How to Freeze Potatoes (For Future Meals)

Freezing potatoes is a great way to preserve your harvest, and also a convenient way to have potatoes on hand for future meals and recipes. 🥔

Potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables to grow in our backyard homestead. They're inexpensive to grow and require little maintenance. Potatoes can also last for months when stored under the right conditions. Fresh, cured potatoes store best in cool, dark and humid areas. We live in Northeast Texas, so it's not the ideal climate for storing potatoes. 

Yes, it's hot, and it's definitely humid, but it's not cold, at least not in the summer, which is when we harvest potatoes. The most ideal place would be in a root cellar, but root cellars aren't a thing in the south, and we also do not have a basement, so if we want to grow potatoes in Texas, we have to get creative on how we store and preserve them for long-term.  

A few of our favorite potato varieties to grow are Russets, Kennebec, Yukon Gold, Red Norland. German Butterball and Gold Nugget. Gold Nugget potatoes have a long storage time, but they're hard to find locally. If stored properly, they will last up to 6-8 months, so I might try and purchase some online for next year.   

No matter how you preserve your potatoes, they have to be cured first; curing allows the potato skins to thicken and helps maintain their texture, flavor and quality during storage and processing. Curing usually takes between 7-14 days. I cure our potatoes in our guest room, and spread them out on a utility rack. It's not ideal, but it works. I have a portable air conditioner and I set it for about 65 degrees during the curing process. 

 

After the potatoes are cured they will need to be stored in a cool, dark, well ventilated area. I store my potatoes in milk crates covered with burlap or newspaper and keep them in the guest room where it's dark, and then transfer them to the garage in the colder months after the temperature drops to about 55 degrees. Normally, the potatoes don't make it to winter because they're short storage potatoes and only last up 3-4 months.    

Some years are better than others, but when we do have an abundance of potatoes, my family soon realizes that there is no way that we can consume all of those potatoes before they go bad. When this happens, I have to start preserving them. My top 2 favorite methods for preserving potatoes is by canning and freezing. I normally dry can some of the potatoes to use for frying. Dry canning isn't a recommended practice, but I only do that with potatoes, and it has worked well for me. 

I will also pressure can a few batches of potatoes, the traditional way to use for soup and stews. There is nothing better than having a few jars on hand when you're making homemade stew or a last-minute soup. Freezing potatoes is by far the easiest method to preserve potatoes and to expand their shelf life.   

The most important part when it comes to freezing potatoes is that you cannot freeze potatoes raw! Potatoes must be partially cooked before freezing. When you partially cook the potatoes first, it helps retain their texture, keeps the potatoes from getting mushy, and stops the oxidation and enzymatic reaction that turns the potatoes black when frozen.  

THIS IS WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO STORE POTATEOS IN THE FREEZER. 

🥔 POTATOES: Yukon Gold and red potatoes freeze the best, but I have had great success freezing Russets, Kennebec and Red Norland potatoes.  

🥘 LARGE POT: to blanch the potatoes.

🔪 PREPARE THE POTATOES: peel potatoes if desired and cut them into wedges or chunks. I like to cut my potatoes into chunks to use for roasting and to use in soups and stew. 

🧊 ICE BATH: used to cool the potatoes down quickly and to stop the cooking process.  

 🍴  BAKING SHEET: to spread the potatoes on when flash freezing.

❆  FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: flash freeze potatoes and then store in gallon size freezer bags or vacuum seal.   

🍽  SERVING INSTRUCTIONS: frozen potatoes can be used straight from the freezer, but if you            want to thaw them first, always defrost them in the refrigerator. 

First wash the potatoes under cool running water. If you leave the skin on, make sure to wash the potatoes really well using a produce brush and then set the potatoes aside. If you have smaller potatoes, you can leave them whole, but potatoes that are bigger need to be cut into wedges or quarters. I normally quarter my potatoes.   

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. We are only going to blanch the potatoes, not cooking them all the way though. Add a little bit of salt and bring the potatoes to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 4-6 minutes. 

While the potatoes are cooking, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice to make an ice bath and set aside. Test the potatoes before draining. You want them to be fork tender but still firm. Keep in mind this can take more than 6 minutes. It all depends on the size of the potatoes.  

Remove the pot from the heat and immediately plunge the potatoes into the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain the potatoes in a colander. 

Lay the potatoes our flat on a drying mat to cool and pat them dry with a cloth. 

Spread the potatoes out into a singe layer on a baking sheet, making sure they do not touch. Cover and freeze the potatoes until solid or up to 12 hours.  

Remove the potatoes from the freezer, and add to a resealable freezer bag or vacuum seal, label, date and store in the freezer until ready to use.   

Potatoes can be used from frozen or thaw in the refrigerator before use. 

Here are some delicious recipes that call for potatoes. 

• Oven Roasted Potatoes with Sausage, Peppers and Onions. 
• Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Honey Glazed Potatoes
• One Pot Smoked Sausage, Green Beans & Potatoes
• Chicken Corn Chowder
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Garden Harvest Chicken Stew 
• Crock Pot Cowboy Soup

 

Dehydrating potatoes is another wonderful technique to extend the life of your potato harvest. Click on the link --> for the full tutorial on How to Dehydrate Potato Slices  to make the best scalloped potatoes.