Can You Freeze Mashed Potatoes? Yes, If You Follow These Rules
Updated on March 2, 2023
Whether homemade or store-bought, Mashed Potato is a classic addition to so many meals; it’s cheap, easy, and good for you!
I always find myself with leftovers after a big roast chicken or bangers and mash – and it’s hard to know how to store it! Potatoes aren’t known for being easy to freeze.
Prepare your mashed potato ahead of time and freeze it!
One day this got me thinking… Can you freeze mashed potatoes? Thankfully the answer is yes, mashed potatoes can be prepared in advance and frozen down! Saving you time and money.
Are you wondering the best way to freeze your mashed potatoes? Or you may be wondering how long do mashed potatoes last in the freezer? We got the answer to these questions and more, so keep on reading!!!
Can You Freeze Mashed Potatoes
With Christmas around the corner, there’s a lot of meal prepping ahead! Thankfully our favorite homemade mashed potato is easy to prepare – and can be prepared well in advance and frozen ready for the big day!
No more rushing around the kitchen stressing about the spuds or leaving them to the last minute!
No matter what kind of mash you go for – homemade, store-bought, instant, or for babies – it can all be frozen and saved for later as long as there is enough FAT, such as butter and milk, or cream. It also means you will have lovely creamy mashed potato; that’s always a favorite at the dinner table. If you’re adding other ingredients or seasonings, your mash will still be able to be frozen.
If you prefer to use non-dairy products, like soy or almond milk for example, you may need to add a little more milk or a little oil to really make sure there’s enough fat, but it’s still possible to do! What is most important to remember is having enough milk, butter or oil to hold the potatoes together and stay creamy in the freezer.
There’s a super-easy way to has a simple mashed potato recipe that is easy to freeze and comes out just as delicious after being frozen as they are fresh.
For more convenience we have detailed a great recipe below:
- Take 2.2 pounds (1.5kgs) of potatoes wash and scrub them well. Choose whatever potatoes you want – my preference is the larger potatoes but smaller ones like perlas potatoes will work too.
- Line your tray with foil and add the oil or butter to the foil.
- Preheat your oven to 375℉ or 190℃ with the tray on it. Ensure the tray has the oil but not the potatoes. The idea is to have the oil sizzling hot by the time the potatoes are added.
- Once the oven is preheated and the oil is sizzling hot place the potatoes carefully on the tray, and bake your spuds in the oven at 375℉ (190℃) for 2 hours
Warning: Be very careful on this step as the oil will be very hot. If the potatoes are wet the oil may spit a little.
- Once the potatoes are baked, put them in the mixer while they are still hot.
- Put the mixer on low for approximately 30 seconds to break up the potatoes a little.
- While the potatoes are in the mixer, add a sliced stick of butter, and mix until all the butter is melted and well combined.
- SLOWLY add to the mixer 1 1/4 cups of raw milk (or whatever milk you like to use). This step takes about 3-5 minutes, but it’s worth it. Be patient.
- At the very end, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix again until well combined
Have them for dinner tonight, OR you can freeze them for later!
How Long Does Mashed Potato Last In The Freezer
Mashed potatoes last in the freezer for 10 to 12 months, as long as they have been stored properly (see below section for more info on this!).
However, they are safe to eat 2 or 3 months past the 12 months threshold. Just be aware that the flavor quality will decrease significantly past those 12 months – that’s perfect if your freezer is chockablock and you keep finding surprises in the bottom!
The most important thing to remember is the fat content (the milk, butter, or oil), so long as there’s enough fat in the mashed potatoes, they will freeze well and will taste delicious when thawed and reheated (more on this below!)
What Is The Best Way To Freeze Mashed Potatoes
Once you have cooked your mashed potatoes, it’s best to let them cool before preparing them for the freezer – same with all other foods – This is so that the hot food doesn’t heat the inside of your freezer and partially defrost other foods!
- The best way to freeze them, and make it easier to reheat them later, is in a freezer-friendly container, lined with baking paper, tinfoil, or glad wrap, or a heavy-duty bag.
- To avoid your frozen mashed potatoes from sticking to the bag, lightly grease the bag before placing the potatoes.
- You will also need to consider whether you want to portion your mash for multiple meals/people, or whether to freeze it all together!
