12 Ways To Upgrade Leftover Sweet Potatoes

Here's how to enjoy your leftover sweet potato casserole even more the second time.

By
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
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Updated December 13, 2023
Sara Bir

For countless families, it's simply not Thanksgiving (or Christmas, or any big gathering) without sweet potato casserole. And then the main event is over, and three days later you have a giant casserole still 3/4 full that's hogging valuable space in your fridge.

Bowl of Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes Topped with Butter on Top of a Table Napkin

Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

Think of those sweet potatoes as an asset, a building block for soups, breads, smoothies, and more. You can resurrect that casserole phoenix-like in the recipes we share below. You'll quite possibly like the clever sweet potato reincarnation even better than the original.

If it's whole, uncooked sweet potatoes you're swimming in, check out our long list of lovely sweet potato recipes.

  • Mash them for a whole new dinner side

    A bowl of mashed sweet potatoes
    Elise Bauer

    This is probably the most obvious transformation, but if you're looking for minimal effort and maximum versatility, here you go. Scrape off and discard any marshmallow or brown sugar topping, then heat up in the microwave and mash up or purée everything that's left, adding more milk or melted butter as needed. You're left with a colorful side to serve with salmon, pork chops, or ham. If your sweet potatoes are already spiced, the flavor will only complement these rich mains.

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  • Make them into a dip

    A chip dipping into sweet potato white bean dip
    Erin Alderson

    You need about 1 to 2 cups of cooked, mashed sweet potatoes to make a savory dip with white beans and chipotles. This is delicious for snacking with tortilla or pita chips, or as a spread on a veggie wrap.

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  • Enrich your smoothies

    Side view of a creamy carrot cake smoothie in a glass.

    Elana Lepkowski

    Mash up and freeze your leftover sweet potato casserole (with or without topping) ice cube trays to add to smoothies. The sweet potato cubes work especially well in this healthy carrot cake smoothie recipe, which is like having a rich dessert shake for breakfast.

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  • Add it to snack cake batter

    Applesauce cake, frosted and with a piece removed.
    Sally Vargas

    You can swap out sweet potato purée for applesauce in nearly any baking recipe. Do so in this spiced snack cake recipe and you'll have a moist, delightful cake with minimal effort.

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    Continue to 5 of 12 below.

  • Try your hand at homemade bread

    A loaf of sliced potato bread with a few slices on a cutting board
    Elise Bauer

    A reader gave us the smart tip to swap leftover cooked sweet potatoes for the mashed potato in this timelessly popular recipe. It'll give it a pretty orange tint, too. If the freshly baked loaf isn't enough, you'll flip even more for the toast the next day.

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  • Add it to waffle batter

    Sweet Potato Waffles with Bacon, Scallions and Fried Eggs
    Sally Vargas

    You can serve these sweet potato waffles for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. You'll need 3/4 cup of mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe.

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  • Make the best-ever holiday gingerbread

    A loaf of Pumpkin Gingerbread with a slice on a platter
    Elise Bauer

    After multiple reader comments simply raving about this gingerbread recipe, I suggested to my mom that she make it. "It's the best ever!" she told me. Swap out the pumpkin purée for sweet potato mash and you'll have a holiday delight that you can bake in mini-loaves and freeze for gifts.

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  • Bake a sweet noodle kugel

    A baked Noodle Kugel topped with cornflakes

    Coco Morante / Simply Recipes

    Add up to 2 cups of sweet potato purée to this noodle kugel (you can reduce the sour cream or cottage cheese if you like) and serve it as a savory-sweet side with brisket or roasted chicken.

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    Continue to 9 of 12 below.

  • Upgrade your meatloaf

    Three slices of Turkey Meatloaf on a plate with green beans
    Sally Vargas

    Turkey meatloaf has a rep for being dry. Add cooked sweet potatoes to keep it juicy and help bind it together. Use 1 to 1 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potato instead of the 2 cups pf grated zucchini that this recipe calls for. To really use up your leftovers, glaze it with cranberry sauce instead of ketchup.

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  • Fry up a batch of unique croquettes

    Potato Croquettes Sprinkled with Salt, All Sitting on a Paper Towel Lined Baking Pan

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    Piping hot and crispy, croquettes are impossible to resist. Use about 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes instead of the potatoes in this recipe and add in about 2 tablespoons of flour to help bind it all together (sweet potatoes don't have as much starch as regular potatoes). Dip in sour cream or aioli.

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  • Reinvent it as a creamy soup

    A bowl of creamy sweet potato soup garnished with a swirl of sour cream
    Elise Bauer

    Instead of starting with raw sweet potatoes as the recipe does, omit them and instead add about 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes at the beginning of Step 3. If your sweet potato casserole was spiced, omit the cinnamon and nutmeg in the recipe.

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  • Treat yourself to unforgettable gnocchi

    Side view of a plate of pumpkin gnocchi.
    Alison Bickel

    Sub 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin purée in these delicate little dumplings. Serve them in a brown butter sauce. Pair them with a pork loin for an elegant dinner.

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