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.
FEATURED READER COMMENT:
This is my favorite recipe ever! I have had this for years! It is a must for Thanksgiving and in between! My friends who hate the standard sweet potatoes with marshmallows and I have made them try this recipe, have changed their minds about sweet potatoes!
~ Sharon
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🦃 A Thanksgiving and holiday favorite
Sweet Potato Casserole with its crunchy pecan topping is one of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes for the 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 make sweet potato casserole
COOK THE SWEET POTATOES
Wrap in foil and bake until soft
MAKE THE FILLING
Process sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth and spread in a baking dish
MAKE THE STREUSEL TOPPING
Combine the brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter and sprinkle on top of sweet potato filling
BAKE
Bake until golden brown
⏰ How to make in advance
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.
🧡 Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
This Sweet Potato Casserole is perfect for prepping ahead of the holidays! You can make it in stages so everything is ready to bake when you need it.
To make ahead (1–2 days):
Prepare the sweet-potato filling and spread it into your baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Mix the pecan streusel topping separately, store it in an airtight container in the fridge, and sprinkle it on just before baking.
To freeze:
You can freeze the casserole before baking for up to 3 months — just leave the topping off and freeze separately. Let the sweet-potato filling cool completely, then cover the dish well with plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty foil. Label and freeze. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, top with the pecan-streusel mixture, and bake as directed.
Freezing the topping separately:
The brown-sugar-pecan streusel also freezes beautifully on its own. Mix the topping, crumble it into pieces, chill for 15–20 minutes, then freeze in a zip-top bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, sprinkle it straight from the freezer over the thawed casserole — no need to defrost.
Pro tip: For best texture and flavor, let the casserole cool completely before freezing. Add the crunchy topping right before baking to keep it crisp and delicious!
📝 Recipe notes
Cooking the sweet potatoes:
My favorite way of cooking the sweet potatoes is wrapping them each in foil, then roasting for about 1 ½ hours. 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
Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the sweet potato filling:
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes
- 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 oven to 350° F.
To cook the sweet potatoes
- Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork, wrap in foil, and bake until soft, about 1 ½ hours
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.
- Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish (mine was a 12 by 8-inch oval) 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
Nutrition
Enjoy, friends!
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Debbie says
Can I bake the casserole a couple of days ahead of time?
Kelly says
Hi Debbie, You could bake it in advance, however I would be concerned about the topping getting soggy. If you do bake it in advance, reheating it in the oven may help crisp up the topping.
My preferred way to prepare it in advance would be to prepare the sweet potatoes and put them in the baking dish, and prepare the streusel topping and keep it separate, then on the day you will be serving it, put on the topping and bake it.
John Lawless says
My wife makes. A dish called “Southern mashed yams.” It is identical to yours only made with yams instead. It is the bomb and people love it.
Kelly says
Sounds fantastic, John!
Sharon Eck says
This is my favorite recipe ever! I have had this for years! It is a must for Thanksgiving and in between! My friends who hate the standard sweet potatoes with marshmallows and I have made them try this recipe, have changed their minds about sweet potatoes!
Kelly says
It's a keeper! Thanks so much, Sharon!
Jodie Raybould says
It was so good! I even had a convert to sweet potatoes who swore he”hated sweet potatoes”. He doesn’t anymore!
Kelly says
So happy you liked it! Thanks so much, Jodie!
Amy says
Made this following the recipe as is. So delicious and very simple to do. Roasted the sweet potatoes and used the food processor. The sweet potatoes were so smooth and fluffy. Will for sure make it again.
Kelly says
So happy you liked it, Amy! Thanks so much!
Melissa Jones says
Can this be made ahead of time and freeze?
Kelly says
It can be made ahead and frozen, either baked or unbaked. If you freeze it unbaked, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. It may need a little extra time in the oven since it will be cold. It you freeze it after baking it, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven before serving.
Karen says
I make this every year for Thanksgiving upon request. I can't bring anything else to dinner or I might be disowned! Everyone's FAVORITE!!!!!
Kelly says
Definitely our family's favorite as well! Thanks so much, Karen!
Natalie says
Same here Karen! Happy Thanksgiving!
EEmmi says
If I want to add Maker’s Mark to this dish, how much would I add to the sweet potato purée?
The dish I typically make uses Maker’s Mark and so I enjoy this flavor in the sweet potatoes.
Kelly says
I haven't tried adding anything to the puree, so I couldn't say for sure. You could try using the same amount as in the dish you typically make. Otherwise, start with smaller amounts and increase gradually until you get the taste and consistency you like. Thanks so much!
Crystal says
This was easy and delicious!! Will definitely be making this again! I used my instapot to cook the potatoes.
Kelly says
So happy you liked it, Crystal! Great idea to cook the potatoes in the instapot! Thanks so much!
Eraj Siddiqui says
nice recipe .. gonna try it soon 🙂
Kelly says
Thanks, Eraj!
David @ Spiced says
You're nailing it with awesome Thanksgiving recipes lately, Kelly! My favorite part of sweet potato casserole are the chopped pecans on top - I love pecans! This looks amazing, and now I'm totally craving Thanksgiving food. 🙂
Kelly says
David, I'm so ready for Thanksgiving! Sweet Potato Casserole is definitely one of our favorites. I also make a version with brown sugared pecans on top. It's hard to choose which is best! Thanks so much!
David Scott Allen says
You know, I think this SHOULD be served fro dessert! What a great idea!
Kelly says
David, it certainly seems like dessert to me! There's only one day of the year that I serve it with dinner and that's on Thanksgiving. Any other day, I eat it as dessert. It would be a delicious alternative to sweet potato pie on the dessert table. Thanks so much!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
Ah Kelly, this is like dessert!! It looks so delicious. I always chuckle to myself when I see sweet potato casserole, because I remember being a kid and hating it. What was I thinking!? I adore it now! I'd take 2 big helpings!
Kelly says
It's the most popular dish on our Thanksgiving table. Which is funny because I'm the only one in the family who likes sweet and savory combinations. If I were to set it on the dessert table beside the pumpkin pie, I know which one would disappear first! Thanks so much, Katherine!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I want to grab that spoon and scoop myself some right through my screen Kelly! Thanksgiving wouldn't to complete without a sweet potato casserole! Delicious!
Kelly says
It's our fave, Mary Ann! And the streusel topping is dreamy! Thanks so much!
Balvinder says
I have always loved sweet potatoes and also the streusel. This combo really hits the spot. Thanks for sharing. It looks amazing! I am so excited to give it a try.
Kelly says
It's a wonderful combination! Thanks so much, Balvinder!