How To Freeze Dry Mashed Potatoes
Learn how to freeze dry mashed potatoes for homemade convenience food! They are as easy to make as store-bought instant potatoes but made with wholesome ingredients. Perfect for quick meals and small-space storage.
Servings: 15 -20 pounds
Calories: 160kcal
Ingredients
- 15 lbs potatoes See notes
- 6 quarts water
- 1/2 cup milk See notes
Instructions
- Fill a Dutch oven or stock pot about halfway with cool water. Set aside near your workstation.6 quarts water
- Thoroughly wash the potatoes and cut them into quarters. You can leave the skins on or peel them. As you cut the potatoes, place them in the water.15 lbs potatoes
- Once all of the potatoes are cut and in the water, add more water until the potatoes are covered.
- Transfer the pot to the stove and boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes. Working in batches, transfer the potatoes to a stand mixer bowl.
- Make the mashed potatoes to your liking, but save the heavy fats for reconstituting. I usually just add enough milk to mash them.1/2 cup milk
- Transfer the mashed potatoes to a baking sheet or the freeze dryer trays and allow them to cool completely to room temperature (see notes about pre-freezing).
- Turn on your freeze dryer, and follow the prompts. It will tell you to chill the vacuum chamber for 15 minutes before loading trays of food. Be sure to close the valve (it should be perpendicular to the drain line).
- If you haven't done so already, transfer the cooled mashed potatoes to the freeze dryer trays. Make sure the trays are evenly filled. Then, place the trays in the freeze dryer.
- Close and seal the freezer dryer door. Hit start, and let the freezer dryer do its thing. The process's length depends on the number of potatoes and the room's temperature. But it usually takes 18-36 hours.
- Once the freeze dryer has completed the process, check the potatoes to ensure they are completely dry. If there is any moisture, return all the trays to the machine and select "more dry time." Dry for an additional 4 hours at a time until they are dry.
- Store your freeze-dried mashed potatoes in a glass jar with a vacuum-sealed lid (short-term storage) or mylar bags with an appropriately sized oxygen absorber (long-term storage up to 20+ years).
Notes
- See the blog post for more information about short- and long-term storage and how to reconstitute your freeze-dried mashed potatoes.
- The amount of potatoes you need depends on the size of your freeze dryer). I fit about 20 pounds in my medium Harvest Right.
- The amount of milk depends on how you like your potatoes and how many you cook. Adjust accordingly.
- Once the potatoes are cool, you can pre-freeze them on the freezer trays if you prefer. I usually don't do this because I don't have freezer space.
- Add heavy fats, like butter or cream, and salt when reconstituting. Adding them beforehand can reduce the shelf life.
- Use the tray warming feature before removing the potatoes. Doing so will prevent condensation from forming as you pack them.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Sodium: 18mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g
