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We raise sweet potatoes in our garden. The smaller ones and the ones we cut while digging, I scrub and drop into a large pot and cover with water and boil until they are done.
The others, I keep them on large table in my basement to keep an eye on them and use them for baking or whatever. If any begin to look like they are starting to spoil, I immediately scrub and boil them.
I dump them immediately after cooking to keep them from absorbing any more water. I allow them to cool and then peel and press them into a Ziploc freezer bag. I use quart size bags and freeze. I use them in sweet potato casseroles and puddings for the remainder of the year.
By Marie G W. from Hardy, VA
Sweet potatoes actually freeze well. I prick them a few times with a fork, then put them in a baking pan and cover it with foil. I roast them at 350 degrees F until they are fully cooked. When they are completely cooled, I wrap each one in foil and freeze them as is, still in their jackets. When I want sweet potatoes I just take them out, thaw them, and use them the way I want.
For things like pie or muffins, just slice open and scoop the flesh out and mash it. For a side dish, I warm them in the microwave or oven, and serve. They reheat really well, and are really nice to have on hand for meals and baking.
By Free2B from North Royalton, OH
Last Fall, I experimented with freezing different vegetables. My aim was to cook food ahead and have individually frozen portions ready to thaw, heat and serve. My carrots and baby Lima beans turned out well. I am especially pleased with my sweet potatoes.
I like mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. (Lately, I've preferred a touch of allspice over cinnamon). I wanted to be able to have them any time, even when they were out of season.
And too, I wanted to freeze larger portions to be used for making pies. While I haven't gotten around to making pies with the frozen potatoes, I've no doubt they will be good because the smaller portions are very good.
I did not 'set up' a recipe as I cooked different amounts of potatoes each time. I bought a 2 gallon stew pot for this purpose. When grocery shopping, I just bought about 5 pounds of potatoes when I was in the mood to freeze them and when the potatoes looked especially good.
I tried two ways of cooking the whole, unpeeled potatoes. First, I cooked them in batches in the microwave, testing them with a small knife to tell when they were cooked through.
This is the easiest way but they do end up a little dry and they do not peel so easily. I would use this method only if I was in a hurry.
My second way was to boil the potatoes in the stew pot. This way takes longer and uses more energy but I like it better. Just cover the potatoes with water and boil slowly til soft in the center.
The boiled potatoes peel very easily. Actually, the skin just slips right off. That's good and not so good. When boiling, water get under the skin. The potatoes absorb some of the water. This water makes mashing easier but will have to be removed later
When the potatoes have cooked through, I drain then immediately so they wont absorb more water. I take them from the stew pot and peel them. Then not having a large enough bowl, I put them back in the stew pot for mashing.
Mash the potatoes to the degree you would like them. I went so far as to make mine as fine as baby food. I'm glad I did.
Next...to season the potatoes. Here, you're own your own. I sweetened them to taste with brown sugar. You could use white if you prefer or both. For these potatoes I added a pinch (small pinch) of allspice. I cut cold butter up and put it in, judging the amount by eyesight.
I flavored one batch with a tablespoon of molasses. I wont do that again.
Next, for my secret ingredient. Years ago, I made lots of candied yams for holidays. Lots of recipes called for pineapple juice. I used it and it was good. Once, I was out of pineapple juice and used frozen orange juice concentrate. I liked that better than the pineapple. Just use a small amount (rounded tablespoon maybe) and don't reconstitute. The potatoes will be too watery if you do.
You will need to taste as you go to get the potatoes exactly as you like them, but that should be fun and no problem. Do add a very small pinch of salt.
Note: If left to sit for a while, about an hour, these boiled potatoes will weep a bit in the bottom of the bowl. I don't like that extra water. I pour off that water. You can do this even after adding all ingredients.
These potatoes will be perfect for thawing, heating and serving any time you want fresh tasting mashed sweet potatoes.
I did purposely left out some ingredients. If I wanted to make a pie, I would thaw a couple of the larger portions. When thawed, I would mix in flour, eggs, more sugar and/or whatever my pie recipe called for and then pour into a blind baked pie shell. What could be easier? You can't buy a sweet potato pie filling like this in a store.
Freezing the potatoes was a breeze. For small portions, I put them in small microwaveable containers such as Stouffer's mac and cheese small serving comes in. I put that into a freezer bag, sucked the air out and put into freezer. I just take a container out when I want some, remove the bag (which I clean and reuse) and nuke til warm. Love it!
For the larger portions I plan to use for pies, I spoon the mix into quart freezer bags, flattening and removing all the air. This somewhat flattened bag will be fast to thaw on the countertop. In a hurry? Run hot water over the bag. The potatoes will slip right out. You can thaw in a microwave and get on with your pie.
I couldn't find a picture of the potatoes I froze, so here is a picture of carrots. And I forgot. I did make a (simple) pie. Guess I could have topped it with Dreamwhip.
I bake them and mash them prior to freezing. I can use them in a casserole or to make pies. For pies I measure the amount needed and freeze in a Ziploc bag.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do I freeze sweet potatoes?
By MarcyC
We are still eating sweet potatoes I froze last winter. After baking them, I peeled them and wrapped each potato in Glad Cling Wrap and put them in gallon zip lock freezer bags.
