Pantry storage
How long do sweet potatoes last in the pantry?
About 14 days for sweet potatoes in a cool, dark pantry. That’s what Well Stockd plans on; the table below has the sources’ own times.
Times are for a cool, dark, ventilated spot. They’re a guide, not a safety guarantee.
How we checked this: each storage time here is checked against the source named beside it, USDA FoodKeeper, USDA FSIS or another, before the page goes live. A time marked “Our estimate” is Well Stockd’s own, since FoodKeeper and FSIS give none. Editorial policy
How long they keep
- Whole
- 2 to 3 weeks in a cool dark place; do not refrigerate raw Source: USDA FoodKeeper: Yams/sweet potatoes (opens in a new tab)
- Peeled or cut
- Cut sweet potato holds 3 to 4 days refrigerated Our estimate: FoodKeeper and FSIS give no time for this.
- Freezer
- About 10 months (300 days) at best quality. Frozen food stays safe indefinitely at 0°F; the time is about texture and flavor. Our estimate: FoodKeeper and FSIS give no time for this.Compare freezer times for other foods on the printable freezer storage chart.
- How to store them
- Ventilated and dark. Refrigerating raw sweet potatoes creates a hard core that never softens on cooking.
How to tell if sweet potatoes have gone bad
Dates are estimates; these are the checks that actually decide it. Don’t taste food to check whether it has gone bad.
Throw them out at once if you see:
- Mold at the ends
Warning signs (throw them out if you notice more than one):
- Soft or weeping spots
- Shriveled skin
- Black or sunken patches
Sources and limits
Write the date it went in on the container, and check it before day 14.
Well Stockd doesn’t know when this food was harvested, packed or bought. Write down the date you bought or stored it, follow the package directions, keep it somewhere cool and dark, and check the official listing when food safety is in question.
Each time in the table names its source beside it. A time marked “Our estimate” is Well Stockd’s own, because FoodKeeper and FSIS give none for that food in that state, and where our time differs from FoodKeeper’s, the row shows FoodKeeper’s figure too. The number at the top is Well Stockd’s own estimate. It’s a guide, not a safety guarantee: FoodKeeper says storage times are guidelines, and quality varies with how food is grown, handled, shipped and stored. This page was last updated .
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