In this recipe
- Why this storage tip is great
- Discover Delicious Potato Dishes: From French Fries to Baked Potatoes and Kumpir!
- Get It Right: How to Choose Perfect Potatoes for Baking and Freezing
- Step-by-Step Guide to Freeze Baked Potatoes
- How to Defrost Frozen Baked Potatoes and Reheat Them
- More Extra Delicious Potato Recipes
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Why this storage tip is great
After trying many methods, we discovered the best one for freezing baked potatoes. We will show you how to freeze them to keep them crispy outside and creamy inside.
First, we bake the potatoes and create a base with cheese and butter. Then, we close the potato halves, let them cool, and place them in Ziploc bags and containers. This way, the potatoes keep their shape and don’t absorb odors from other foods in the freezer. You can keep baked potatoes in the freezer for up to 1 month. Also, filling potatoes with cheese and butter before freezing keeps the insides extra creamy when you reheat them. Plus, when you reheat frozen baked potatoes, you just need to defrost and reheat them. No other preparation is necessary.
We also found the best way to defrost and reheat frozen baked potatoes. You can defrost them at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. Then, bake them in the oven for 30 minutes without opening the potato halves. Add your favorite toppings or choose from our long list of easy toppings, and enjoy! Check out the recipe or the step-by-step guide below for more tips and details.
Today, we’ll show you the ultimate meal prep hack: freezing baked potatoes. It’s a game-changer because you can bake a big batch of potatoes in advance, freeze them, save time, and add variety to your meals. Plus, you’ll learn the most delicious way to defrost and reheat them.
Discover Delicious Potato Dishes: From French Fries to Baked Potatoes and Kumpir!
You can prepare many delicious dishes with raw potatoes: potato gratins, pancakes, crispy hashbrowns, potato salad… And, of course, everyone’s favorite, French fries. Cut potatoes into thin slices, bake, and enjoy a crispy snack!
Have you tried baked potatoes with various toppings? In Turkey, they call this dish kumpir, and you can find it on almost every corner of Istanbul’s streets. It’s also famous worldwide. Haven’t tried it yet? Are you curious to give it a go? Try making your own baked potatoes or kumpir with our recipe. Check out one of our previous posts and videos for a step-by-step guide on how to make it. We also added lots of ideas for simple yet super delicious toppings!
Once you bake potatoes, it’s worth baking a big batch. And freeze baked potatoes to reheat when you need a hassle-free dinner or lunch. But how do you freeze baked potatoes, reheat them, and make them taste delicious and crispy? We tested many methods and will show you the best way to freeze and reheat them step by step. But first, let’s discuss how to choose potatoes for baking and freezing.
Get It Right: How to Choose Perfect Potatoes for Baking and Freezing
The size of your potatoes plays a crucial role when baking and freezing. Set aside small potatoes for other delicious recipes. Use large potatoes with smooth skin for baking, ideally long ones. Large and long potatoes are ideal because they have enough flesh to mash with butter and cheese into a puree. Plus, they are long enough to hold plenty of different toppings.
To make baked potatoes or kumpir extra delicious, bake them in the oven without precooking. We tested baking cooked potatoes by cooking them first in boiling water. We thought it would be a great way to shorten baking time. However, we discovered it’s not the best way because cooked potatoes don’t taste delicious after baking. Pre-cooked potatoes have a watery consistency. And don’t develop a crispy skin when baked. Plus, when you mash the potato flesh into puree, the skin isn’t crispy enough and can tear. So, the best way is simply to bake them.
In Istanbul’s street stalls, potatoes are baked in special ovens at high temperatures. However, if you bake potatoes correctly in your oven, your homemade baked potato will be just as tasty. The cooking process for baked potatoes takes 1-1.5 hours, which is quite a while. So, we recommend baking a lot of potatoes (at least 3 kg) and freezing them for later. You can keep these potatoes in the fridge for up to 3 days (for fridge storage tips, check our step-by-step guide how to store). Additionally, put some potatoes in airtight freezer bags to store in the freezer.
Step-by-Step Guide to Freeze Baked Potatoes
Freezing baked potatoes is a great way to meal prep and have a quick, delicious side dish ready anytime. Here’s what you’ll need to freeze them properly!
Equipment:
- Ziploc bags
- Container
Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- Butter
- Mozzarella cheese
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Let’s get started freezing and reheating baked potatoes! First, wash and dry raw potatoes. You can dry them with paper towels or kitchen towels. Don’t go for small potatoes; choose large potatoes for baking. As we mentioned before, the size of the potatoes matters a lot.
Poke holes in the potatoes using a fork, toothpick, or skewer. Coat them with olive oil. Put the potatoes on a rack in the lower part of the oven. Bake until they are tender. The exact time will depend on the size and type of potatoes. Once done, remove the potatoes from the oven. Place them in a small dish or create a holder from aluminum foil to manage the heat.
