Can You Freeze Sweet Potatoes? Find out the best way to store it..
Families around the world love sweet potatoes; they are tasty, filling, and affordable root vegetables that can accompany just a wide array of foods and dishes. One common question surrounding sweet potatoes is, can you freeze them?
You can certainly freeze sweet potatoes, but it’s recommended that you blanch them if raw to retain texture and flavor. Alternatively, if you’ve cooked sweet potatoes, you can freeze your whole baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and even your boiled potatoes.
This article will discuss whether or not you can freeze sweet potatoes. So keep reading! We have everything you need to know about freezing your sweet potatoes and the best methods of doing so.
What Are Sweet Potatoes?
One of the healthiest root vegetables grown around the world is the common sweet potato. This starchy and sweet potato can come in various colors, including purple, white, and orange, and they’re packed full of minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
They are a great option for large families, and they are easy to cook and have various health benefits. You can cut and cook them into wedges, cubes or boil them and create a buttery mash that is much sweeter than your average white potato mash.
Sweet potatoes are great as you can store them in several ways; they generally last around two weeks on the countertop; however, if you have a cool and dry place, you will extend their lifespan to over a month. However, did you know that you can also freeze sweet potatoes?
Can I Freeze Sweet Potatoes?
You can certainly freeze your sweet potatoes, and it’s a relatively easy task. If you want to freeze raw sweet potatoes, it’s best to cut them into either wedges, cubes, or thin fries and first blanch them before placing them into the freezer.
Blanching is simply the process of boiling your potatoes for a short amount of time and then, once finished, dumping them into a bowl of water that contains ice. This will ensure that the sweet potatoes retain their nutrients, texture, and unique color.
If you blanch your sweet potatoes before you store them in the freezer, this will ensure that you can use them in all of your favorite recipes without losing the texture.
Various people would even go as far as to say that if you blanch your sweet potatoes before freezing when the time comes to cook them, the final product, including the taste, is fairly similar to how it would be had you used fresh sweet potatoes.
How To Blanch Sweet Potatoes For Freezing
Blanching your sweet potatoes is a relatively simple process and doesn’t require much time. We will list the balancing instructions below, which you can follow to ensure you retain the texture and flavor of your sweet potatoes before you store them in the freezer.
Begin by peeling your sweet potatoes and removing all of the skin; then cut into the desired shape, whether it be wedges, fries, or cubes.
Next, heat a large pot of water on the stove to a boil and drop your sweet potatoes into it. You’ll want to cook for around 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of your cut sweet potatoes.
Once removed from the heat, immediately dump your sweet potatoes into a prepared ice bath; you can use a slotted spoon to safely remove the potatoes. Allow them to sit in this for a few minutes before draining.
Following this, you’ll want to spread your cooled sweet potatoes onto a baking tray covered with parchment paper for around two hours or until frozen. Ensure that there’s sufficient space between each piece of potato.
Finally, you’re ready to remove them from their tray once frozen and place them into various freezer bags or whatever storage conatiner you choose. They will last in the freezer for up to six months.
Is it Recommended To Freeze Raw Sweet Potatoes?
While you can certainly freeze your sweet potatoes without blanching, they won’t hold up well in the freezer without following this method. They tend to lose texture, color, and their unique taste if stored in the freezer without blanching.
However, if you’re feeling lazy and don’t mind a loss in quality, you won’t run the risk of any health concerns if you were to freeze your sweet potatoes without balancing.
Storing Fully Cooked Sweet Potatoes
You can also store your fully cooked sweet potatoes in the freezer no matter what way you cook them. You can store sweet potato mash, wedges, chips, and cubes, and it’s relatively simple to store them if you have a lot of leftovers.
Whole roasted sweet potatoes can be stored in the freezer; simply take your full potato and wrap it in tin foil, and store it inside a freezer bag, and this will last for up to six months
This method will also work for roasted wedges or thin chips.
Mashed sweet potatoes can also be stored in the freezer. Once you have your cooked mashed potatoes, simply place them into a freezer bag and use your hands to flatten them into a disc or square shape. Following this, remove as much air as possible and place it into the freezer.
Boiled Sweet Potatoes, whether they be small or large cubes or halves, can all be frozen once cooked. Simply allow them to cool and then place them into a freezer bag or storage container and remove as much air as possible.
Are there any other topics you are interested in exploring? Be sure to check out Can Coffee Be Refrigerated? , Can Cookie Dough Be Refrigerated Overnight? and Can Cut Potatoes Be Refrigerated?
Conclusion
So, now you know that you can freeze sweet potatoes, will you try this out for yourself? It can be a simple way to increase the longevity of your precious root vegetables, and they are just as tasty as fresh ones if stored correctly.
Just remember, if you want to ensure you retain their texture, color, and taste, it’s recommended that you blanch your sweet potatoes before freezing them.
