How To Tell If a Sweet Potato Is Bad And What to Do?

By Ellie Perez | Updated: October 27, 2023

Everyone in the family knows sweet potatoes because they are very tasty, easy to cook, and can be stored for a long time. Because of this, many people buy a lot of sweet potatoes to keep at home and forget it in a corner of the refrigerator.

One day, you suddenly remember its existence and wonder:” How do you know if sweet potatoes are bad?” There are various signs showing your potatoes have gone wrong. It is not difficult to realize a bad sweet potato, but to identify all the signs of rotten potatoes;you might not know. In this post, we will discover how to identify spoiled sweet potatoes, allowing you to dump the inedible ones and avoid wasting the perfectly good ones.

How To Tell If a Sweet Potato Is Bad?

Sweet potatoes are considered nutritious food and can be stored for a long time. However, if they are not stored properly, they will go rotten. When a sweet potato has gone bad, it will appear the following symptoms.

If you don't store sweet potatoes right, they will go bad — *If you don’t store sweet potatoes right, they will go bad*

Appearance

Mold

When mold grows on the skin of the sweet potato, it’s definitely a warning that you should throw it away. When the mold is black, yellow, or orange, it means the food is rotten, not just ruined. You need to check other sweet potatoes in the pantry or shelf where it was stored that it came in touch with because mold may have spread.

Discoloration

*You might notice that the skin is getting darker as they go bad*

Along with mold, another sign is a change in color. On the outside, fresh sweet potatoes are bright orange. But when they start to go bad, you might see that the skin is getting darker and maybe even going green, gray, or black. A sweet potato that has gone bad likes to look dull and wrinkled.

Sprouts

If you see sprouts that appear on your sweet potatoes, it’s a sign that your potatoes aren’t as fresh as they used to be. Even with this situation, your sweet potatoes can still be eaten if you know how to remove the sprouts properly. But to keep yourself healthy, my advice is that you should throw it away as soon as this sign shows up, even if it still tastes good.

Texture

*Fresh sweet potatoes should feel tough and solid*

Normally, when you squeeze a fresh sweet potato, it will be hard and solid. If the sweet potato is soft or mushy, or if it has wrinkles that you can see, it’s clear that it’s no longer suitable to eat.

Odor

The smell of fresh sweet potatoes should have a neutral smell. If you smell something foul, it’s best to throw out the sweet potato because it may have started to go bad.

How to Tell If the Inside of a Sweet Potato Is Bad?

*Alternatively, a poor sweet potato will appear dry inside*

Most of the time, a sweet potato that is bad on the inside will appear to have signs on the outside of it first, like having wrinkles and being soft.

The inside of a bad sweet potato will look drier than a good one. Besides, it will also become discolored and oxidized much faster than a good sweet potato.

When a sweet potato appears dark in the middle and on the edges, it means this sweet potato is past its prime or old.

Does a Sweet Potato With Dark Spots Make It Bad?

*Black spots are common on raw or cooked sweet potatoes*

Maybe you don’t know this: fresh sweet potatoes often have black spots on them, whether they are raw or cooked. It can still be eaten whether the spots and redness are only on the surface and close to the skin.

But if the potato is discolored, it’s probably a fungus, and you shouldn’t eat it to avoid food poisoning.

Small Black Skin Spots

Bad spots in sweet potatoes are typically dark, appearing on their skin and revealing themselves as dark spots when cut open.

If you see these dark spots after peeling the sweet potato, you can simply cut them off. They won’t affect the taste or nutrition of the rest of the sweet potato.

Raw Sweet Potato Discoloration: Gray or Brown

After cleaning and putting the sweet potatoes out in the open air for a while, you might identify new gray or brown spots on them. But do not worry! It’s normal for the flesh to turn brown after being exposed to oxygen in the air. The taste of sweet potatoes hasn’t changed, so there’s no need to cut them.

If you see gray spots right after peeling, it’s probably from bumps they got during handling or storage. These spots might taste a little bitter, but the rest of the sweet potato is still good to eat, so you can just cut off those parts and use the rest.

Discolored Deep Pits

*Deep dark spots on sweet potatoes may indicate fungus*

But if you see black or intense dark spots running deep into the sweet potato, it might be a sign of a fungal infection. In this case, it’s best to toss the whole sweet potato because it’s not safe to eat.

So please consider and learn carefully about your sweet potato before using a sweet potato because it contains many risks that affect your health in a bad way.

Black Spots on Cooked Sweet Potato

Sometimes, after cooking sweet potatoes, you might see dark or black spots that weren’t there before. This happens because of a chemical reaction between the sweet potato’s iron and its natural acids during cooking. These spots on cooked sweet potatoes won’t harm you, but they can make the affected parts taste bitter. To fix this, you can wait for the potatoes to cool and then cut off the spotted areas.

To prevent these spots, you can also add a little lemon juice to the cooking water. Just wait until the sweet potatoes are partially cooked, then add some lemon juice to the water. The lemon juice, being an acid, will compete with the sweet potato’s natural acids and stop the spots from appearing.

A white substance poured from my sweet potato. Is that bad?

*Sweet potatoes may discharge a little milky white water when chopped*

When you cut into a sweet potato, it may release a small amount of milky white liquid. But don’t worry;this is a regular occurrence and can be observed even in the freshest sweet potatoes.

This liquid includes the starch and sugars that are naturally in the sweet potatoes. There’s no need to worry as long as the sweet potato is hard and doesn’t have any other signs of going bad, like mold.

