Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Recipes Thanksgiving Recipes You Can Make Now and Freeze for Later By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 10, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall While spending quality time with those you love is the most important part of Thanksgiving, the food you'll enjoy together is a close second on the list. The tradition and memories associated with food will be remembered and passed down for years to come. We're here to share the good news that almost every recipe on your Thanksgiving menu can be made in advance and frozen until you are ready to serve. Preparing sides, appetizers, and desserts ahead of time and storing them in the freezer will allow you to spend less time in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and more time with your family. Plus, you'll be able to devote all of your attention to cooking the main course. From rolls to cornbread dressing to pumpkin pie, start making these freezer-friendly Thanksgiving recipes now and you'll be more prepared than ever before to gather around the table this November. 01 of 19 Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Make-Ahead Yeast Rolls Homemade rolls are completely worth the extra time they take to prepare. This recipe makes 32 rolls and after baking they can be stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer until Thanksgiving Day. 02 of 19 Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Cheesy Broccoli-and-Rice Casserole Our favorite kind of casserole is cheesy, comforting, and easy to freeze. Lucky for us, this dish checks each one of those boxes. 03 of 19 Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Bites Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Sweet Potato and Chorizo Sausage Bites Sweet potatoes add a fall flair to this traditional crowd-pleasing appetizer. 04 of 19 Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever Greg Dupree; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Our Easiest Pumpkin Pie Ever Serving pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving will be even easier when you can just pull it out of the freezer. 05 of 19 Old-School Green Bean Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Old-School Green Bean Casserole Reserve the fried onions that top this recipe until just before you serve after reheating. 06 of 19 Classic Cornbread Dressing Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Cornbread Dressing This classic cornbread dressing can be prepared up to one month ahead of time and stored in the freezer. 07 of 19 Pecan Pie Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pecan Pie Pecan pies can freeze and reheat beautifully. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. 08 of 19 Cheesy Potato Casserole Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cheesy Potato Casserole Adding Cheddar and Parmesan cheese to creamy mashed potatoes will make this casserole an instant hit. 09 of 19 Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese VICTOR PROTASIO; PROP STYLING: GINNY BRANCH STELLING; FOOD STYLING: EMILY NABORS HALL Recipe: Best-Ever Macaroni and Cheese Mac and cheese doesn't have to be store-bought to be frozen. Cook as directed, allow it to cool completely, and then store in the freezer until the big feast. 10 of 19 Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Cheesy Sausage-and-Croissant Casserole If you'll have overnight guests, it's never a bad idea to stash a breakfast casserole in the freezer. 11 of 19 Single-Crust Pie Pastry Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Single-Crust Pie Pastry You'll thank yourself later for stocking your freezer with a few homemade pie crusts in advance of the busy holiday season. 12 of 19 Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Savory Sweet Potato Casserole Sweet potato casserole is easy to freeze, as long as you follow one rule: leave off the toppings before the dish goes into the freezer. 13 of 19 Cheese Dreams Southern Living Recipe: Cheese DreamsYou can pop these cheesy appetizer bites straight into the oven from the freezer, just increase cook time by 10 minutes. 14 of 19 Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing Freeze this easy dressing recipe about a month in advance and simply reheat it in the slow cooker before the big meal. Because this is a set-it-and-forget-it recipe, it's ideal for first-time Thanskgiving hosts to get this mainstay dish on the table. 15 of 19 Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls Beau Gustafson Recipe: Hurry-Up Homemade Crescent Rolls Even though these homemade crescent rolls come together quickly, why not make them ahead to save you time on Thanksgiving? Bake them according to recipe instructions, then wrap in aluminum foil, and freeze in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature on a lightly greased baking sheet; bake at 425° for 7 to 8 minutes or until golden. 16 of 19 Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Our Test Kitchen recommends making this classic Southern side a week or two in advance and freezing it in zip-top bags to save you time and space on the big day. Simply reheat in the slow cooker to free up valuable stovetop and oven space. 17 of 19 Cabbage Casserole Will Dickey Recipe: Cabbage Casserole Recipe developer and cookbook author Brian Theis of The Infinite Feast recommends freezing this veggie side dish in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to a few months. Reviewers are raving over this recipe, so it just might be a new addition to your Thanksgiving sideboard this year. 18 of 19 Warm Cheese Box Bites Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Warm Cheese Box Bites These pretty little squares just might replace your go-to cheese straws recipe for the holiday season. Freeze the bites on your baking sheet until firm, 30 minutes to one hour. Then transfer to a heavy-duty ziplock plastic freezer bag, and freeze up to three months before Thanksgiving. Do not thaw before picking back up with the final step of the recipe to bake. 19 of 19 Mimi's Cornbread Dressing Southern Living Recipe: Mimi's Cornbread Dressing This old-fashioned cornbread dressing can be made up to a month before Thanksgiving and stored in the freezer. It's so delicious because it starts with homemade cornbread that's baked to perfection in your cast-iron skillet. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit