Why Should You Cure Sweet Potatoes?

Cured sweet potatoes can last for many months in a cool root cellar, garage, or pantry - and even up to 1 year if conditions are right!

Can You Eat Sweet Potatoes Without Curing?

Are they still edible without curing? Sure.

Do they taste way better after curing? Definitely!

Some folks say that sweet potatoes which aren't cured cannot be baked successfully, but can be fried, boiled, or mashed. I haven't tried baking uncured sweet potatoes to confirm this, but I'd rather get the full flavor and storage potential from my harvest.

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Sweet Potato Curing Process

So you've put in all the hard work to grow sweet potatoes from slips, and patiently waited 90-120 days while they grew.

Now you're finally ready to dig them up and cure them!

I'd highly recommend not foregoing this crucial step after all the work and time you've put in - another couple weeks spent curing will ensure you can make the best of your harvest.

sweet potatoes purple home grown just dug up from garden laying on ground
Freshly-harvested purple Asian sweet potatoes are now ready to cure for a couple weeks before storage and consumption.

Don't rub the dirt off, the skins are very fragile. Just shake them off. You can remove the dirt after curing.

Be careful not to bruise your potatoes, as this can compromise their storage potential.

Curing sweet potatoes is actually a two-step process, beginning with a warm moist cure and ending with a cool dry cure and storage:

#1 - Warm Moist Cure:

80-90F @ 80-90% rH for 7-14 days.



Helps toughen up the skin, and converts starches to sugars for sweetness.

#2 - Cool Dry Cure:

50-60F @ low rH for 6-8 weeks in darkness

A basement, root cellar, or climate-controlled pantry works well for this.

Putting the sweet potatoes in a cardboard box with the flaps tucked closed is great for the cool cure. It allows for just a small amount of air exchange through the cracks between the flaps.

How to Store Cured Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes can be kept in the same conditions from the cool dry cure above for storage, and will last quite a number of months.

They can also just be stored in a cool dry pantry with no direct light.

If you have a lot, storing them in plastic milk crates or wooden crates is a great way to stack a lot in a small space and keep some airflow through them.

Lots of folks use straw or sawdust between each layer of sweet potatoes to keep them from touching and make sure they stay dry. You can also wrap each potato in newspaper if you've got time for all that.

Be sure not to wash your sweet potatoes before you store them!

How to Cook Your Cured Sweet Potatoes

Wash your sweet potatoes here, since you made sure not to wash them before curing. (right??)

Dice them up, lay them out on a baking sheet, and drizzle with EVOO, salt, and pepper

Bake sweet potatoes at 400F for at least an hour, turning partway through. Consider adding a little brown sugar near the end if you're feeling it.



The high temp helps convert further starches to sugars and makes them even sweeter, so avoid baking your sweet potatoes at lower temps.