubes, blanch 5 minutes

Sliced: 1/4″ thick, Blanch 3-5 minutes

French Fries: Blanch for 3-5 minutes or until Tender

Shredded: This one is probably the trickiest. Being so small you can NOT leave them unattended. They could be done in as little as 2 minutes.

Did you try Freezing some potatoes? How did they turn out?