Justine Sterling
Frozen casseroles are essential freezer fodder. Too late to prep anything real for dinner? Frozen casserole. Just had a baby and simply need nourishment? Frozen casserole. Forgot to actually make something for Friendsgiving? Frozen casserole.
Some folks have the time to not only meal prep for the week but also for the distant future and prepare homemade casseroles and freeze them—but that ain’t us. And it probably isn’t you either. And that’s why we’re all here, to discuss the best frozen chicken and rice casserole, the best frozen sweet potato casserole, and more that you can buy at the grocery store.
I’m sad to report that many of the frozen casseroles you’ll find in the freezer section of your grocery store are very bad. They’re watery. They’re flavorless. They genuinely taste terrible. But we found four that are actually extremely good. Like, they’re not just “acceptable,” they’re practically as good as something homemade—and some of them are made with more cheese than you’d let yourself use so, maybe, they’re actually even better.
How we prepared the frozen casseroles
Over the course of two taste tests, we tasted more than 20 frozen casseroles, ranging from frozen potato casserole to frozen broccoli casserole to frozen corn casserole to frozen green bean casserole. We prepared all except one in the microwave, because all except one had microwave instructions. And if something is good microwaved, then it’s definitely good in the oven.
What we looked for in the best casseroles
- Home cooked flavor. None of that watery frozen broccoli flavor, please. We looked for frozen casseroles that taste like they were made with fresh ingredients.
- Comfort. A casserole should be cozy. It should make you feel loved—even if it came from a Kroger freezer.
- Cheesiness. The best casseroles are cheesy. That’s just the way it is.
While we’re still searching for a good frozen green bean or broccoli casserole, we found eight frozen casseroles (most of them from the queen of the frozen casserole: Walmart) that deserve a spot in your freezer.
Best Frozen Casseroles, Ranked
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- Reeser’s Main St Bistro Baked Three Cheese Potato Casserole
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Do you like casseroles because they’re usually just a good excuse to serve melted cheese as a side dish? Then this potato casserole is the best one for you. It comes out of the microwave blanketed by a reservoir of melted cheese. Yum. The potatoes turn into mashed potatoes, but that’s fine. This is a decadent, indulgent, crazily cheesy frozen casserole that is unabashed comfort food. And yes, it’s refrigerated not frozen, so it doesn’t technically belong on this ranking. But where else are we going to put it on this website?
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Stouffer’s Chicken and Biscuit Bake
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This massive, hefty, oven-only frozen casserole is essentially chicken pot pie but topped with biscuit dough instead of puff pastry. The biscuit topping isn’t the most flavorful biscuit we’ve ever had, but the texture is soft and crumbly. And it’s really just meant to sop up all the chicken gravy underneath. This casserole is packed with mixed vegetables, tender chicken, and lots of delicious goop. It’s rib-sticking food that will satiate a crowd.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Bettergoods Mexican Style Gluten Free Casserole
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Not all of the best frozen casseroles are meant for a whole family. This one is just for you to eat all by yourself. It’s a cozy bowlful of black beans, corn, and a masa topping, sauced with enchilada sauce and cheesed with Monterey Jack. The masa is a highlight and there’s a good bit of spice that keeps you coming back. While a casserole for one is totally worthwhile, Walmart needs to make a full, family-sized version of this one. It’s too good not to share.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Bettergoods Sweet Potato with Praline Pecan
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There may not be any marshmallows on this frozen sweet potato casserole, but it is still as close to dessert as you can get while still qualifying as a side dish. I love that it’s made with both mashed and cubed sweet potatoes for textural variety. And it’s topped with lots of crunchy praline bits. This doesn’t have the cult following of Aldi’s sweet potato casserole (more on that in a sec) but give it time. If you’re a Walmart shopper, this is the best frozen casserole to sneak onto your Thanksgiving table.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Season’s Choice Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping
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If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving shortcut, then you’ve found it. This frozen sweet potato casserole from Aldi has a bit of a cult following for good reason. The sweet potatoes are creamy and extremely buttery and certainly sweet—but not saccharine. And the praline topping is delightful. It was even crunchy out of the microwave, thanks to the nuts. I bet it’d get real crispy in the oven. Serve this with turkey, stuffing, and all the other fixings—or hold it back for dessert. You could top a scoop of this frozen sweet potato casserole with vanilla ice cream and be in autumnal heaven.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Stouffer’s Cheddar Bacon Potatoes
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This frozen potato casserole from Stouffer’s is truly incredible. The family-sized version actually crisped up in the microwave. Amazing! The melted cheddar cheese tastes sharp and tangy. The bacon bits imbue the whole dish with a smoky, meaty flavor. And the potatoes, while a bit gluey upon our most recent tasting, still maintain their shape. And it even looks good! You could put this right on the dinner table and everyone would be psyched to dig in. Or, heck, even though it’s not technically a frozen hashbrown casserole, you can definitely serve it at the breakfast table! This is a versatile side.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Great Value Homestyle Chicken and Rice
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This frozen chicken and rice casserole is classic casserole. It’s a cozy mess of rice and chicken and creamy gravy and just vegetables for color and a hint of nutritional value. It tastes a lot like a chicken pot pie—just with rice and no pastry. Amazingly, the rice isn’t mushy at all. It’s the perfect frozen casserole to keep in your freezer and whip out when you need dinner for the family in a hurry—or if you’ve had a sad day and need over two pounds of pure comfort food.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Bettergoods Cheesy Grits Casserole
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If we didn’t make it clear, we’re pretty big fans of the frozen casseroles at Walmart. And out of all of them, this was the best frozen casserole that we tasted from the big box store. A mix of creamy grits, cheese, and bits of red pepper, it’s a crazy comforting side dish for any time of day. Serve it with eggs for a decadent brunch. Serve it with salad for a simple lunch. Serve it at Thanksgiving. It really can do it all. Plus, it’s unique! We don’t get a lot of frozen grits casseroles—at least not west of the Mississippi. But maybe we should!
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Refrigerated Potato Casserole
Best Chicken Casserole
Best Casserole for One
Best Sweet Potato Casserole (Runner-Up)
Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Best Potato Casserole
Best Frozen Chicken & Rice Casserole
Best of the Best
Other frozen casseroles we tried:
Birds Eye Loaded Potato Bake, Birds Eye Cheesy Potato Casserole, Marie Callender’s Sides Cheddar Broccoli Casserole, Birds Eye Cheddar Broccoli Bake, Alexia Cauliflower & Broccoli au Gratin, Marie Callender’s Sides Green Bean Casserole, Marie Callender’s Sides Sweet Corn Casserole, Marie Callender’s Sides Cheesy Potato Casserole, Home Bake Cheesy Broccoli, Marie Callender’s Family Size Cheesy Chicken and Rice, Stouffer’s Cheesy Chicken And Broccoli Pasta Bake, Birds Eye Broccoli & Cauliflower Au Gratin Bake
Griffin Parker
Jordan Myrick
