Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Fries? (And How to Do It)
Sweet potato fries are a delicious addition to almost any meal. Even better, they can be substituted into a dish instead of normal, white potato fries.
You’d do this because, compared to white potato fries, sweet potato fries are a much healthier option for you and your family. If your kids love fries, then sweet potato fries are an awesome alternative.
Can you freeze sweet potato fries?
You certainly can freeze sweet potato fries. By following the methods we’ve laid out below, you’ll end up with crisp, beautifully tasting fries every time, no matter how you decide to cook them, or how long they’ve been stored for.
How and Why to Freeze Sweet Potato Fries
When it comes to making sweet potato fries, there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t make extra and freeze them.
The main reason for this is the fact that you can easily prepare 10 to 20 pounds worth of sweet potato fries, store them in batched portion bags and take them out when you need to use them.
Not only do frozen fries last for months, they’ll come out tasting just as good as when you first made them, they’re cheaper, and not only that, you’re also saving tons of time.
Half of the time when it comes to making fries is preparation. If you’re already making a batch fries, then you can easily scrub up extras potatoes, chop them up and store them for later with barely any investment.
You’ll be saving yourself a huge amount of time in the long run, and bags of fries really don’t take up much freezer space, so you can have whole batches stored without any problems.
Plus, one huge advantage of homemade fries is how much cheaper they are per serving than store-bought fries. For a couple of extra minutes work, you’re saving yourself a huge amount of money, in the long run.
The Best Way to Freeze Sweet Potato Fries
The single best way to freeze sweet potato fries is right after you’ve prepared them. This way, you’ll get the best results when it comes time to defrost and cook them.
Here’s how to best prepare sweet potato fries, ready for freezing.
Step 1. Make the Fries
Making fries is really simple, just a little time-consuming. Start by peeling the potatoes. You can use whatever method you like, though a peeler is easiest.
We’ve also heard that this is a great way to get the family involved. Even little kids can use a peeler without much risk to themselves, and they’ll probably love cooking with you.
Once the potatoes are peeled, cut them into fries. The simplest method is to use a crinkle cutter or other fry-cutting device, but if you don’t have one of those, you can always just use a knife.
When the fries are cut up and ready, place them in a colander and rinse them under a cold tap. You do this to wash away excess starch. It leaves your fries crisp and delicious, as well as making it much less likely that they’ll stick together when cooked or stored.
After preparation, divide your fries into bowls, with two large potatoes worth of fries in each bowl. This is both a great serving size, as well as an easy storing size for freezable bags.
Step 2. Blanche the Fries
Blanching fries is easy but makes a huge difference when it comes to cooking them. A pre-blanched fry will be crisp on the outside, but tender and fluffy inside.
The method is simple. One bowl at a time, drop the fries into boiling water for 2 minutes.
Remove them when the time is up, and drop them immediately into ice-cold water. Leave them in here as long as possible, anywhere up to 20 minutes, then remove and place them on a dry tea towel or kitchen towel.
If you’re batch preparing your fries, you can make this almost like a production line, with bowlfuls of fries moving through each stage in the sequence.
Blanching isn’t essential. You can skip this step if you want, but blanching causes the enzyme reactions that make food lose flavor and texture when stored to move much slower, meaning you’ll end up with much more delicious fries when you eventually cook them.
Step 3. Dry the Fries, and Prepare Them for Storage
The fries should be blotted dry using kitchen towels. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as there’s no visible water on them.
If you like seasoning on your fries, now is the ideal time to do so. Salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, whatever you want. It’s all good.
Step 4. Freeze the Fries
Divide the fries into portions, or, if you’ve been following along, put each portion of fries into a freezer bag, then pop them into the freezer.
Sweet potato fries can safely be stored for up to 6 months. Bear in mind, even frozen, they will slowly lose flavor and texture, but by following our method, you’ll end up with the best, most delicious fries possible.
To remember when you froze your fries, we love writing the date they were prepared down. That was it’s literally impossible to get wrong. You can either write directly onto the bag or just stick a paper sticker to it and write on that.
How to Cook Your Frozen Fries
When you decide to serve your frozen sweet potato fries, the methods you can use are incredibly simple.
Cooking Your Sweet Potato Fries in the Oven
Take as many servings out of the freezer as you need, and arrange them directly onto an oven tray from frozen.
Adding a drizzle of vegetable or olive oil can help the fries crisp up, but isn’t necessary.
If the fries aren’t pre-seasoned, it’s perfectly fine to season them now. The magic of sweet potato fries is that you can basically use anything, and it will still taste great.
If you’ve added oil or seasoning to your fries, you should make sure that they all have a relatively even coating. The simplest way of doing this is literally to get in there and mix them up with your hands.
Place directly into an oven preheated to 425 degrees, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, turning or shaking them occasionally so they don’t stick to the tray and cook evenly.
Cooking Your Sweet Potato Fries in a Deep Fat Fryer
You can easily cook frozen sweet potato fries in a deep-fat fryer straight from frozen.
- Turn on the fryer, wait for it to get to the correct temperature and fry straight from frozen.
- When adding frozen fries to hot oil, be careful, as it may spit in the initial few seconds.
- It should take around 3 to 5 minutes to cook from frozen.
- Once cooked, your fries should be golden brown but lighter inside. You can always check by removing a fry with a fork or tongs and cutting it open. (Or try it yourself.)
Cooking Your Frozen Sweet Potato Fries on the Stove
If you don’t have a deep fat fryer, you can also use a pan with a small amount of vegetable oil inside, around the depth of ¼ to ½ of an inch.
- Preheat the oil to medium-high.
- Add fries until they’re covering the bottom of the pan. Don’t allow the fries to clump, and don’t add too many. You want your fries in a single layer, with enough space that they can move freely if stirred.
- As before, when adding frozen fries to hot oil, be careful, as it may spit in the initial few seconds.
- Fry for 3 to 5 minutes, turning them occasionally so they cook evenly.
Related Questions
How Long Do Sweet Potatoes Last Before I Have to Use Them?
Sweet potatoes are a great food to store because they last a decent amount of time before you have to use them.
Like all potatoes, store sweet potatoes in a cool, dark place for the best results. When stored like this, they should last around 1 to 2 weeks.
Don’t refrigerate or freeze raw sweet potatoes. Doing so could cause your potatoes to freeze internally and cause them to become tough and bad tasting.
Once you’ve frozen your sweet potatoes, they should last around 6 months in the freezer before you should use them. Cooked potatoes kept in the freezer will basically be safe to eat forever, but over the six-month mark will start to slowly break down, degrading the taste and texture.
What’s the Best Seasoning for My Sweet Potato Fries?
One awesome thing about sweet potato fries is how versatile they are.
We’re not lying when we say that you can legitimately season sweet potato fries with almost anything. Popular choices include:
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Black Pepper
- Sea Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Cayenne
Above all else, experiment. Sweet potatoes are inexpensive, and you might stumble across a brand new flavor sensation that sweets the nation.
Up Next: Can You Microwave Wooden Bowls?
Thank you for such clear and descriptive directions, Jason. Well done, sir.
I love to sprinkle mine with sea salt and cinnamon sugar delicious