Not everyone loves jicama, but those who do tend to love it. If you’ve just discovered this alternative to potatoes and other starchy veggies, we think you’ll have a great adventure trying out all the amazing recipes that call for jicama.
However, depending on where you live, jicama might not always be available. In these cases it often makes sense to buy in bulk when you find quality jicama at a low price. No matter the reason, if you end up with more jicama at home than you can use, you are surely wondering – can I freeze this?
The answer is yes, you can definitely freeze jicama. However, there are a couple of precautions you should consider if you want to have the best quality jicama after thawing. Here is what to consider:
Should I Cut Jicama Before Freezing?
So, you have a bunch of jicama roots and now you want to preserve them for later. First of all, let us tell you, it is possible to freeze both whole and cut jicama, so if you already have more cut jicama than you need, you should know that’s also an option.
However, jicama is best stored whole, uncut, and unpeeled. The natural papery skin is the best protection for the tasty flesh inside. Before freezing, jicama keeps best when simply tossed whole into the vegetable drawer in your fridge. They can be kept in any other cool and dry place too and will generally keep at least 3 weeks like that. You could transfer the jicama in the freezer at any moment, but if you know you’ll be freezing the jicama we recommend you do it sooner rather than later for optimal results.
Returning to the original question, the point is that jicama keeps best when frozen whole, but you can also freeze it already cut into pieces. The reason why we recommend freezing whole jicama is because this preserves the original texture of the tuber. On the other hand, when pieces of peeled jicama are frozen, the structure will change after thawing, resulting in considerably softer pieces.
If you like to eat your jicama raw, freezing it whole and cutting afterwards is definitely the better option. This way, the jicama will still have the beautiful crunchy texture after thawing. If you will cook with jicama you might find that cutting the freezing the tubers gives equal results in terms of flavour but is more convenient.
Freezing Jicama Whole
When kept in the fridge, there is no need to keep unpeeled jicama wrapped in anything. The natural peel will suffice. However, when freezing the tubers, it’s a good idea to wrap them. Use plastic wrap or aluminum foil to wrap each piece individually. This will ensure optimal protection from frost burn and preserve the jicama in its original form. Once wrapped, you can also put all the jicama together in a freezer bag or container for better organization of your freezer.
Freezing Cut Jicama
Freezing already cut jicama is also fairly easy. There is one important tip that is often overlooked, though. That is making sure the jicama pieces are dry before freezing. You’ll want to absorb the excess moisture from the pieces with a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel before freezing.
Jicama pieces prepared in such a way are best stored in airtight freezer-safe containers. You can use a freezer bag or a solid plastic container. The same procedure will work for shredded jicama too.
Thawing Jicama
The best way to thaw jicama is by moving it from the freezer into the fridge and leaving it to stay there overnight. You can also thaw jicama on the counter if you are in a hurry, but thawing in the fridge is best for preserving the texture of the tubers. If you thaw already cut jicama on the counter, you might end up with a final product that’s a bit soggy. To prevent that, you could try pouring off excess water from the container periodically while it’s thawing. Frozen jicama is best consumed immediately after it’s thawed.
Next time you have jicama on hand, remember our advice. We hope it will help you enjoy jicama even more.