Can You Freeze Potato Chips?

Last updated on August 17th, 2022 at 11:22 pm

There’s just something relaxing about having a group of friends over for a barbeque. SItting there on the porch while the burgers cook you can look out on all the yard games being played. 

Coke in one hand while the other pulls some crunchy chips out of a bag. Potato chips come in so many varieties and are a snack everyone loves. But what about when the party’s over and you realize you bought way too many bags? 

It would seem a little wasteful for all the opened packages of potato chips to go stale and be thrown away. But is it possible to freeze them?

You can freeze potato chips. This keeps them fresh and crunchy instead of them going stale for many months past the “best by” date. 

If you have several bags of chips and you are wondering how to keep them from going bad, freeze them. By freezing potato chips you can extend their life past the expiration date. 

Chips will last for months in the freezer and can be taken out and placed on the counter to “thaw” whenever you want to dig into a bag. They will still be crisp and fresh out of the freezer. 

Now you won’t be wasting all those extra bags of potato chips and months later you can grab some for a snack or for another barbeque. If you have a coupon for more chips you can now purchase them without worrying if they won’t be eaten because you can pop them in the freezer to reduce waste. 

They will still taste great out of the freezer and perhaps even more crispy.

Does Freezing Chips Help Keep Them Fresh? 

Coupons are great. Except when you already have too much of something. But a buy-one-get-one coupon on a bag of chips is a hard opportunity to pass up. Especially when that deal includes your favorite kind of chips. 

If you find yourself with a lot of chip bags just store them in the freezer.

Storing chips in the freezer will keep them fresh far longer than storing them at room temperature. When you are ready to use them you can just take them out to “thaw “ and then enjoy. 

No more wasting chips. Once a bag of potato chips is opened and exposed to oxygen and sunlight they start to lose their flavor and texture. That’s why chips go stale and no longer taste good weeks after the bag has been opened. 

If you don’t like the taste of stale chips (because non one does), try to freeze the potato chips to keep them crunchy.

It is recommended you keep the potato chips in the original bag to freeze them but if space doesn’t allow this, you can separate them into smaller freezer bags. 

Just make sure they are sealed completely and you remove as much air as possible out of the bag. Then place them in the freezer. 

This also leaves more room in your pantry.

Do Chips Go Bad In The Freezer? 

After so long in the frigid temperature, the chips are bound to go bad, right? Even though the technique of freezing the snack prolongs their life past their expiration date printed on the bag, at some point they won’t be good anymore.

Chips will still go bad in the freezer but only after 12 months of storing them there. That should give you plenty of time to use them before they go bad. 

If it has been over a year ago that your chips were placed in the freezer, it’s time to buy a new bag. At this point they won’t be good anymore because the chips will have lost a lot of flavor and texture during their time in the cold. 

The freezer is one of the best places to store your chips because it keeps them fresh for longer but they will go bad eventually there as well. 

Because they are sealed the chips themselves do not actually freeze but just get really cold. When chips are cooked most of the moisture is cooked out of them and the amount of water left in the chip just keeps them from breaking down. 

In the article on Mashed, Sally Mitchell of the American Chemical Society stated that, “”When you put [potato chips] in the freezer, the water content is very low and it probably just freezes the residual water.”

How Long Do Chips Last In The Freezer? 

If you have a bag of potato chips sitting in your freezer months later you could be wondering how long they actually last. Can you take them out several months later to eat or are they best enjoyed a couple months after being frozen?

Potato chips will last about one year in the freezer. Anything longer than that and they won’t be as tasty when you go to eat them. 

Before placing the potato chips in the freezer make sufficient room for them so they don’t get crushed. You can also take a marker and write the current date on the bag so you know when they were put there. 

It was once thought that chips will only last about 3 months in the freezer but after further research it is known that they can last for a year in the freezer.

The chips can then be taken out at any time if you are craving some chips. If you know you will be eating the chips in the next few hours or days then go ahead and store them in the pantry but if you want to save them for a few months from now, the freezer is your best bet. 

Now you are already prepared if you run out of snacks for company or are craving some of the crunchy snack yourself.

Final Thoughts

By storing potato chips in the chilly freezer you will keep them fresh longer and you can enjoy them as a snack months from now. They last about a year when they are frozen and will still be good when “thawed out” to eat. 

After this year’s mark they should be tossed and a new bag purchased. 

The method of freezing potato chips helps to lock in their flavor and texture instead of pantry storage where they will go stale after a few weeks. Now you use that coupon to get another bag of your favorite chips and can enjoy your snacks later.