How To Freeze Sweet Potatoes (Baked, Mashed, Boiled & Fried)

Sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile, and they can add something to any meal, whether you want to nibble on some fries or cook up some soup. However, it’s easy to get carried away and make too much, which begs the question – can you freeze sweet potatoes?

You can freeze sweet potatoes to extend their shelf life for 12 months. However, prep them beforehand to prevent freezer burn and keep them from getting mushy once thawed. To maintain the texture when reheated, you can bake, mash, or fry sweet potatoes before freezing. 

In this article, I’ll teach you how to prepare and freeze your sweet potatoes so you can keep these tubers in stock all year round. Now, you can simply reheat your frozen sweet potatoes, and after a few minutes, enjoy them as if you just bought a fresh batch from the market!

How To Freeze Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are cheap yet nutritious and delicious. Plus, you can do so many things with them–fry, blanch, bake, boil, mash, wedge–you name it! If you don’t want to keep going to the market to buy yourself a bunch, you can simply store them in your freezer for months and keep them ready for a quick reheat.

However, proper preparation before freezing is essential to maintaining that nice crisp texture once you warm your sweet potatoes up again. When storing sweet potatoes, a general rule is never to freeze them raw. That is because sweet potatoes, sometimes called yams, have a very high water content.

When they are frozen raw, the water inside the potatoes will crystallize and completely change the structure of the sweet potatoes. As the moisture inside the potatoes freezes, it bursts some of the veggie’s cells, resulting in mushiness. Once they thaw, they will lose their firm texture and become watery and grainy instead. 

The taste will also change since the cell structure has changed after freezing your sweet potatoes.

Your thawed sweet potatoes may taste bland, losing that unique earthy sweetness that we love about them. Also, they may even turn dark when you try to cook them after thawing. Talk about unappealing, right? 

So if you’re planning to store your sweet potatoes, make sure you’ve prepped them properly beforehand. Here are the three of the best ways to freeze sweet potatoes:

Freezing Whole Baked Sweet Potatoes

One of the healthiest ways to prepare sweet potatoes is baking them. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford to spend the time baking them when we’re ready to eat. So, if you’re looking to have baked potatoes sometime in the future, you can simply freeze a few baked sweet potatoes, cutting down on prep time later. This way, you can have warm baked sweet potatoes in just a few minutes.

Here’s how you can freeze whole baked sweet potatoes:

1. Wash raw sweet potatoes, gently scrubbing the skin with your hands to remove any dirt.
2. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190.56°C).
3. Using a fork, pierce the skin of the sweet potatoes to create a few tiny holes.
4. Place the sweet potatoes inside the oven and bake for 1.5 hours.
5. When time is up, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool. 
6. Once cool, wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil, covering them completely.
7. Place the wrapped sweet potatoes inside a freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.
8. Put the freezer bag inside the freezer and store them for up to six months.

To reheat frozen baked sweet potatoes, you can:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.67°C).
2. Remove the freezer bag from the freezer.
3. Unwrap the sweet potatoes.
4. Re-wrap the sweet potatoes individually with new aluminum foil.
5. Bake the batch for half an hour.
6. Serve and enjoy.

Freezing Sweet Potato Fries

Here comes the most popular of all sweet potato recipes–the fries! Sweet potato fries are a delicious snack that’s often considered the healthy alternative to french fries. In reality, though, sweet potatoes and white potatoes are both very nutritious, though they vary in the types of vitamins and minerals they contain.

Sweet potatoes are richer in antioxidants, have a lower glycemic index (making them the safer choice for those with diabetes), and have a higher vitamin A content. If that’s what you’re after, then wait no more.

Here’s how to freeze sweet potato fries:

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes.
2. Slice them up into sticks as thinly as you want.
3. Boil water in a pot.
4. Blanch your sweet potato fries for 2 minutes once the water has boiled.
5. Remove the sweet potatoes from the boiling water and place them in an ice bath for a couple of minutes.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Place a single layer of sweet potato fries onto the lined baking sheet.
8. Put the baking sheet inside the freezer and wait at least 2 hours.
9. Take out the baking sheet and place the frozen sweet potato fries inside a freezer bag.
10. Squeeze as much air out as possible.
11. Leave the freezer bag in the freezer for up to 12 months. 

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When you’re ready to cook your sweet potato fries, you can bake or fry them. 

To bake, you can:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.67°C).
2. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the frozen sweet potato fries in a single layer on the baking sheet and add seasonings as desired.
4. Bake for half an hour.

To fry, you can:

1. Heat cooking oil in a deep frying pan.
2. Fry the frozen sweet potatoes until they’re crispy (no need to thaw first).
3. Serve with or without a dip and enjoy!

Freezing Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Another great way to enjoy and freeze sweet potatoes is by mashing them. Mashed sweet potatoes are a tasty alternative to rice or regular mashed potatoes. Plus, preparing it is quick and easy. 

Here’s how to freeze mashed sweet potatoes:

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes.
2. Slice them into cubes.
3. Boil sweet potato cubes until they’re soft and easy to pierce with a fork.
4. Remove sweet potatoes from boiling water and season according to your preference.
5. Mash the sweet potatoes.
6. Let them cool.
7. Place mashed sweet potatoes in a freezer bag (you may want to freeze them in serving sized bags).
8. Squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing.
9. Leave the freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To reheat your mashed sweet potatoes, you can:

1. Remove the freezer bag from the freezer.
2. Take as much of the mashed sweet potatoes as you need.
3. Place it in a pan and reheat in an oven for a few minutes until they are of the right consistency.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Freezing Sliced or Diced Boiled Sweet Potatoes

If you’re in a hurry and want something quick, you can boil your sweet potatoes instead. This way, you’re done in half an hour, and you can enjoy sweet potato crisps anytime you want. 

This method is also perfect if you want sweet potato wedges or if you’re looking to have sweet potato cubes ready for the next time you’re having vegetable soup or a salad bowl.

Here’s how to freeze boiled sweet potatoes:

1. Wash the sweet potatoes and gently scrub the skin to remove dirt.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes in thin slices, wedges, or cubes, making sure that pieces are about the same size and all cook evenly.
3. Boil water in a pan.
4. Put the sweet potato slices into the boiling water and leave for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and let them dry and cool.
6. Once cool, place the sweet potatoes inside a freezer bag.
7. Squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing the bag.
8. Leave the bag in the freezer for up to 12 months.

When it’s time to serve your frozen sweet potato slices, you’ll need to reheat them. Here’s how:

1. Remove the bag from the freezer.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176.67°C).
3. Put your sweet potato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Let them cool, then enjoy!

Conclusion

Freezing sweet potatoes is an easy and convenient way to store sweet potatoes, extend their shelf life, and cut back on prep time for those days when you need a quick, healthy fix.

Remember never to freeze sweet potatoes raw. Instead, you can bake, fry, mash, or boil them beforehand to make sure that they retain their texture and flavor. 

Frozen sweet potatoes can last for up to 12 months, so you can have quick eats ready all year round–as long as you’ve stored enough and don’t consume them all right away!