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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole

    Published: Sep 1, 2021 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    A baking dish filled with sweet potato casserole has a crispy pecan topping.
    2 pans of sweet potato casserole have been prepped -- one has foil for the freezer, the other is ready for the oven.

    This make ahead sweet potato casserole is the perfect holiday side dish for smaller families. When you prep the dish, split it into 2 8x8-inch baking dishes. Bake one for Thanksgiving and freeze the second one for serving at Christmas. The buttery pecan topping has the most delicious crunch and texture!

    A baking dish filled with the finished sweet potato casserole with pecan topping.

    I didn't grow up with sweet potato casserole on our Thanksgiving menu, I discovered it later as an adult. Now this version is one of my all-time favorite dishes and I look forward to it every fall!

    The problem is, we have a small family and our holidays often only find 5 - 7 people at our table. If I make the entire recipe at once, there is always too much leftover that ends up going to waste.

    Several years ago, I decided to use my favorite make-ahead trick: Split the recipe into two baking dishes. Bake one now, freeze one for later.

    So when Thanksgiving rolls around, I always prep this recipe and bake one pan right away to serve with the herb butter turkey and store the second pan in my freezer for an easy Christmas side dish with our favorite pineapple mustard glazed ham.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Make Ahead Tips
    • Meal Pairings
    • Essential Thanksgiving Side Dishes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    I love how simple the ingredients for this casserole are to find. You probably have most of it in your pantry right now.

    The ingredients for the sweet potato casserole are on the counter.
    • Sweet potatoes: Try to find ones that are similar shape and size so they bake evenly. That oddball on the left in the photo baked far quicker than the round ones on the right.
    • Sugar
    • Brown sugar
    • Flour
    • Milk
    • Butter
    • Eggs
    • Vanilla
    • Pecans

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    The first step is to bake the sweet potatoes.

    To save time, you can do this step a day in advance of prepping the rest of the dish if you prefer.

    It can also be done earlier in the morning on the day you prep it. In fact, cooler potatoes are easier to peel.

    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil, the potatoes will release a very sticky liquid as they cook so this makes for easy cleanup.

    Scrub the potatoes and prick them on all sides with a fork. Bake them for 30 - 45 minutes or until they are easily pricked with a fork.

    To remove the skins: Slice the potatoes with a sharp knife. I can usually easily peel the skin away with my fingers. Otherwise, you can scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

    Step by step photos show how to bake and peel sweet potatoes.

    If your oven is full with other things for the holiday and you need a totally hands-off way to cook your sweet potatoes, you might also want to consider making slow cooker sweet potatoes.

    They take a little longer to cook than the oven, but it is a great way to multi-task in the kitchen.

    • A slow cooker pot has several sweet potatoes in it ready to bake.
      Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

    Add the peeled sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl and give them a rough mash to get them started.

    Then add the sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt to the mixing bowl and finish the mashing.

    Sugar and half and half in a measuring cup are getting mixed into the mashed sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl.

    Decide whether you want to split the recipe into two baking dishes or bake it all at once.

    You can choose:

    • 2 8x8-inch baking dishes
    • 1 9x13-inch baking dish

    In either case, spread an even layer of sweet potato filling in the bottom of the dish and set aside.

    Two square pans have a layer of mashed sweet potato casserole filling spread evenly.

    Make the butter pecan topping:

    Add the brown sugar, flour, and pecans to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together with a fork.

    Add the butter to the bowl and work it into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. You can use a fork or your fingers to pinch it all together.

    Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potato filling.

    Step by step photos show how to make the pecan streusel topping for the sweet potato casserole.

    Hint: You may find it easier to work the butter into the flour and sugar before you add the pecans. It will work just fine either way.

    When you spread the topping over the sweet potatoes, be sure to pinch the mixture into small cobblestone looking clumps. These bake up into a streusel-like topping.

    Two pans of sweet potato casserole have the pecan topping spread over the top.

