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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
For more sweet potato recipes, check out:
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows
More Collections: Sides, Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
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!
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 🙂
Sweet Potato with the marshmallow and pecans.
I will be trying that this holiday season. And mashed potatoes. Not the same day.
I’ll be making sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving. It is my absolute favorite. I love the crunchy sweet topping.
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 🙂
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.
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
I always make Sweet Potato Casserole for the holidays. It is our all-time favorite potato recipe that takes the place of dessert!
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.
My personal favorite for Thanksgiving! Tastes like dessert…
Love sweet potatoes 🍠
Fantastic and so easy to make! Huge hit for thanksgiving
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!
You’re welcome! And I couldn’t agree more… it’s always a good occassion for a sweet potato casserole! 😉