Sweet Potato Casserole

Deliciously creamy Sweet Potato Casserole with a crunch topping is a must-have for holidays and family meals!

Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic side dish for holidays and Sunday meals. If you’re a sweet potato fan, be sure to check out our Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.

Classic sweet potato casserole spooned out of a baking dish.

sweet potato casserole with pecan topping

Sweet potatoes are mostly consumed in the fall, especially at Thanksgiving, but we like to enjoy them all year long. There are so many ways to prepare them, and this particular side dish is great for any holiday or Sunday meal.

This best Sweet Potato Casserole recipe has the perfect mix of sweet and savory. It’s almost a dessert, but not quite as sweet as Pumpkin Pie. The creamy sweet potatoes topped with a crumbly topping are simple and delicious!

Bookmark this Thanksgiving recipe for your holiday menu because it is sure to be a hit!

Cubed sweet potatoes on cutting board.

how to make sweet potato casserole

This dish really is beyond simple!

PREP. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

SWEET POTATOES. In a medium pot, cover sweet potatoes in water and cook over medium-high heat until tender; drain and mash.

In a large bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, and vanilla extract, until smooth. Pour into a greased 9×13″ casserole dish.

CRUMBLE. Mix the brown sugar and flour in a medium bowl and cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle the mixture over your sweet potato mixture.

BAKE. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown.

Sweet potatoes cooked and blended together in bowl.

Preparing the potatoes

Kick it up a notch by topping it with marshmallows (pretty much the same recipe with even more sweetness on top)!

Yams vs sweet potatoes. Yams are not very common in U.S. grocery stores, so when people talk about yams they are often referring to sweet potatoes. However, the two have distinct differences so make sure to use the right ingredient. 

  • Sweet Potatoes have reddish skin and orange, white, or purple flesh. It has a sweet flavor.
  • Yams have rough brown skin with pale flesh. They are neutral in flavor. 

Best way to cube and boil sweet potatoes.

Peel the sweet potatoes and then cut them into cubes that are equal in size so they all cook at the same rate.

  • Cover the potato cubes with 1-2 inches of water.
  • If the cubes are 1-inch, then boil for 12-15 minutes. If the cubes are closer to 2-inches, boil them for 20-25 minutes.
  • To check for doneness, pierce with a fork. It should easily slide through without any resistance.
  • Be aware that overcooking the sweet potatoes can cause the cubes to absorb excess water which then causes the casserole to be runny. 
Sweet potato casserole process image - sweet potatoes in baking dish.

Recipe Tips

How to mash. Drain the cooked sweet potato cubes and use a potato masher to break them up. Then smooth them out to the desired texture with an electric mixer. Some people like a silky smooth casserole while others like a more textured casserole. 

Avoid a runny casserole.

  • Don’t over-boil the potato cubes.
  • Drain the cooked cubes completely before mashing.
  • Bake the casserole in the center of the oven at the correct temperature. The top should be browned and the center should be set and not runny.
  • Cool, uncovered so that the steam can escape and not get trapped. 

Variations. Flavor it with cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger. Add marshmallow topping or a dolloped meringue topping. Use chopped walnuts or almonds.

Sweet potato casserole with crumb topping.

Storing info

Make ahead of time. Prepare the streusel topping, but refrigerate separately in a Ziploc bag. The prepared potato filling can be kept, covered, in the fridge for 2-3 days. When ready to make, add the topping and bake as directed.

STORE leftover easy Sweet Potato Casserole in a Tupperware in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheat in the microwave.

Serve Sweet Potato Casserole with

Sweet Potato Casserole is most common in November and served with a Thanksgiving Turkey. But this amazing dish is perfect all year long.

Some favorite main dishes that it pairs well with include Honey Glazed Ham, Roasted Chicken, and even Grilled Steak.

Serving suggestions. This particular Sweet Potato Casserole recipe feeds 10-12, so if you are looking to make it for a lot of people for a holiday, we recommend doubling or even tripling it and serving it in several dishes.

  • 10-12 guests – 1 batch
  • 20-24 guests – Double batch
  • 30-35 guests – Triple batch
Sweet Potato casserole recipe spooned out from baking dish.

For more sweet potato recipes, check out:

More Collections: Sides, Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

5 from 71 votes
Deliciously creamy Sweet Potato Casserole with a crunch topping is a must-have for holidays and family meals!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 232 kcal
Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • In a medium pot, cover sweet potatoes in water and cook over medium-high heat until tender; drain and mash.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, and vanilla extract, until smooth. Poor in a greased 9×13" baking dish.
  • Mix the brown sugar and flour in a medium bowl and cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle the mixture over your sweet potato mixture.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly brown. ENJOY!

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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    This dish is a breeze to make and a favorite of my husband around the holidays. He absolutely loves this Sweet Potato Casserole! In fact, it’s so popular with the rest of the family, he asks me to hide some so he can enjoy the leftovers himself 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Sweet Potato with the marshmallow and pecans.
    I will be trying that this holiday season. And mashed potatoes. Not the same day.

  3. 5 stars
    I’ll be making sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving. It is my absolute favorite. I love the crunchy sweet topping.

  4. 5 stars
    This is my all time favorite dish to eat at thanksgiving! It just melts in your mouth! I look forward to it every year 🙂 thanks Kristin for this amazing recipe 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving, it looks delicious. Much better than the one with marshmallows. My husband might actually eat sweet potatoes this year.

  6. 5 stars
    This is my favorite potato dish for Thanksgiving. I’ve never cared for the candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows, but
    fixing them this way gives me the sweetness and crunch I love. Most times I eat this as my dessert. Sweet potatoes are much healthier for you as well. I use Japanese Sweet potatoes as they are sweeter, firmer and not stringy like regular sweet potatoes and can still be cooked in any of the same ways you would a regular potato

  7. I always make Sweet Potato Casserole for the holidays. It is our all-time favorite potato recipe that takes the place of dessert!

  8. 5 stars
    I always make this recipe on the holidays and is loved by all. It is so delicious, it takes the place of dessert! It is very easy to make.

  9. 5 stars
    Who doesn’t love this casserole? I serve it every year for Thanksgiving but why not Easter? It will be perfect along side my sweet honey glazed ham. Thanks for the recipe….yours is so easy to make!

    1. You’re welcome! And I couldn’t agree more… it’s always a good occassion for a sweet potato casserole! 😉

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