Here are two simple methods for freezing, depending on how you want to use them:
Method 1 – Flash Freezing
Flash freezing is the process of cooling food down quickly in order to speed the freezing process and preserve freshness, or to prevent food from sticking together when frozen.
To flash freeze your mash potato portions:
- scoop a cup of mash onto baking paper
- transfer to the freezer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the portion is firm to the touch
- then transfer your portions into a shallow airtight container or a large resealable plastic bag.
As the portions have been frozen individually they won’t stick together.
The beauty of this process is that you can store all the portions in one bag/container but use them individually as needed!
Method 2 – Non-Portioned
Transfer the cooled mash into shallow airtight containers or resealable plastic bags, then freeze until needed.
Using this method will freeze the mashed potato all together so you won’t be able to subdivide the portions without defrosting everything first.
How To Reheat Frozen Mashed Potatoes
When it comes to reheating your frozen mash for dinner, there’s not really a “best” way; it completely depends on your kitchen and your preferences on how you reheat them.
To help you decide, below we describe some of the options available to you:
Stovetop
Reheat them thawed or straight from the freezer in a pot over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add additional seasoning or butter as required.
Oven
Reheat the spuds thawed or straight from the freezer in a covered oven-friendly dish for approximately 30 minutes at 350 °F (176 °C) or until completely heated through.
Slow Cooker
This method works best when potatoes have been thawed in the fridge.
To thaw your mashed simply place the portion in the fridge until it is completely defrosted. Then add to the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-4 hours.
Microwave
This is the easiest and quickest option.
Pop the potatoes (either frozen or thawed) in a covered microwave-safe dish and heat on half power for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, add extra seasoning and butter as needed.
Warning: Time may vary depending on the microwave, and the amount of potatoes. To ensure you do not dry your potatoes heat them at 2.5 minutes intervals staring and checking every time!
If they’re slightly on the watery side (which may happen if there’s not enough fat, or from reheating from frozen) add some sour cream or cream cheese for more thickness and creaminess.
You can also add more seasonings, cheese, garlic, or whatever other toppings you like once they’re reheated – if you haven’t before freezing!
Other Mashed Potatoes That Can Be Frozen
Now that we know homemade and store-bought mashed potatoes can indeed be frozen (that’s a weight off my shoulders for Christmas!), let’s look at different variations of mashed potatoes, and if they can be frozen:
Sweet Potatoes
Mashed potatoes can be made with all kinds of potatoes, including sweet potato (or kumara in New Zealand).
This is a favorite in my house for a delicious twist on the classic, and like the classic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes can also be frozen, YAY!!!!!
As it all comes down to the fat content in the mash; make sure to add enough butter and milk or cream (whatever your preference) to ensure that the spuds will freeze down nicely!
Mashed Potato With Toppings
Mashed potatoes are delicious on their own, but you can also add other ingredients: cheese, garlic, or even bacon; a delicious twist on the classic!
All these twists to the classic mashed potato can be frozen down.
But always remember to add enough dairy or fat to the potatoes so it freezes well!
With cheesy spuds, you can get away with a little less milk or cream as the cheese will make up for it – but with garlic or bacon add a little extra!
KFC Mashed Potato
Let’s talk about the popular mash and gravy from KFC wich is a classic around the world; KFC wouldn’t be KFC without it.
But can the KFC mashed potato be frozen? The answer is YES! KFC’s mash has plenty of fat content to be frozen down.
To make sure it stays creamy and delicious after it’s been frozen down, add a little extra cream or butter to the mix before freezing!
KFC’s mash is best reheated in the microwave to make sure it doesn’t end up too watery!
Instant Mashed Potato Flakes
Finally, let’s look at instant mashed potato flakes. Can instant mashed potatoes flakes be frozen? Similarly, to regular instant mashed potatoes, you can freeze them after they’ve been cooked.
As they are pre-prepared and designed to be quick and easy, they will need extra fat or dairy products added to them before freezing.
This will last in your freezer for up to three months, but we recommend consuming it before then to be safe.
Conclusion?
With the big holidays coming up, it’s always handy to cut down the workload and pre-prepare whatever you can and save time to spend with your friends and family this holiday season.
No matter your preference of mash, they can all be prepared ahead of time and be frozen, leaving you more time to spend with your family and friends! We can even suggest you use the mashed potatoes in this delicious lentil Shepherd’s pie recipe.