Can You Eat Sprouted Potatoes? An Expert Explains

Raise your hand if you’ve ever gone into the pantry to grab ingredients for dinner, only to find the potatoes you were going to mash now have « eyes. » Sure, they’re a little odd looking, but can you safely eat sprouted potatoes if you want those

mashed potatoes

anyway? Or should you just go ahead and send them to the trash?

The long and short of it is that—yes, sprouted potatoes are usually safe to eat. But you are going to want to trim those tiny growths before you cook the spuds.

We talked to Bryan Silness, associate manager of research and development at Kraft Heinz, to find out how to safely cook sprouted potatoes. Plus, discover the reason they grow in the first place—it’s actually rather interesting.

Are Sprouted Potatoes Safe To Eat?

Yes, sprouted potatoes are technically safe to eat, but you are going to want to remove those unsightly sprouts or discoloration first.

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« The sprouts contain concentrations of glycoalkaloids, compounds that when you eat a lot of them can cause some toxic effects, » said Silness.

Potatoes naturally contain glycoalkaloids, but sprouting and

green coloring

indicate an increase in these compounds and higher risk of toxic effects like vomiting and stomach upset. Removing the eyes and peeling the skin from small areas may help reduce exposure.

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When To Toss Sprouted Potatoes

The ideal potatoes are firm and have nice, tight skin. Those are the potatoes you want for your

baked potatoes

or wedges and fries. While a potato can still be eaten after removing small sprouts, you also want to check out the potato’s general condition. Sometimes you’re better off throwing it out. Potatoes that are soft, mushy, squeezable, or moist are past their prime. « If it feels soft to the touch or wilted or wrinkled, throw it away, » said Silness.

If you cut into a potato and it looks green, you should toss it. « It may not be from the glycoalkaloids, but rather chlorophyll and solanine that develop when potatoes are exposed to light after harvest, » said Silness. While that bit of green isn’t dangerous to your health, it can add a bitter and grassy flavor to your creamy

mashed potatoes

, so better off not using it.

If sprouts are long and well-developed, it’s best to toss the potatoes. If it’s just eyes or a few blemishes, those can be trimmed off, and the potato can be salvaged. And if the whole potato looks suspect? « See you tater! » said Silness.

Why Do Potatoes Sprout?

This all comes back to where potatoes come from and what they need to grow. Potatoes don’t always need dirt to grow like other plants and foods might, but they do need darkness and moisture.

So that means that even if a potato is not in the dirt but is in a dark and moist place—and that includes your kitchen pantry—they can sprout. They think they are in the ground, and they are doing their job by growing. How wild is that?

How Do You Remove Sprouts?

Thankfully, removing the sprouts from a potato is easy. You can snap them off by hand, or use veggie peelers.

« [Vegetable peelers] are great because they have sharp tools to dig out the eyes and base of the sprouts while also having a peeler to use after they’re cleaned up, » said Silness.

Removing sprouts is generally easiest to do during the cleaning process, so you’ll want to take the time to

rinse off those potatoes

under running water to get rid of any dirt on the skin.

« Use the sharp edge of the tool to dig out the eye. Try to get all of it, even though your potato may look a little moon-like. Once you have finished peeling them, make sure to rinse them under running water again to ensure all the bad stuff gets washed off, » said Silness.

What’s The Best Way To Store Potatoes?

Potatoes need air to breathe, even

during storage

. That’s why so often they are sold in mesh-like bags.

« If you buy them from the produce section of your grocer, transfer them to a breathable bag, like paper or mesh, or put them in a cardboard box, and stash in a cool, dry place, » said Silness. You’ll want to avoid anywhere too hot and humid because that’s how you get potatoes to sprout in the first place.

But potatoes don’t always do great in spots that are cold either. That’s why potatoes shouldn’t be stored in the refrigerator.

« The cold temperatures can cause the starches to convert to sugars and

turn brown

when they cook, just like a banana as it ripens, » said Silness.

How To Plant Sprouted Potatoes In The Garden

While those soft, wrinkled, sprouted potatoes aren’t good enough for your potato soup, you may be able to get some use out of them. You can also cut a potato into pieces so that each has a sprout, and throw them into your

vegetable garden

. Sprouts mean the potatoes are already growing, and in the garden they will produce new potatoes, which is better than in your pantry. Plant them a few inches below the soil with the cut side down and the sprouts facing up. Cover the potato pieces with soil, and water to keep moist.

How To Use Sprouted Potatoes In The Kitchen

If you have a forgotten bag of potatoes that are starting to sprout in your pantry, try these recipes to use them all up before they go green.

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  Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
  
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  Fried Potatoes and Onions
  
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  Breakfast Potatoes
  
  
  
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  Baked Potato Soup
  
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  Ranch Potato Salad