VANILLAGOODS / FRESH MARKET BUYING GUIDE

Sweet potatoes: Buying, Storage & Baking Guide

Learn how to choose, store, and bake with sweet potatoes, with quality checks and U.S. season guidance.

Vegetables
Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes with one sliced showing orange flesh

Look for

Vibrant, unbroken surface; no decaying spots

Feel & texture

Firm, sound texture appropriate to the crop

Aroma

Earthy/fresh smell, not sour or musty

What to avoid

Mold, slime, rot, wet soft patches

How to store

Storage depends on crop: cool, dry, or refrigerated

Typical U.S. season

Typical U.S. months: Sep, Oct, Nov

Growing regions and availability

High-level growing suitability depends on variety, climate and local conditions.

Seasons and growing conditions vary by location and variety. Imported or stored ingredients may be available outside typical growing windows.

Visual buying guide

Sweet potatoes, where it grows: Sweet potatoes freshly dug from the soil with leafy vines

Where it grows

Sweet potatoes, pick this one: Firm, smooth, unblemished sweet potatoes

Pick this one

Vibrant, unbroken surface; no decaying spots

Sweet potatoes, skip this one: Sweet potatoes with soft wrinkled ends

Skip this one

Mold, slime, rot, wet soft patches

What can you bake with Sweet potatoes?

Sweet and savory bakes, quick breads, pies

Explore sweet potato recipes →

Learn more about Sweet potatoes

Definition, facts and sources in our Dessert Encyclopedia.

Read “Sweet potato” in the Dessert Encyclopedia →

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