The BEST Sweet potato casserole recipe - velvety smooth sweet potatoes topped with the most amazing sweet, crunchy, pecan and brown sugar streusel. A must have side dish on the Thanksgiving or holiday table.
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A Thanksgiving and holiday favorite
Sweet Potato Casserole with its crunchy pecan topping is a favorite on the Thanksgiving or holiday table. This sweet, creamy, and crunchy casserole makes the perfect side dish for roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings. Serve it with our family favorite green bean casserole made from scratch, classic Thanksgiving stuffing, and fresh cranberry orange relish.
Side dish or dessert?
Sweet Potato Casserole is a must have on the holiday table. We always serve it as a side with dinner. Its sweet potato flavor comingles perfectly with everything on the holiday plate.
The streusel topping makes it sweet enough and delicious enough to be served as a dessert as well. It makes a great alternative to pumpkin pie.
For a version topped with brown sugared pecans, try my sweet potato souffle.
This streusel is everything!
The pecan crumble topping on this Sweet Potato Casserole is crispy, crunchy perfection! It’s sweet, it’s crunchy. It’s the perfect texture with buttery brown sugar nubs and chunks of pecans.
As it bakes it forms a syrupy glaze underneath the crunchy top that keeps everything moist and delicious.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Granulated sugar – I use white sugar so the delicate taste of the sweet potatoes shines through
- Milk
- Eggs
- Melted butter – makes it rich and creamy
- Vanilla extract
- Salt – salt brings out the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes
And in the streusel:
- Light brown sugar – for that caramely, praline flavor that’s so wonderful with pecans
- Pecans – for that Southern flavor that complements the sweet potatoes perfectly
- Melted butter – for a streusel with the most amazing texture
- flour
How to prepare the sweet potatoes
You can cook the sweet potatoes any way you choose. My favorite way of cooking the sweet potatoes is wrapping them each in foil, then roasting for about an hour. I find it to be the most foolproof method for sweet potatoes that turn out perfect every time. Here’s why:
- the flavor intensifies with roasting
- they don’t become watered down from boiling
- they don’t get overcooked and dried out in the microwave
- the foil catches any sugary drips that come out of the sweet potatoes and seals in moisture
- the peels can be pulled off easily after baking
Alternatively you can:
- prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake on a foil lined baking sheet until soft, about 1 hour
- prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave until soft, about 10 minutes
- peel and cube the sweet potatoes, then boil in a large pot of water until tender (don't overcook or they'll get watery)
How to make the sweet potato filling
Process cooked and peeled sweet potatoes in a food processor along with the other filling ingredients (eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla) until velvety smooth. This takes about a minute or so in a food processor.
Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer and a large bowl. Or mash the potatoes with a potato masher or press through a potato ricer until well mashed.
Spread the sweet potato filling evenly in a baking dish. I used an oval 2 quart dish that measures 11 by 8 inches. The potatoes in the photo below are not spread evenly 🙂
How to make the streusel topping
The streusel topping couldn’t be easier. Just combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then stir in melted butter with a spoon. Use a gentle hand and mix until everything is moistened and in clumps. Don’t overmix or it will become pasty.
Evenly spread the pecan topping on top of the sweet potatoes.
How to bake
Bake the Sweet Potato Casserole in the lower third of a 350° F oven for about 30 minutes. The topping should get golden brown. If it starts to get too brown, cover with a piece of foil. The inside temperature of the casserole should reach about 170° F.
Make in advance
Preparing the Sweet Potato Casserole ahead of time comes in handy, particularly for a busy holiday dinner.
Both the sweet potatoes and the streusel topping can be made up to three days in advance then chilled separately in the fridge. Let rest at room temperature 30 minutes before baking, then add the topping and bake.
Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the sweet potato filling:
- 3 cups peeled cooked sweet potatoes from about 3 pounds (about 1.36kg sweet potatoes (See Note 1))
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled 57g
- ½ cup milk 113g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the streusel topping:
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 213g
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 71g
- 1 cup chopped pecans 113g
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 85g
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat (or reduce temperature after baking potatoes) oven to 350° F.
For the sweet potato filling:
- In a food processor, combine peeled, cooked sweet potatoes, sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Puree until very smooth, about 1 minute.
- Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer to combine well.
- Pour into a greased casserole dish (mine was about 12 by 8-inches) and spread into an even layer.
For the streusel topping:
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans (breaking up brown sugar clumps as needed).
- Pour in melted butter and stir until mixture is evenly moistened. Use a gentle hand and mix until everything is moistened and in clumps. Don’t overmix or it will become pasty.
- Sprinkle mixture evenly over sweet potato mixture in baking dish.
- Bake in the lower third of a 350° F oven for about 30 minutes. The topping should get golden brown. If it starts to get too brown, cover with a piece of foil. The inside temperature of the casserole should reach about 170° F.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash sweet potatoes, then prick in several places with a fork.
- Wrap each in foil and bake until cooked through and soft, about 60 - 75 minutes.
- Peel potatoes. The peel should pull right off. Let cool slightly before mixing with eggs.
Nutrition
Enjoy, friends!
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Chloe
We made this for our thanksgiving dinner this year. It was incredible. We did the topping recipe and then made an additional half of the topping recipe as well and it was absolutely PERFECT. Making this again next year for sure!
Kelly
Extra topping sounds awesome! So happy you liked it, Chloe! Thanks so much!
Bianca
Hi there! Can’t wait to make this! Can I use canned yams to save time? They’re really just cooked sweet potatoes in syrup. I would obviously drain and pat dry them. Appreciate your advice!
Kelly
Hi Bianca! That should work just fine. Since they are in syrup, you may need to use less sugar. Just give it a taste as you’re adding the sugar.
Rachel H
Haaaaave mercy! These were incredible!
Kelly
So happy you liked it, Rachel! Thanks so much!
April
I made this and doubled it. It’s being refrigerated overnight to bake in the morning. Should I bake twice as long?
Kelly
Hi April, the baking time will depend on the size of the baking dish. It will take longer to bake, but not necessarily twice as long. Whatever the size of the dish, the inside temperature of the casserole should reach about 170° F.
Sandy
Made this recipe last year and was a great hit. This year I'm going to add the orange juice and zest. Sounds even better. Thanks.
Kelly
So happy you liked it, Sandy! Thanks so much!