    Make Ahead Tips

    There are several ways to save time in prepping this recipe:

    1. Bake the potatoes the day before: This cuts down on almost an hour's worth of prep time. The rest of the recipe is very easy.
    2. Assemble the entire dish: Store the prepped casserole, covered in foil, in your fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. Bake before serving.
    3. Freeze the prepared dish: Don't bake it before freezing, simply cover in foil and store the raw casserole in your freezer for up to 6 months.
      To bake it, I recommend thawing in your fridge overnight and then baking as directed.
      To bake from frozen, keep covered in foil for the first 20 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 20 - 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling hot and the topping is golden brown.
    A pan of sweet potato casserole is ready for the oven, another one has been covered in aluminum foil for the freezer.

    Meal Pairings

    Our family has enjoyed this sweet potato casserole for several dinners all throughout the year, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    It makes a fantastic Easter side dish, or sometimes I'll pair it with a spicy grilled pork tenderloin in the summer. I'm much more likely to add it to the menu when I have one waiting in our freezer.

    A serving of sweet potato casserole sits on a plate with a spoon in front of the baking dish.

    Essential Thanksgiving Side Dishes

    This is an essential side dish for my Thanksgiving menu, don't miss our family's other favorite Thanksgiving recipes:

    • A blue baking dish filled with mac and cheese with bread crumb topping. A serving spoon has removed a portion to show the creamy elbow noodles.
      Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
    • A silver Crockpot has finished mashed potatoes that are sprinkled with fresh chives and two pats of butter.
      Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
    • A serving of crispy green bean casserole is in a blue dish with a fork.
      Crispy Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
    • A baking dish filled with homemade sausage stuffing sits next to a striped towel.
      Italian Sausage Stuffing

    If you’ve tried this make ahead sweet potato casserole or any other recipe on PeanutBlossom.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
    FOLLOW along on Instagram @peanut.blossom as well as on  Pinterest and Facebook.

    📖 Recipe

    A baking dish filled with the finished sweet potato casserole with pecan topping.

    Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole

    4.32 from 47 votes
    This delicious make ahead sweet potato casserole with pecans is the perfect holiday side dish. Split the recipe into two 8x8-inch pans and serve one for Thanksgiving and freeze one to be served later at Christmas.
    TOTAL TIME 1 hour 35 minutes
    PREP TIME 20 minutes
    Additional Time 45 minutes
    COOK TIME 30 minutes
    YIELD 10 servings
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 whole sweet potatoes
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup milk
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 6 tablespoon butter
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup flour
    • 1 cup pecans

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Scrub the sweet potatoes and prick them with a fork over all sides, place them on the prepared sheet. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
    • Slice the skin of the sweet potatoes and scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. You will likely find the peels easily lift away but you can also use a spoon to help.
    • Add the white sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt to the mixing bowl and mash the potatoes together.
    • Spread the sweet potato filling into 2 8x8-inch baking dishes or 1 9x13-inch dish and set aside.
    • Cut the butter into small cubes. In a medium mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, and butter and mash it together with a fork. Break the pecans up into quarters and add them to the butter mixture. You may find pinching everything together with your fingers works best.
    • Sprinkle the butter pecan mixture over the top of the sweet potato filling.

    To Bake:

    • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
    • Bake room-temperature sweet potato casserole for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

    To Freeze:

    • Wrap the dish in aluminum foil and freeze for up 6 months.
    • It is easiest to thaw the casserole overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed.
    • If you prefer to bake from frozen, keep the aluminum foil covering in place for 20 minutes, unwrap the casserole and continue to bake for another 20 - 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling hot and the topping is golden brown.

    Recipe Notes

    Make Ahead Tips:
    If you want to make the sweet potato casserole ahead without freezing, you can assemble the entire dish the day before and keep in the fridge overnight, covered in aluminum foil.
    Bake just before serving.
    COURSESide Dishes
    CUISINEAmerican
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Clara

      November 21, 2022 at 11:29 am

      I make this for Thanksgiving as one of my side dishes. Everyone loves it! It's so good, it could almost be considered dessert!!

      Reply
    2. anna m spahr

      December 23, 2021 at 9:40 am

      ty 🙂 makin for Christmas

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

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