Of course, all foods last for a shorter period of time if they are not stored properly. But remember that sweet potatoes, like a lot of other vegetables, may have a best by date or a better before date but not an expiration date. Because of this distinction, you may safely use sweet potatoes to compliment your favorite meals even after a best before date has lapsed.

How to tell if Sweet Potatoes are bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your sweet potatoes have gone bad. Some common traits of bad sweet potatoes are discoloration and growths through the skin. They will begin to get soft and wet (water will leak out) and then turn brown and/or black. If part of the sweet potato goes bad, the whole potato should be thrown out as the flavor is affected.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Sweet Potatoes to extend their shelf life?

You can help sweet potatoes keep fresh longer by storing them in a dark dry pantry or in the refrigerator for a slightly longer life. Choose sweet potatoes with firm tapered ends, as that is where they begin to soften when aging.

Once prepared, sweet potatoes should be stored in a tightly closed container to keep out moisture and other contaminants.

Raw sweet potatoes do not freeze well, but sweet potato fries are flash frozen and made for the freezer.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

Interesting facts about Sweet Potatoes:

How to use extra before your Sweet Potatoes go bad?

If you have too many sweet potatoes, use your them in one of these ways before they go bad:

How long are Sweet Potatoes good for when prepared in a dish?

How long do sweet potatoes last? That depends. How long do marshmallows last? In general, sweet potatoes last only as long as the quickest expiring ingredient in the dish.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Sweet Potatoes lasts, our content incorporates research from multiple resources, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Food & Drug Administration. In addition, we scoured the web for informative articles and reports related to food safety, food storage and the shelf life of Sweet Potatoes.

*An important note about expiration dates...

Although the Sweet Potatoes shelf life information on Eat By Date is generally reliable, please remember that individual cases will vary and that our advice should only be taken as an opinion and not a replacement for your health care professional. Please eat responsibly!