I bake my sweet potatoes, cool, then peel. Slice on cookie-sheet and freeze until
hard. I then take the sweet potato slices & put them in a large zip-lock bag and lay it flat. It is then ready to fry, or put in a pan with butter, brown sugar & bake. I then put on mini marshmallow on them until they turn brown. Very good. It you want to mash them, they are easy to do when they are thawed out.
What is the most suitable freezer temperature for sweet potatoes?
My freezer manual says keep it at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your manual for yours. Sweet potatoes that are blanched freeze well in my freezer. They are good in soups and stews.
Homemade sweet potato fries are the bomb and if there are any left, freeze them in serving size portions. They can be microwaved to thaw and then a quick oven bake to crisp back up. I love to dip them in BBQ sauce or horseradish sauce or sour cream! Yummmmmmmmm!!!!
The potatoes should feel solid,not mushy. If your freezer is working, and butter is hard, it should be fine.
Freezer temperature should always be at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for safety of food storage.
The only safe way to determine freezer temperature is with a thermometer. Freezer thermometers are best but any type of thermometer can be used.
anything at sub zero is fine granted they are blanched or cooked first but not too mushy
My daughter is on the AIP diet. She uses sliced sweet potatoes as bread. I am wondering if they can be sliced in advance and then fried up and then frozen so they would be ready to use whenever she wanted them.
I was thinking of just slicing them and then freezing them, but I cannot find anywhere where it says you can freeze a raw sweet potato.You are better off preparing them as you described and then freezing them.
Yes, cook them first before you freeze them. You can have them fully prepared then frozen. You can also parboil them, freeze them, then take them out to use.
Can someone tell me how to freeze sweet potatoes?
By tricia from Walesuk
You need to cook them first, either bake or boil and mash them. Baked ones let cool and toss in a freezer safe bag and label, to use pull out what # you want and let thaw and then reheat. For mashed either put into serving size containers or dollop serving size portions onto a cookie sheet and freeze then put the frozen dollops into a freezer container and label. I would suggest that you let the dollops thaw in a pot then stir them up and reheat. Oh you can season them before freezing but it would be better to season when reheating as some seasonings either loose their flavor or get stronger when frozen.
Here is how I freeze sweet potatoes. I bake them in the microwave until they start to get soft. I let them cool, then peel & slice them in round disks. I place them on a plastic lined cookie sheet then freeze. When they are frozen, you can then put them in a bag, laying them flat. This way you have them ready to make candied or fried sweet potatoes. I always freeze sweet potatoes when they are on sale, so I can have them ready to re-bake or fry in butter. I make candied sweet potatoes by laying them in a buttered pan, (how ever many you need), putting butter on each slice, them sprinkling brown sugar on them. Bake about 20 mins, then place mini marshmallows on the sweet potatoes & bake until the marshmallows are brown, (about 10 more mins.) Hope you will enjoy these.
Pat in GA
P.S. You can always mashed these if you want them that way.
I need to freeze some sweet potatoes I'm going to be feeding the to pigs so they're not going to be cooked after freezing. What is the best way to freeze them?
By Logan
Freezing them will bust the cell walls just like a raw potato uncooked. So there will be a lot of liquid when they are thawed out. Feed the liquid too, it will have a lot of good stuff.
Personally I would cook them first then freeze in a bag. They will discolor but no problem with the value. If uncooked a lot of the cell wall well be intact when they exit the animal so some of the nutrients will be lost.
I want to freeze the sweet potatoes for french fries in the oven later. Do I need to blanch them or just cut them and freeze them in slices?
By Maietta L
Cut them, blanch for two minutes only, give an immediate ice/cold water bath until they cool, drain, place on towels to drain off excess water, place evenly on a baking sheet to freeze and once frozen place in freezer bags with as much air removed as possible. They will be good to go in the freezer for up to two months.
There's also a fry blanching technique but, personally, it doesn't sound appetizing to me ;-)
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Can I freeze home grown sweet potatoes?
By bobbie from OH
You can't freeze them raw, you must cook them first. (08/18/2010)
By Fortunately
Can I freeze sweet potatoes?
By avis from PA
Yes. I freeze cooked sweet potatoes all the time. When they are on sale at a really good price I buy quite a few. Use them as is for a while, but when they start to look like they may go bad I peel, dice, and cook them in the microwave. I add a few tablespoons of water in the dish as they cook and stir as they cook once in a while to keep them moist. Cook till tender. Then let them cool and put them in the 1# recycled plastic butter containers. They are just as good to eat after defrosting. (12/21/2009)
By Sue Hadley
I always buy sweet potatoes in bulk. What I usually do is wash and dry them. I then rub some oil on them, wrap them in aluminum foil and bake them until they're soft. When they cool off, I freeze them. When you want them, let them thaw out. I use them for souffles, or just mashed as a side dish. I also use them for cakes. I hardly ever run out of them. (12/22/2009)
By Wayne Miller
Go to pickyourown.org and you'll find anything you would ever want to freeze or can on this site. I use it during garden harvesting all the time.
(12/22/2009)
By Penny Stoehr