While they are still hot, cut off the top of each potato. Gently mash the insides with a fork. Be careful not to tear the skins. Mix in butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, mix in cheese with the mashed potatoes.
Check out our recipe for baked potatoes for precise measurements and tips on preparing the base. We also tested baking potatoes both in aluminum foil and without. Interestingly, baking without foil is the best. The potatoes get crispy-skinned, fluffy, and cheesy interiors. What a combo!
Now, put the potato halves back together and let them cool to room temperature. Then, place your potatoes in airtight freezer bags. We chose Ziploc bags because they are easy to close. If you prefer small Ziploc bags, you can make individual portions of baked potatoes. Because one baked potato is big enough for a small freezer bag.
To save space in your freezer, use our quick hack to squeeze out the air from the bags. It makes a big difference! If you remove air from the Ziploc bags, there will be no air or humidity inside, and this way, you can omit freezer burn.
Put the filled bags into a container and then into the freezer. This way, the potatoes won’t be squeezed as they freeze. Put the bags in an airtight container to prevent deformation and absorbing odors. This is a great way to store baked potatoes for up to 1 month. Perfect for quick midweek meals! When you’re ready to enjoy the potatoes, here is how to defrost them.
How to Defrost Frozen Baked Potatoes and Reheat Them
Let’s reheat frozen baked potatoes so they taste amazing. First, you need to thaw them. The first option is to thaw the frozen potatoes at room temperature for 1-2 hours. The second option is to put them in the fridge overnight and prepare them the next day. Once thawed, remove them from the Ziploc bags. Bake the whole potatoes in the oven—don’t open the halves.
Place potatoes on the middle rack of your oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 30 minutes until they’re nice and crispy. You can bake directly on the rack or place potatoes on the baking sheet. The cooking process may vary. It depends on your oven. So keep an eye on them. Finally, add your favorite toppings and sauces. You can add a single layer of topping or multiple toppings – it’s up to you. Our favorite toppings for now are bean salad and guacamole. After adding toppings, sprinkle baked potatoes with green onion. Check out our baked potato toppings and sour cream sauce recipe for easy topping and sauce ideas.
Happy cooking, and enjoy your delicious baked potatoes! Next time, you’ll know how to freeze them once you make a big batch. You’ll have twice-baked potatoes, once during preparation and once after defrosting. But they still taste soft, fluffy, and creamy.
Saved time and prepared a delicious dish? Perfect, Martha Stewart would be jealous. Enjoy!
More Extra Delicious Potato Recipes
Are you looking for more potato recipes? What about extra crispy hash browns? You only need two simple ingredients and some spices. Grate fresh potatoes and soak them in cold water in a large bowl. Drain. A lot of water will remain in the grated potatoes. Make sure you squeeze all the water out. Add cheese and bake! The hash browns turn extra thin and crispy. And you don’t have to stand at the stove to fry them because we bake them in the oven! Add some sour cream or cream cheese as a dip, and the dinner is ready.
Or, if you just bought new potatoes, go for potato salad. For the best results, we included tips on how to make potato salad extra crispy. You can also bake and fill potato shells for a tasty change.
How to Freeze Baked Potatoes in 2024 | Easy Meal Prep Hack
Equipment
- Ziploc bags
- container
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes each weighing 300 g
- 80 g butter
- 80 g mozzarella cheese
- olive oil for greasing
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Thoroughly wash four large potatoes, each about 300 grams, and dry them completely.
- Poke the potatoes with a fork, toothpick, or skewers. Brush them with olive oil.
- Place the potatoes on a rack in the lower section of the oven. Bake them at 200°C (390°F) for 60-90 minutes until soft. The cooking time will depend on the potatoes’ size and type.
- Once baked, remove the potatoes from the oven and place them in a small dish or make an aluminum foil holder to handle the heat.
- While still hot, slice off the top of each potato. Carefully mash the insides with a fork, keeping the skins intact. Add 20 grams of butter to each potato and mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mash. Finally, mix in 20 grams of grated cheese and mash well. You can check the preparation and the baking process on our baked potato or kumpir recipe page.
- Join the potato halves together. Cool the potatoes at room temperature.
- Place the potatoes in Ziploc bags. Put the bags of potatoes in an airtight container. It’s a great way to prevent deformation. And potatoes won’t absorb any odors during storage. Store them in the freezer for up to 1 month.
How to Reheat Frozen Potatoes:
- Thaw the potatoes at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Or leave them overnight in the fridge. Then, remove them from the Ziploc bags.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes. Depending on your oven, you can bake a bit longer or shorter.
- Add your favorite sauces and fillings. For easy and delicious options, check out our baked potato or kumpir recipe.
Video
Have you tried this recipe?
Share the love! Let us know how it turned out! Leave a comment under the recipe or on our YouTube channel.
