Can you freeze sweet potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are an energy-packed treat that works both as a nutritious vegetable and a dessert. They’re known for being used in casseroles and other savory recipes, and also for making great pies and cakes. 

That’s why it’s common to stock up on these unique vegetables and use them in different kinds of dishes.

You can freeze sweet potatoes for up to a whole year. If stored properly, they’ll still taste fresh and will save you the hassle of running down to the store whenever a recipe calls for sweet potatoes. 

So, can you freeze sweet potatoes without the fear of them going bad? Yes. Here’s what you need to know.

How to Freeze Sweet Potatoes

There are three main ways to freeze sweet potatoes. You can boil or bake them before popping them in the freezer, depending on the recipes you want to use them for.

Bake sweet potatoes before freezing

One way to store sweet potatoes is to bake them. Baked sweet potatoes make for an excellent snack, so if you can bake a few beforehand, you’ll have a tasty snack that you just have to heat up. 

Make sure you poke holes in the sweet potatoes before baking. Bake the sweet potatoes at 375 F on a baking pan or tinfoil (it should be strong enough to withstand high temperatures). 

Place the pan or foil towards the lower half of the oven and bake the sweet potatoes for around 90 minutes. 

Once the sweet potatoes have cooled, wrap them in tinfoil and then place them in freezer bags. You can then store the freezer bags in the freezer. 

When you’re ready to take them out of storage, you’ll have to change the foil and reheat them in the oven for around 20 minutes.

Freeze mashed sweet potatoes

Another alternative is to mash the sweet potatoes after they’re done baking. If you’ll be using them in a recipe that calls for mashed sweet potatoes, peel off their skin after baking.

Then, mash them up and scoop the mashed sweet potatoes into a freezer bag. Now they’re ready to be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months.

Boil sweet potatoes before freezing

Before you boil the sweet potatoes, scrub them down and then slice them the way you’ll want to use them in the future. Once the water is boiling, let the sliced sweet potato sit in the water for around 15 minutes.

Don’t let them get too soft. You can then either remove or leave the skin on, based on the dishes you will be using them in.

Once the slices have cooled down, put them in an airtight freezer bag and place it in the freezer.

Can You Freeze Raw Sweet Potatoes?

You can freeze sweet potatoes when they’re raw, but they won’t stay fresh for more than six months. All you have to do is slice them up the way you intend to use them and store them in a freezer bag. Each slice should be no more than 1 inch thick. You can also remove the skin.

Next, blanch them by placing them in boiling water for a few minutes and then transferring them to ice water for a couple of minutes longer.

However, freezing raw sweet potatoes involves a few risks. They might lose their sweet taste, as well as their texture once you retrieve them from the freezer.

Can You Freeze Sweet Potatoes Without Blanching?

You can freeze sweet potatoes without blanching. However, if you’re planning on freezing raw sweet potatoes, skipping the blanching stage runs a risk of the sweet potatoes becoming starchy, mushy, and stringy once you thaw them.

It also prevents you from keeping them in the freezer for long periods of time. Blanching them ensures that you can freeze them for around six months.

Tips and Tricks

• After baking, some people prefer dipping the sweet potatoes into ½ a cup of lemon juice in 4 cups of water for 5-10 seconds. This prevents the sweet potatoes from darkening.
• If you’re using mashed potatoes, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to every 4 cups of mashed potatoes before placing them in freezer bags.

Final Words

Hopefully, you can now go to the store and buy enough sweet potatoes to last you a year. With the above-mentioned techniques, you should be able to make sweet potato-based dishes all year round.