Can You Freeze Sweet Potatoes?

9 minutes

Earthy, sweet and healthier for you than normal potatoes, it’s hard to find any negatives to Sweet Potatoes. If you eat a lot of them but don’t want to buy them every few days, here’s how you can freeze them.

Looking for a full list of Thanksgiving foods you can freeze? Here it is!

How To Freeze Sweet Potatoes

There are a few methods you can choose to freeze sweet potatoes: Uncooked, Mashed, and French Fries.

Let’s start with freezing uncooked sweet potatoes for those times when you have excess potatoes and no need for them right now.

Raw (Uncooked) Sweet Potatoes

1. Clean & Peel: Scrub your sweet potatoes to ensure they’re free of dirt. Peel the skin off.
2. Chop: Chop the sweet potatoes into similar size pieces depending on how you plan on using them.
3. Prepare for Blanching: Prepare everything required to blanch the sweet potato fries. Boil some water in a pan and have a bowl of ice water ready.
4. Blanch: Once the water is boiling, place the sweet potato fries into a metal colander and lower it into the boiling water. Let the fries boil for about 2-5 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Take the colander out and immediately plunge it into the bowl of ice water for about 5 minutes. I place the ice water bath in the kitchen sink to allow any overspill to go down the drain.
5. Drain & Dry: Remove the colander from the ice water, allowing the sweet potato fries to drain. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove excess water.
6. Arrange on a Tray: Spread the blanched and dried sweet potato fries in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray. This prevents them from sticking together during freezing.
7. Pre-freeze: Place the tray with the sweet potato fries in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. This pre-freezing step helps prevent the fries from clumping together during long-term storage.
8. Transfer to Freezer Bags: Once the sweet potato fries are pre-frozen, transfer them to freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible from the bags before sealing to reduce the risk of freezer burn.
9. Label and Freeze: Label the freezer bags with the date and contents. Lay the bags flat in the freezer to maximize space and ensure even freezing.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1. Clean & Peel: Wash your sweet potatoes to ensure they’re free of dirt and then peel the skin off.
2. Chop: Chop your sweet potatoes into smaller, similar-sized pieces so they’ll cook evenly and more quickly than whole chunks.
3. Cook: Cook the sweet potato pieces until they are soft and easily mashable. You can do this by boiling, baking, or steaming them….it’s your choice.
4. Mash: Remove the cooked sweet potatoes from the oven or pot, and mash them thoroughly until you achieve a smooth consistency. You can use a potato masher, fork, or electric mixer for this step.
5. Cool: Allow the sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature. This will help prevent condensation inside the storage container and reduce the risk of ice crystals forming during freezing.
6. Portion: Decide what portion sizes are appropriate for freezing. You can use individual serving sizes or divide the mashed sweet potatoes into family-sized portions, depending on your preferences.
7. Packaging: Place the portions of mashed sweet potatoes into airtight, freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible to minimize the potential for freezer burn.
8. Label: Label each container or bag with the date and portion size so you can keep track of how long the mashed sweet potatoes have been in the freezer.
9. Freeze: Lay the containers or bags flat in the freezer to allow for quicker freezing and easier storage. Avoid stacking items on top until they are fully frozen.

Sweet Potato Fries

Raw Fries

1. Clean & Peel: Scrub your sweet potatoes to ensure they’re free of dirt. Peel the skin off.
2. Chop: Chop the sweet potatoes into fry-shaped pieces.
3. Prepare for Blanching: Prepare everything required to blanch the sweet potato fries. Boil some water in a pan and have a bowl of ice water ready.
4. Blanch: Once the water is boiling, place the sweet potato fries into a metal colander and lower it into the boiling water. Let the fries boil for about 2-5 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Take the colander out and immediately plunge it into the bowl of ice water for about 5 minutes. I place the ice water bath in the kitchen sink to allow any overspill to go down the drain.
5. Drain & Dry: Remove the colander from the ice water, allowing the sweet potato fries to drain. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove excess water.
6. Arrange on a Tray: Spread the blanched and dried sweet potato fries in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray. This prevents them from sticking together during freezing.
7. Pre-freeze: Place the tray with the sweet potato fries in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. This pre-freezing step helps prevent the fries from clumping together during long-term storage.
8. Transfer to Freezer Bags: Once the sweet potato fries are pre-frozen, transfer them to freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible from the bags before sealing to reduce the risk of freezer burn.
9. Label and Freeze: Label the freezer bags with the date and contents. Lay the bags flat in the freezer to maximize space and ensure even freezing.

Cooked Fries

1. Cook Normally: Cook your sweet potato fries as you normally would.
2. Arrange on a Tray: Spread the cooled, leftover sweet potato fries on a tray or baking sheet, ensuring they are in a single layer and not touching each other. If they’re touching, they’ll get stuck together when freezing and be more difficult to manage later.
3. Pre-freeze: Place the tray in the freezer for about 1-2 hours. This pre-freezing step prevents the fries from sticking together when stored long-term.
4. Packaging: Transfer your pre-frozen sweet potato fries to freezer-safe bags or containers. Remove excess air and seal the bags or containers tightly.
5. Label and Freeze: Label the freezer bags with the date and contents. Lay the bags flat in the freezer to maximize space and ensure even freezing.

