Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Casserole?

Beth Dreiling Hontzas

If you're looking for an easy dish to cross off your holiday to-do list, start with sweet potato casserole. This favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish freezes very well, and if stored properly, it can be prepared months in advance.

When most people think about sweet potato casserole, they picture the iconic marshmallow-topped version we all know and love. But there are plenty of other variations of this dish—some are super-sweet with a buttery cornflake topping, other are layered with cheese and Yukon gold potatoes, and others go in a more savory direction, with fresh sage and a layer of toasted breadcrumbs and pecans on top. Toppings are key with this type of casserole; you need a layer of something crunchy to balance out the soft smoothness of the sweet potatoes.

However, the one thing you need to know before you freeze a sweet potato casserole is that you should leave off the toppings before the dish goes into the freezer. Ingredients like breadcrumbs, cornflakes, and marshmallows won't hold up well when frozen, especially when stored in the freezer for a long period of time.

Watch: How to Make Cornflake, Pecan, and MarshmallowTopped Sweet Potato Casserole

Here's what to do: Line the baking dish with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil that extends beyond the sides of the dish. Prepare the recipe as directed, up to the step where the casserole needs to go into the oven. Wrap the foil overhang over the top of the casserole and place the dish in the freezer at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours. Once the casserole is frozen solid, remove it from the freezer and lift it out of the pan using the aluminum foil as handles. Re-wrap the casserole in another layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Now, this part is important: Use a permanent marker to write the name of the casserole, the topping ingredients and amount, and the bake time on the frozen, foil-wrapped casserole. That way, when you're ready to bake it—thaw the casserole overnight in the fridge before you add the topping and bake—you'll know just what to do.