I know how a lot of people are genuinely curious about whether or not you can freeze raw sweet potatoes because of how sweet and delicious they are. Unfortunately, though, you can’t freeze raw sweet potatoes. At least, without blanching or cooking them in a way prior to freezing.
Can you freeze raw sweet potatoes without blanching?
I always recommend not skipping blanching them before attempting to freeze raw sweet potatoes, simply because sweet potatoes won’t be edible if frozen raw without blanching, as they have a high water content.
Blanching is generally an easy and a quick way to cook your raw sweet potatoes prior to freezing them. However, mashing, roasting, or even frying potatoes before freezing can do the trick as well.
Can you freeze fresh sweet potatoes?
I always enjoy fresh sweet potatoes. In fact, they can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a week without spoiling. However, in the case that you found yourself left with some sweet potatoes, that you are afraid they might go soft before you get a chance to eat them, then you should cook them first and then freeze them. Or you can just make raw sweet potato juice!
It is so easy and highly nutritious. You have to try it.
Can you freeze raw sweet potato fries?
Freezing sweet potato fries will result in a ball of sogginess. Trust me, it won’t be enjoyable at all. I would suggest blanching or even cooking raw sweet potatoes before freezing, than frying them.
Can you freeze whole raw sweet potatoes?
Only if baked first. Freezing whole raw sweet potatoes is not the best idea, but you can overcome this issue by baking them first.
What is the best way to freeze sweet potatoes?
Despite the presence of many ways to freeze sweet potatoes, yet, freezing sweet potatoes in the form of soups or mashed potatoes works better when defrosted than the baked defrosted and reheated sweet potatoes.
In all cases cooking sweet potatoes in any way helps preserve them in the freezer.
How to blanch sweet potato for freezing
Blanching is basically the best way to maintain the freshness, color, and texture of any fresh vegetables if you are planning to freeze them. It depends on cooking them for a short amount of time, flash cooling them so that you can stop the cooking process, then freezing them.
- Start by filling a large pot with water, then allow it to boil.
- Cut your fresh raw sweet potatoes into 1-2 inched- cubes. You can either remove or leave the skin of the sweet potatoes.
- Set a timer for 2 minutes before you pour your cubed sweet potatoes into the pot. Allow them to blanch for the set time.
- Strain the potato cubes from the water using a colander and quickly transfer them to a bowl filled with iced water to stop their cooking. Leave them for 2 minutes in the bowl. Or allow cold water to run through them for 5 minutes or until they are cool.
- Drain the sweet potato chunks one more time before placing them in a container to be transferred to the freezer.
Keep in mind that frozen sweet potatoes will have to be cooked prior to eating, as blanching will not soften them enough. You can either roast them or continue boiling them after defrosting until they are soft enough.
How to freeze sweet potato
It doesn’t get any easier than just placing your blanched sweet potatoes in the freezer. However, in order to successfully do so, you have to make sure that the blanched, roasted, mashed, or made into a soup of sweet potatoes are completely cool before placing them in the freezer.
I love flash freezing my sweet potatoes. It ensures that the sweet potato chunks don’t stick to each other and become one big bulk. That’s why, I will list below the step-by-step guide on how to flash freeze your potato chunks, slices, or chips.
How to flash freeze sweet potato chunks, chips or slices
- Start by aligning your sweet potato chunks, chips, or slices away from each other on a baking tray.
- Transfer the tray to the freezer to cool the sweet potato pieces for an hour or two. This step is important to dry the water in the sweet potato pieces so that they won’t stick to each other later on.
- Pour your sweet potato pieces into a freezer-friendly container or a freezer bag. Close the container or bag tightly.
- Label the bag with the date of freezing and the contents of the bag before you transfer it to the freezer to easily distinguish it later from the other food stored in the freezer.
How to freeze sweet potato (soups, mash, or puree)
- Once the freshly made sweet potato soup, mash, or puree is cool enough, transfer it to a zip-lock bag or freezer-friendly container.
- Don’t overfill the container before freezing as they tend to expand a bit when frozen.
- Label the container containing the sweet potatoes with the date and contents of it to easily distinguish it later from the other food stored in the freezer.
How long can sweet potato pieces or mashed sweet potatoes last in the freezer?
Generally speaking, they can last in the freezer for up to 6 months, maintaining their delicious taste and texture.
How to defrost sweet potato
I always like to defrost my frozen sweet potatoes in the fridge. It is the safest method to do so. All you need to do is to just transfer the container with the sweet potatoes from the freezer to the fridge and allow it to thaw overnight.
It might be a tad bit time consuming, as the bigger the portion you are defrosting, the longer it will take. Yet, it doesn’t usually require more than 24 hours to completely defrost.
And of course, sometimes you won’t even have to defrost sweet potatoes at all!
If you have sweet potato chunks or fries, they can be placed straight in the oven or Air fryer to be cooked skipping the defrosting step.
How to cook blanched sweet potato
Here are all the ways you can cook sweet potatoes that are already blanched before freezing:
Boil it: Just place your defrosted sweet potatoes in a pot filled with actively boiling salted water and allow it to boil until it softens up. You can test how soft it is by poking it with a knife. Once they are done, mash it with a fork and add some seasonings on top.
Roast it: Align the chunks of potatoes on a baking tray. Drizzle some oil on top, then sprinkle some seasonings and allow it to bake at 220 degrees c for 30 minutes until they turn crispy.
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