Can you Freeze Sweet Potatoes

Once you see these fantastic root vegetables, you can’t help but buy a big bag of them. Even though we all cove to eat certain foods fresh off the vine, sometimes we end up buying more than we need, or they go bad before we get a chance to eat them. That is why you need to know how to freeze sweet potatoes. Freeze them so that you have a healthy snack with you, or you can use them in your favorite dishes later on!

You can freeze sweet potatoes in any form you like – you can freeze raw sweet potatoes, which you can use to make sweet potato fries, freeze boiled sweet potatoes, freeze baked potatoes, and even freeze mashed potatoes.

Whichever way you choose to freeze the sweet potatoes, the basic steps remain the same. Wash and clean the potatoes, then cook them slightly by either blanching or boiling in water. Cool and prepare them in the form you want to freeze before flash freezing, and then store them in the freezer for long-term storage.

How to Freeze Sweet Potatoes

There are a few different ways to freeze your sweet potatoes, depending on how you want to use them. However, before freezing the potatoes, make sure you buy fresh sweet potatoes from the market to have a premium quality frozen product.

Whether you plan to process the potatoes with or without the peel, it is always a good idea to wash them thoroughly to eliminate any bacteria and germs. Use a vegetable scrubber to make this task more effective.

One thing to note about freezing sweet potatoes is that you cannot freeze them raw. Because of the high water content in the sweet potatoes, they do not freeze well. Freezing them raw can lead to freezer burn and them turning mushy and mealy when thawed. That is why each of the methods below processes sweet potatoes either by blanching, boiling or baking to preserve them better.

How to Freeze Sweet Potato Fries

This is the fastest method to freeze your sweet potatoes, and the result gives you a lot of flexibility in how you want to use it.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop.
2. While the water is boiling, prepare your sweet potatoes by peeling them using a peeler of your choice. Once peeled, cut the sweet potatoes into about ½ inch in thickness. You can cut them into discs or even into french fries.
3. Once peeled and cut, transfer the potatoes to a lemon juice water bath to prevent browning. You can prepare the lemon juice water bath by adding ½ cup lemon juice to every quart of water. Let the peeled sweet potatoes soak in this water bath for a few seconds before transferring them to the pot of boiling water.
4. Blanch the potatoes for 2 – 3 minutes in the scalding water before scooping them out with a slotted spoon and transferring them to an ice-water bath to stop their cooking process.
5. Allow the sweet potatoes to chill in the cold water until they have cooled considerably. Transfer the sweet potatoes onto paper towels to remove the excess moisture when cool.
6. When the sweet potatoes are dry, spread them out in a single layer on a non-stick baking tray if you have one or else a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Next, transfer the prepared baking tray to the freezer for 2 – 3 hours to flash freeze the potatoes. Flash freezing the potatoes will help ensure that the potatoes don’t freeze stuck together.
7. Once the sweet potatoes have frozen solid, remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the frozen potato pieces into freezer-safe bags. Try to squeeze out as much air as possible before you seal the bag shut. For this, you can either use a vacuum sealer or else a straw to suck out the air from the bag before sealing.
8. Your sealed bags can now be labeled and dated before stacking them in the freezer. Sweet potatoes frozen this way can easily last for up to 6 months in your freezer. You can also use these sweet potatoes to make french fries or any other dishes.

Freeze Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Another excellent way to freeze sweet potatoes is by preparing them into a mash and then freezing them.

1. Start by peeling and cutting your sweet potatoes. Use a swivel or Y-peeler to peel the potatoes. You can chop or dice the potatoes into as large or as small pieces as you would like. However, a good point to note is that a smaller cut sweet potato will cook faster.
2. Once your potatoes are ready, you can cook them to make your mash. A quick and simple way to cook the potatoes is by tossing them into the pressure cooker. Add about 1.5 cups of water to the pressure cooker before closing the lid to the cooker and turning the flame to high.
3. Once the water starts to boil, the pressure will start to rise. At this time, you can set a timer for 5 – 10 minutes, depending on how big or small you have chopped your sweet potatoes.
4. When the timer is up, turn off the flame and let the pressure inside the cooker release naturally before opening its lid. After the pressure has gone down completely, open the lid to the pressure cooker, remove the potatoes, and let the excess steam escape.
5. Transfer the cooked potatoes to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. These cooked sweet potatoes are now ready to be mashed. You can use a hand blender or a potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.
6. Set your mashed sweet potatoes to the side to allow them to cool down to room temperature completely.
7. When the sweet potato mash has cooled down completely, you can then distribute it into potation sizes that you would like to freeze. Freezing the mash in portion sizes makes it much easier for you to use it later on.
8. Add each portion size to a separate freezer-safe bag before sealing it shut. Remember to create a vacuum seal on the bags to help preserve them better.
9. Once the bags are all sealed, label each bag with the freezing date before transferring them to the freezer for long-term storage.

While the possibility is low, if you are worried about discoloration in your mashed sweet potatoes, you can add two tablespoons of orange or lemon juice to each quart of sweet potatoes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker on hand, you can also boil the sweet potato chunks in a large pot to cook them. Simply add the potatoes and the water to a large pot and let the sweet potatoes cook on a medium flame until they are tender.

Your frozen mashed sweet potatoes will last for 10 – 12 months in the freezer. You can use these mashed potatoes as a delicious side dish or even for pie filling.

Freeze Baked Sweet Potatoes

Freezing baked sweet potatoes is a great way to save on time. It is simple and freezes really well.

• Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, prepare your sweet potatoes by poking a few holes in them, and this will stop them from bursting in the oven. Use a fork or some skewers for this. You don’t need to peel the potatoes for making baked sweet potatoes, so make sure you clean their skin thoroughly.
• Cover each sweet potato with tin foil before placing them on a preheated baking tray and loading the tray into the oven to bake for 50 – 55 minutes. Please note that the time may vary according to the size of your sweet potatoes, so bake them until they are tender.
• Once the sweet potatoes have baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool before wrapping them in individual foils and transferring them to freezer-safe bags for long-term storage.
• Remember to squeeze out all the excess air from the freezer bags before sealing them. If possible, use a vacuum sealer to seal the bags, or else use a straw to suck out as much air from the bag as possible before you seal it.

These baked potatoes can easily last for up to 12 months in your freezer. When you are ready to use them, simply place them in a preheated oven to thaw and cook them for about 20 minutes before you finally season them.

Conclusion

Freezing sweet potatoes is an excellent way to enjoy your sweet potato haul throughout the year. Preparing and freezing the sweet potatoes into your desired form makes it super simple to incorporate them into delicious dishes ranging from french fries to pies. So the next time you notice a great sale on the sweet potatoes at your local grocery store, be sure to pick up an extra bag to freeze. If you have enjoyed our freezing guide for sweet potatoes, you might also enjoy some of our other freezing guides, which you can find here.