12 Ways To Use Leftover Sweet Potatoes

If you're stuck with leftover sweet potatoes from a big holiday gathering, here are 12 ways to upgrade them into breads, desserts, dinner sides, and more.

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.

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.

1. Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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.

2. Make Pancakes

Leftover mashed potato pancakes stacked on a plate and topped with sour cream and chives. — Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

Contributor Nick Evans says, "While you are shaping the pancakes into patties, it’s easiest to use your hands to shape them into small disks. If the potato mixture is sticking, wet your hands slightly then form the patties."

3. 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.

4. Add to a Snack Cake

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.

5. 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.

6. Make Waffles

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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Meatloaf Upgrade

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.

10. Sweet Potatoes 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.

11. Creamy Sweet Potato 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.

12. Sweet Potato 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.