Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows is a classic holiday side dish made with creamy mashed sweet potatoes, a brown sugar pecan topping, and toasted mini marshmallows. It’s sweet, buttery, and always one of those dishes everyone looks forward to at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
We love this recipe because it has the best mix of smooth sweet potatoes, crunchy pecans, and gooey marshmallows on top. It bakes in a 9×13 pan, making it perfect for family dinners, potlucks, and holiday meals.
If you love this Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, you’ll also enjoy Green Bean Casserole, Cheesy Potatoes, Homemade Rolls, and Corn Casserole.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Holiday Classic: This is the sweet potato casserole everyone expects on the Thanksgiving and Christmas table.
- Perfect Finish: Adding the marshmallows near the end keeps them soft inside and beautifully toasted on top.
- Feeds a Crowd: The 9×13-inch casserole is perfect for family dinners and holiday gatherings.
- Easy to Make: Simple pantry ingredients come together into a dependable holiday favorite.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes (4 cups, cubed): Creates the creamy base of the casserole with their naturally sweet flavor. Fresh sweet potatoes provide the best texture.
- Sugar (½ cup): Sweetens the filling without overpowering the natural flavor of the sweet potatoes.
- Eggs (2, beaten): Binds the casserole together and help create a smooth, fluffy texture.
- Salt (½ teaspoon): Balances the sweetness and enhances all of the flavors.
- Butter (4 tablespoons, softened): Adds richness and makes the filling extra creamy.
- Milk (½ cup): Smooths the mashed sweet potatoes into a creamy consistency. Whole milk works especially well.
- Vanilla extract (½ teaspoon): Adds warm flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweet potatoes.
- Brown sugar (½ cup): Sweetens the streusel topping while adding a rich caramel flavor.
- All-purpose flour (½ cup): Gives the streusel structure so it bakes into a crumbly topping.
- Butter (3 tablespoons, softened): Binds the streusel ingredients together for a buttery crumble.
- Chopped pecans (½ cup): Adds crunch and nutty flavor that balances the soft filling and marshmallows.
- Mini marshmallows (2 to 3 cups): Creates the classic golden topping that makes this casserole a holiday favorite.
How to Make Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
PREP. Preheat your oven to 325°F and grease the 9×13-inch baking dish.
COOK & MASH. In a medium pot, cover the cubed sweet potatoes in water. Boil and cook over medium-high heat until tender. Once they are cooked, drain and mash with a potato masher.
MIX. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, and vanilla extract, until smooth. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Pour into a greased baking dish.
PECAN STREUSEL TOPPING. Mix the light brown sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle pecan topping over your sweet potato mixture.
BAKE. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Then, take it out of the oven and sprinkle on the marshmallows and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (or until lightly brown).
Note: You can always leave off the streusel and just do the marshmallows – still tasty!
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Mash the sweet potatoes while they’re still warm for the smoothest filling.
- Toast the marshmallows just until golden since they brown quickly during the last few minutes of baking.
- Chop the pecans into small, even pieces so the streusel spreads evenly over the casserole.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so it sets up slightly.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed sweet potatoes
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2-3 cups mini marshmallows
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. Pour 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 mixture over your sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle on marshmallows and bake an additional 10-15 minutes (or until lightly brown).ENJOY!
Notes
- Mash the sweet potatoes while they’re still warm for the smoothest filling.
- Toast the marshmallows just until golden since they brown quickly during the last few minutes of baking.
- Chop the pecans into small, even pieces so the streusel spreads evenly over the casserole.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so it sets up slightly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
This can be made a couple days in advance. Make the sweet potato filling, and smooth it into your casserole dish. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the potato mixture, then cover the dish with foil. Prepare the streusel topping and marshmallows, and put them in separate bags or containers. Keep the casserole covered in the fridge for 1-2 days and when ready, sprinkle with topping and bake as directed.
Store any leftover casserole in the fridge in airtight containers. Reheat in the oven or microwave.
To freeze sweet potato casserole, complete steps 1-4. Do not add the marshmallows. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the sweet potato mixture. Wrap the entire pan with plastic wrap, and again with aluminum foil. Label and keep in the freezer for 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Remove all the foil and plastic. Bake as directed in step 5.
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This recipe was first published October, 2019.
i make sweet potatoes at least twice a month. so much fun doing different varieties. you don’t have to wait till a holiday comes around for me. i am the only one who eats it, 2 family household, so i get all the goodness. i do share just the sweet potato before i add all the goodies to it with my little chihuahua he loves it and so good for them too. thanks for the recipes love them
I can’t wait to try this recipe this year!! I love sweet potatoes with marshmalllows on top!! This looks like a fun new way to make them!
This is soooooo good! I like it just as written, but sometimes I’ll do diagonal stripes of the marshmallows and alternate with the pecan topping from your sweet potato casserole recipe. Both are delicious!
This recipe is amazing!! I will say that I did not use the pecans in the recipe. My son is allergic to nuts so I came up with an alternative. I used the same streusel recipe BUT I substituted the pecans with rolled oats. It was absolutely delicious! This recipe is a holiday staple in our home. We had no leftovers and guests were asking for more!! This year I will make double.
this is so different from my usual casserole, I love the texture and flavor.
I absolutely LOVE this casserole dish as one of my sides for thanksgiving, ever since my daughter introduced it to me I always make it, and since some of my kids don’t really like yams they do love this as an alternative. They now ask if we are having it for thanksgiving. I would recommend it to everyone at least try it. Before you know it you too will be making it every thanksgiving
I made this for Thanksgiving the past 2 years and everyone LOVED it!! Tastes like a treat it’s so good!! 😉
I used to make sweet potatoes a different way for Thanksgiving and decided to switch it up last year and do this recipe. I will never go back! This recipe is not only easy, but it is so good! We always go around the table to say our favorite dish and this one has been the winner since I started it. It was easy to transport too, but just make sure the marshmallows don’t stick to the cover you put on it. I do the whole thing with marshmallows and only half with the streusel.
Just how I remember it as a kid, the classic thanksgiving sweet potatoes!
Second year in a row making this and it’s delicious every time. Not overly sweet but just enough. This year I made it in memory of my oldest sister for which I originally made it for last year 💜
Another winning recipe for Thanksgiving! This was a huge hit this year and my favorite version of this recipe!
Made this for Thanksgiving and EVERYONE loved it!! Even me & I’m not a sweet potato fan!! 🙂 SO good! I will definitely make this again!!
Never been much of a sweet potato fan but with the addition of marshmallows and strEusel it actually was very good.
Your sweet potato Rerecipe is delicious and perfect for holiday dinner
The sweet potatoes are the classic thanksgiving dish. This recipe is so good! Now i cant wait to serve it for thanksgiving.
One of my all time favorite dishes! We LOVE this Sweet Potato Casserole and the Marshmallows on top add the perfect sweetness. It’s always a hit!
This is seriously the only way I like sweet potatoes. So good!
Such a classic side dish! ready for Thanksgiving after reading this!
What a beautiful casserole! This will surely be a success on the Thanksgiving table this year! Yum!
My favorite is the marshmallow topping!! This is the perfect Thanksgiving side.
i love most of your post it really helps me alot and i’ve improved in my cooking skills thanks too you my family loves what i make every day and i alway took recipes from here to make thanks 🙂
Awe, I am glad I could help 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing that!