Freeze Dried Mashed Potatoes
Learn how to freeze dry mashed potatoes for your own instant mashed potatoes that are shelf-stable and delicious when reconstituted! Use your favorite mashed potato recipe for this process.
Servings 5 pounds
Cost $15
Ingredients
- 5 pounds mashed potatoes (we use this recipe for mashed potatoes)
Instructions
- Make your favorite mashed potato recipe the day before you want to freeze dry them and put them in the fridge to get cold.
- Crumble the cold mashed potatoes onto the freeze drying trays. No more than 1 pound of potatoes per tray.
- Don't tightly pack and spread warm mashed potatoes. The dense nature of the dish will keep the freeze dryer from fully extracting all of the water. As you can see above, I tried it this way and ended up having to process it twice. I do not recommend this method!
- Never process more than a total of 5 pounds per batch. Any more than that will cause an ice build-up inside the freeze drying machine that will stop the process from working.
- Test the finished mashed potatoes by trying to crumble the thickest piece you can find. If it crumbles easily, then you can shut down the machine and store the freeze dried food.
- If during the testing process you find there are still layers of ice in the potatoes, place the mashed potatoes back in the freeze dryer and select "add more time" on the machine screen.
- If you don't realize the potatoes still have ice until after the machine is off, place them in the freezer, drain and filter the freeze dryer oil, and prep it for another complete cycle. Once it's prepped and defrosted, remove the frozen mashed potatoes and process them again.
Video
Notes
Storing Your Freeze-Dried Mashed Potatoes
Once you have successfully freeze-dried your mashed potatoes successfully, store them in an air-tight container (we use these zip-top mylar bags) with an oxygen absorber and moisture absorber for best freshness.
You can also store them in a mason jar or hinge top jar, just be sure to include an oxygen absorber and moisture absorber.
Rehydrating Freeze Dried Mashed Potatoes
If you've ever made instant mashed potatoes then this process will be familiar to you.- Heat 1/4-1/2 a cup of water per 1 cup of freeze-dried mashed potatoes. Water should be steaming but not boiling.
- Drizzle water over mashed potatoes (in a bowl). Stir and let sit for a few minutes until potatoes no longer crumble.
- Heat in a skillet with butter until smooth and creamy.