However, when the sweet potato is mushy, and the liquid is oozing out, it has expired. Besides, if there are other signs, such as mold, sprouts, or a bad smell, which we mentioned above, the sweet potato has gone bad. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the above signs and store them well to keep sweet potatoes in the best condition to avoid food poisoning.

What To Do With a Bad Sweet Potato?

A bad sweet potato what to do with it — *A bad sweet potato: what to do with it?*

Some sweet potatoes may become rotten, but there are ways to make them usable:

Checking for Problem

First, you should check the sweet potato for mold or rot. If it’s not bad enough, you might be able to cut out the worst parts and still eat the rest of your potato. If the sweet potato is badly broken, though, it’s safer to throw it away.

Using The Compost Solution

Then, you can compost the sweet potato if it’s too far gone. Since sweet potatoes break down quickly, they are perfect for getting compost started. You can just put it in your compost pile or bin and let nature do what it wants.

Cut Sweet Potato Up And Fertilize Your Garden

Finally, you can also break it up and use it to nourish your plants. Sweet potatoes offer numerous nutrients for your garden, so you can utilize them as an organic fertilizer for other crops. To prevent it from occupying too much space in your garden bed, you can simply cut it into smaller pieces and feed your other plants.

How Long Do Sweet Potatoes Last?

Type of sweet potatoes	Pantry	Freezer	Fridge
Cooked	2-3 hours	6-12 months	A week
Raw	3-5 weeks	Not recommended	Not recommended
Cut	3 – 5 days	6 months	5 days

Sweet potatoes’ longevity depends on their size and storage

*The life span of sweet potatoes could be short or long*

Sweet potatoes might have a short or longer lifespan depending on their form and how they’re stored. A root cellar is a great place for storing raw sweet potatoes, which they will keep for three to five weeks.

Cooked sweet potatoes are best used within a week of being stored in a sealed bag in the fridge. The freshness of cooked sweet potatoes can be preserved for an additional 6-12 months in the freezer. Freezing can change the texture, which greatly affects the taste.

How To Store Sweet Potatoes?

*Carefully storage sweet potatoes is essential*

Maybe you don’t know, but you can believe me that sweet potatoes have a short shelf life, so careful storage is essential. Knowing how to store sweet potatoes properly is vital to guarantee that they remain fresh and delicious, whether you have picked an excess from your garden or simply stocked up on a bargain.

At The Pantry

If you plan to use them within a few weeks, storing sweet potatoes in a pantry is a traditional and effective method. You can follow these steps for optimal pantry storage:

Step 1. Choose the Right Container

*An example of a container for sweet potatoes is a paper box*

You can choose a container that lets air flow, like a paper bag, a wooden box, or a basket. Plastic bags and containers that don’t let air in can trap wetness and cause mold to grow.

Step 2. Keep Them Cool and Dry

A cool, dark place with good airflow is ideal for you to store sweet potatoes. Ideally, the temperature should be between 55°F and 60°F (13°C to 15°C). Avoid areas that are too warm, as this can cause them to sprout prematurely.

Step 3. Check for Spoilage

*Sweet potatoes should be checked for mold to grow*

It is necessary to regularly check your sweet potatoes for signs of spoilage, such as mold, soft spots, or sprouting. Then, remove any bad sweet potatoes to prevent them from affecting the others.

In The Freezer

Step 1: Start by cleaning your sweet potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt and bacteria. No need to peel them;you can do that after cooking.
Step 2: Let them cool for 30-40 minutes.
Step 3: Wrap each sweet potato in two layers of plastic wrap to keep out air. You can use foil or a freezer-safe container and label it.
Step 4: Store them in the coldest part of your freezer. Your sweet potatoes should stay good for up to a year.

In The Refrigerator

Although refrigerating sweet potatoes isn’t common, it can be an effective choice for short-term storage. This is the information you need to know:

Cooked Sweet Potatoes

For this method, you should cook your sweet potato by boiling it for 20 to 30 minutes, then let it cool. Finally, you will put it in the refrigerator. Don’t forget to wrap it in a kian food wrap. Your sweet potatoes can last a long time and always look fresh whenever you need them.

Cut Sweet Potatoes

Cutting sweet potatoes in advance will keep them fresh and give you plenty of time to prepare them for cooking. To do this, you just need to cut your potatoes into long sticks, wrap them in a sealed bag, and put them in the refrigerator. This way of storing will no doubt amaze you with how well it works.

*Sweet potatoes will stay fresh longer if you cut them ahead of time*

FAQs

Do sweet potatoes have sprouts safe to eat?

Yes, sweet potatoes with small sprouts are safe to eat after removing the sprouts or affected areas. Larger sprouts can make the sweet potato taste woody, so it’s best to remove them.

What happens if you consume a spoiled sweet potato?

Eating a bad sweet potato can lead to an upset stomach and food poisoning, as spoiled sweet potatoes may contain harmful bacteria.

How can you make use of surplus sweet potatoes?

Excess sweet potatoes can be turned into various dishes like sweet potato fries and soup or even used in baked goods like pies and muffins. This is a great way to avoid wasting food but still be able to make delicious dishes for your family and friends.

Final Words

To sum up, determining whether or not a sweet potato is bad might be a challenge. They may seem fine on the surface, but inside, problems may be hiding. If you were wondering, “How to tell if a sweet potato is bad?” this article helped you find out your answer. When you follow the advice in this article, you will keep potatoes fresh for longer. We wish you and your family always good health and a lot of good knowledge to keep your family’s meals safe and healthy.