…… Can I freeze mashed potatoes?

[Barry Natchitoches]

Can I freeze mashed potatoes - made with real potatoes (not potato flakes), milk and butter, and have it be of decent quality when it comes out of the freezer? By that, I mean, not watery or discolored, or whatever?

Thank you in advance for your insights.

 

[Kathy in FL]

Depends on your definition of "decent." Nothing is as good as fresh. Try a small batch from leftovers and then reheat them the way you want them. Test for consistency and taste and adjust accordingly.

 

[Smoke]

I used to take all leftovers, meat, potatoes (mashed or not) and veggies, gravies, place all in a large container and freeze, then thaw out and use as a stew, it worked, Tasted pretty good and may start it again when I get freezer room.

 

[summerthyme]

Can I freeze mashed potatoes - made with real potatoes (not potato flakes), milk and butter, and have it be of decent quality when it comes out of the freezer? By that, I mean, not watery or discolored, or whatever?

Thank you in advance for your insights.

Yes, but you need to add some sort of fat as an emulsifier. Sour cream, cream cheese or heavy cream will work. I freeze about 25# a year, putting them in 1/2 cup "dollops" on parchment paper (plastic wrap or waxed paper will work). When frozen, I remove them from the paper and put into heavy ziploc bags. They're good for months.

Summerthyme

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Thanks everyone.

i like sour cream in my mashed potatoes anyway, so think i will run a trial batch like Kathy suggested, and put sour cream in the mix, and see what happens.

 

[summerthyme]

Make sure it's full fat sour cream, Barry... the fat emulsifies the water, which prevents it from making the potatoes grainy after freezing.

Summerthyme

 

[packyderms_wife]

And use real butter not margerine!

 

[BornFree]

Can I freeze mashed potatoes - made with real potatoes (not potato flakes), milk and butter, and have it be of decent quality when it comes out of the freezer? By that, I mean, not watery or discolored, or whatever?

Thank you in advance for your insights.

Swanson Hungryman has a new frozen TV dinner they call a bowl. Salsbury steak with mashed potatoes. I was very surprised the mashed potatoes appeared to be real instead of those awful fake ones in their regular dinners that taste so bad I don't eat them. These were even chunky like homemade and they taste great. Of course they don't contain the normal one pound of food.

 

[anna43]

I've not tried freezing leftover mashed potatoes, but I do keep the leftovers in the fridge and find they warm up nicely in the microwave. I do a lot of "bowl" meals where I put leftover potatoes or rice in the bottom of the bowl and then add other leftovers to the top. Last week it was chicken and noodles on potatoes. Couple of weeks ago it was rice with various bits and bobs of leftovers. Also, you can stretch a can of soup (the ready to eat not condensed) with that same trick. Instead of one meal I get two from one can of soup.

 

[kelee877]

I use left over mashed potatoes to make pizza potatoes..use mashed as your crust warm up in microwave then spread on a pizza pan then add your toppings.

In restaurants were I worked we would use an ice cream scoop the kind with the little blade and thumb pusher to move blade easier to get out. Place scooped balls on a cookie sheet with a layer of parchment or wax paper. Freeze....in restaurant we would go through those in about a week so the froozen balls would just be put in an empty ice cream bucket. At home I would freeze then take maybe 2 to 3 of the balls depending on how many in household and vacuum seal portions. Or if you go through them faster just wrap couple in plastic wrap and put in freezer bag.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I am on a keto diet, so full fat sour cream is the only kind I buy. The frozen mashed potatoes are not for me (they are not keto), they are for my wife.

Make sure it's full fat sour cream, Barry... the fat emulsifies the water, which prevents it from making the potatoes grainy after freezing.

Summerthyme

 

[Laurane]

Yes, but you need to add some sort of fat as an emulsifier. Sour cream, cream cheese or heavy cream will work. I freeze about 25# a year, putting them in 1/2 cup "dollops" on parchment paper (plastic wrap or waxed paper will work). When frozen, I remove them from the paper and put into heavy ziploc bags. They're good for months.

Summerthyme

With my left over shepherds pie with mashed potatoes, I cook in some shredded cheddar cheese on top of the potatoes, in the microwave as I thaw them. Tastes just fine.