How to Freeze Sweet Potatoes

Freezing sweet potatoes is a great way to enjoy them all year-round while cutting down the cook time. Sweet potatoes can be frozen raw, boiled, baked, or mashed. Consider a few different ways you can prepare and store sweet potatoes in the freezer.

1. 1. Boiled: Boil sweet potatoes whole, sliced, or diced. No need to peel them beforehand as the skins peel off easily once cooked. Boiled sweet potatoes are great for making soups, stews, or candied yams. To freeze boiled sweet potatoes, first place your fresh sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling water. Boil them for ten to fifteen minutes, or until their skins can be easily pierced with a fork but still maintain some firmness. Remove the potatoes from the pot and let them cool to room temperature. Transfer them to a freezer bag, squeeze out the excess air, and store them in the freezer for up to six months.
2. 2. Baked: Baked sweet potatoes tend to take a long time to cook. Preparing a large batch and freezing them will cut out the total time it takes to make your favorite sweet potato recipes. To prepare and freeze baked sweet potatoes, first preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrub and rinse your fresh, whole sweet potatoes. Use a fork to pierce the skin a few times and place them on a large baking sheet. Bake the sweet potatoes for ninety minutes, then let them cool to room temperature. Wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil and place them in freezer bags. Baked sweet potatoes can be stored in the freezer for six months.
3. 3. Mashed: Mashed sweet potatoes are great on their own and can be used in many sweet potato recipes, such as sweet potato casserole or sweet potato pie. To prepare and freeze mashed potatoes, boil or bake your sweet potatoes. Let them cool to room temperature and peel off the skins. Place your spuds in a large bowl and mash them with a wooden spoon until smooth. To help prevent your mashed potatoes from browning, add one tablespoon of lemon juice for every quart of sweet potatoes. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to freezer bags, squeezing them flat to take up as much space in the bag as possible and remove as much air as possible. Store your mashed sweet potatoes in the freezer for up to six months.

Consider a few tips to help you get the most out of your frozen sweet potatoes.

1. 1. Avoid freezing raw sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes have a high water content. If you freeze them without cooking them first, they're likely to get freezer burn and develop an unpleasant texture.
2. 2. Try blanching your potatoes to save prep time. If you need to quickly prepare sweet potatoes for the freezer, try blanching them. To blanch them, carefully add your potatoes to a large pot of boiling water. Allow them to cook for three to five minutes. Check them for doneness with a fork. They should be tender but firm. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the hot water and quickly add them to a bowl of ice water. The cold water will stop them from cooking and make them easier to handle. Place the blanched sweet potatoes in a freezer bag, squeeze out excess air, and place them in the freezer for up to twelve months.
3. 3. Use your microwave’s defrost setting. To thaw your frozen sweet potatoes, you can place them in a bowl of cold water for a few hours or put them in the fridge overnight, but the fastest route is to reheat them in the microwave. When reheating them, be sure to use your microwave's defrost setting to avoid overcooking or drying them out.

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