Sweet potatoes are a super-crop. They’re tasty, nutritious, versatile, and affordable. They’re also a magnificent ingredient in hundreds of recipes, both sweet and savory. Plus, you’ll never run out of ways to prepare sweet potatoes as a stand-alone dish! Whether you bake, mash, grill, boil, or roast them, sweet potatoes are always hit. My only gripe is that no matter the method, it takes a while to cook sweet potatoes. That’s why I make it a point to cook large batches, store it, and just thaw when I’m ready to serve or eat them. That way, I don’t have to spend too much time cooking, yet I still get to enjoy the tasty goodness of the potatoes whenever I want. And do you know the best way to store sweet potatoes, whether raw, boiled, baked, or mashed? Freeze them! When frozen, you keep the veggie’s integrity for up to an entire year. You just need to know how to do it right.
How to Freeze Boiled Sweet Potatoes
Whether whole, sliced, diced, or cubed, you can freeze boiled sweet potatoes no problem. They work great with stews, soups, and candied sweet potatoes! Here’s how to prepare the sweet spud for freezing:
How to Freeze Baked Sweet Potatoes
Baked sweet potatoes also keep well in the freezer. This is great because they take so long to bake! But now you can just make one huge batch in advance and take them out of the freezer any time for a fantastic side dish! Here’s how to do it:
How to Freeze Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes taste great on their own, but you can also use them to make baked goodies such as puddings, cakes, pies, and biscuits. Here’s how to cook and freeze them:
How to Thaw Frozen Sweet Potatoes
The next important thing is knowing how to defrost sweet potatoes. If you don’t do it correctly, all that effort of freezing them will be futile. Don’t worry though, it’s pretty simple to thaw frozen sweet potatoes. Regardless of the cooking method you chose, take the frozen spuds out of the freezer and put them in the fridge. Let them sit there for a few hours until thawed. If you do not have any space in the fridge, just soak them in a bowl of cold water overnight. You can also microwave them to speed things up. Adjust the microwave settings to “defrost” and wait until they’re thawed. A word of warning, though: this method might dry out your sweet potatoes.
Tips & Tricks
If you think raw sweet potatoes keep well in the fridge, think again. They’ll develop a tough core, plus they won’t taste as good.
While I did say frozen sweet potatoes will last up to a year, I’m going off of the best by date. In reality, these guys can be frozen much longer. But as best practice, it’s certainly safe to keep them up to a year when frozen properly.
A plus side: just because you freeze the sweet potatoes, doesn’t mean you lose their nutritional value. You still get all those health benefits even when they’re frozen.
If your sweet potatoes suffer from freezer burn, that doesn’t mean they’re unsafe to eat. Sure, they won’t taste as great, but they are still edible.
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, do the straw method instead to seal your food. Seal the bag and leave a tiny opening. Place a straw through the opening and squeeze out as much air as you can and then seal the bag completely.
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