3 Tips for Freezing Sweet Potatoes

Below are our Top 3 Tips we recommend following when freezing sweet potatoes to have the best results:

Blanch Them
It may take a little extra time but make sure you blanch the sweet potato before freezing it. This will protect the texture and flavour when it freezes and is well worth the extra effort. 

Consider Your Uses
Consider the way you normally eat sweet potatoes and freeze them in this form. If you eat it in soup then cut it into rough chunks. If you like to make wedges then freeze them as wedges. 

Label
You’ll be surprised how difficult it can be to tell the difference between chunks of carrot, sweet potato and butternut squash when they’re frozen so make sure you write a clear label stating the contents. 

How Long Can You Freeze Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are one of those foods that keep super well in the freezer and you can keep your sweet potatoes frozen for up to twelve months (Yes, a full year! ), perfect for having some available whenever you need.

You could even bulk buy and freeze in advance so you have perfectly cooked sweet potatoes always available.

How Do You Defrost Sweet Potatoes?

Here’s how to defrost sweet potatoes in their various forms:

Raw (Uncooked) Sweet Potatoes

1. Thaw: Transfer your frozen, raw sweet potatoes from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you need them. Allow them to thaw overnight (or for at least 6-8 hours). Slow thawing like this helps maintain the quality of your sweet potatoes.
2. Remove Excess Moisture: After thawing, pat them dry with a paper towel if needed.
3. Season (Optional): If desired, season the thawed sweet potatoes with your preferred spices. This step is optional but can enhance the flavor.
4. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to the desired temperature for roasting or baking sweet potatoes.
5. Bake or Roast: Arrange the thawed and seasoned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake or roast them until they have a golden brown color. Exact cooking times will depend on the size and thickness of the sweet potato pieces.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1. Thaw: Remove the frozen mashed sweet potatoes from the freezer and place the container in the refrigerator. Allow them to thaw overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. A slower thawing method like this preserves the texture of your mashed sweet potatoes.
2. Stir: Once thawed, give the mashed sweet potatoes a good stir to redistribute any moisture that separated during freezing.
3. Reheat on the Stovetop: Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a saucepan. Heat them over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to ensure even reheating. Add a splash of milk or butter if needed to restore creaminess.
4. Reheat in the Microwave: Alternatively, you can reheat small portions in the microwave. Place the mashed sweet potatoes in a microwave-safe container, cover it with a lid or plastic wrap (vented to allow steam to escape), and microwave in short intervals, stirring between each, until heated through.
5. Check Consistency: While reheating, monitor the consistency of the mashed sweet potatoes. If they seem too dry, you can add a bit of milk or butter to achieve the desired creaminess.

Sweet Potato Fries

1. Thaw: Remove the frozen, cooked sweet potato fries from the freezer and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet or tray. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator for several hours. Thawing in the refrigerator helps prevent the fries from becoming mushy.
2. Preheat Oven or Air Fryer: Preheat your oven or air fryer to the recommended temperature for reheating sweet potato fries.
3. Reheat in the Oven: Spread the thawed sweet potato fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them in the preheated oven until they are heated through and reach the desired level of crispiness. It typically takes about 10-15 minutes, but keep an eye on them so they don’t over-crisp or burn.
4. Reheat in the Air Fryer: Alternatively, you can use an air fryer for a quicker reheating option. Place your thawed sweet potato fries in the air fryer, and cook at the recommended temperature for 5-8 minutes. Shake the basket or turn the fries halfway through for even heating.
5. Check for Crispiness: Periodically check the fries for crispiness while reheating. Adjust the cooking time if necessary to achieve the desired texture.
6. Serve Immediately: Once thoroughly reheated and crispy, remove them from the oven (or air fryer) and serve immediately….we all know that’s when they’re best!

Can You Refreeze Sweet Potatoes?

It isn’t recommended to refreeze any food once you have thawed it out and sweet potatoes are no different. The freezing and thawing process can cause food to deteriorate and bacteria to form so you want to avoid freezing more than once.

Having said that, if you have frozen your sweet potatoes raw and then cooked them upon thawing, you can refreeze them in their cooked form.

Do Sweet Potatoes Freeze Well?

Sweet potatoes are one of those foods that do freeze fairly well. It does take a little preparation work beforehand as you can’t freeze raw potatoes that haven’t been blanched.

Doing so is likely to result in potatoes that don’t taste quite the same.

However, if you blanch or cook your potatoes before freezing there should be no problems and you won’t even notice a difference between fresh and frozen.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing sweet potatoes or sweet potatoes in general, then these may help: