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It wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving meal without this Southern Sweet Potato Casserole. Our family recipe is the perfect balance between creamy sweet potatoes and crunchy, caramelized pecans for the best sweet-savory mix. The best part? It’s an easy, make-ahead dish that’s guaranteed to be a hit!
Nikki’s Recipe Roundup
- Taste: The sweet potatoes are buttery and perfectly sweet, with a caramelized pecan topping that adds just the right amount of crunch and nuttiness.
- Texture: Creamy, smooth sweet potatoes topped with a crispy, crumbly praline—like pecan layer—so good!
- Ease: Super simple, even for beginners! You can roast sweet potatoes for extra flavor or save time by boiling them or using canned ones.
- Pros: Make-ahead friendly, freezer-friendly, and makes for a Stress-Free side dish on Thanksgiving Day!
- Considerations: Roasting takes a little more time, but it adds great flavor. If you’re in a hurry, boiling or canned sweet potatoes will still get the job done!
- Recipe Repeatability: Absolutely a must-make! This dish has earned a permanent spot on our Thanksgiving table every year, and it’s always a hit! Enjoy for holidays, potlucks, or just a cozy family dinner (it goes great with BBQ, too); it’s one of those recipes you’ll come back to time and time again!
An Easy Recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole
This Sweet Potato Casserole has been a treasured recipe in our family for decades (as long as I’ve been alive, and I’m not giving those secrets away! 😉). It originally came from my mom’s dear friend, Ann, and has since become a Thanksgiving tradition in our home.
Every year, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is baking day, and my mom gathers the grandkids in the kitchen to share her love of cooking—especially this dish. My sister’s kids take charge of the broccoli casserole and a Butterfinger pie (coming soon!) while my daughter makes the cornbread dressing. And my son? He’s all about this casserole! He was thrilled to learn how to make it because it tastes just like Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole, one of his favorite special occasion restaurants.
For our family, it’s more than just a side dish—it’s packed with love, tradition, and incredible flavor in every bite! It’s a cherished and delicious part of our holiday table each and every year! I think once you try our version it’s sure to be a favorite of yours too!
Ingredients for Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
For the Mashed Sweet Potato Layer
- Sweet Potatoes: I like to roast sweet potatoes; it deepens their natural sweetness and brings out a rich, caramelized flavor. The sugars in the sweet potatoes get a chance to concentrate, resulting in a more flavorful and slightly nuttier taste. Plus, the texture becomes soft and velvety, perfect for mashing. I will explain options for boiling and using canned potatoes as an alternative in the post below.
- Butter: Mix softened butter while sweet potatoes are warm, but if they’ve cooled, melt it to incorporate smoothly.
- Eggs: Beaten beforehand so they distribute evenly in the mixture.
- Milk: Whole milk adds a rich, creamy texture, but feel free to substitute with half-and-half or even evaporated milk for an extra indulgent casserole.
- Salt: Start with ½ teaspoon, then taste and adjust to your preference. Sweet potatoes can handle a bit more salt if you like the savory-sweet contrast.
For the Topping:
- Brown Sugar: Make sure to pack it when measuring for that deep, molasses-like sweetness.
- Pecans: A mix of pecan pieces and chopped pecans gives a great contrast in texture.
- Butter – Melted for easy mixing into the topping.
- Flour – Helps create that perfect crumbly, crisp topping when baked.
How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole
✱ Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredients and full recipe instructions!
Step 1 | Cook Sweet Potatoes
First, preheat your oven and line a rimmed baking dish with parchment paper or foil. Wash and clean the sweet potatoes, then poke a few holes in them with a fork or knife.
Place them on the baking sheet and roast until they puff up and are soft when pierced with a fork. Once they’re tender, remove them from the oven and let them cool until you can handle them easily.
Step 2 | Mash Sweet Potatoes
While the sweet potatoes are cooling, lower the oven temperature to 375℉. Grease a 9×13 or 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray or butter (I like the 9×13 for thinner layers, but either works great).
Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes and place it in a large bowl. Add the sugar, milk, butter, beaten eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Mix everything together until smooth, being careful not to overmix, which can make it mushy.
TIP: If the sweet potatoes are soft enough, you can easily mash them by hand.
Step 3 | Layer in Baking Dish
Once smooth, spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Step 4 | Make Praline Pecan Topping
In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, pecans, and melted butter to form a crumbly topping.
Sprinkle it evenly over the sweet potatoes.
Step 5 | Bake, Let Set, & Enjoy
Place the casserole in the oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Let it cool for a bit before serving, and enjoy!
To boil sweet potatoes for sweet potato souffle:
- Peel and Chop: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into evenly sized chunks, about 2-inch pieces. This ensures they cook evenly and more quickly.
- Add to Pot: Place the sweet potato chunks in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add a pinch of salt if you like. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Cook: Once done boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender (easily pierced with a fork).
- Drain: Drain the potatoes in a colander and resume the recipe with the Mashed Sweet Potato Layer Instructions.
Sweet Potatoes Casserole with Canned Sweet Potatoes:
If you want a super easy and convenient alternative to baking or cooking raw sweet potatoes, you can use canned yams, which are actually sweet potatoes (at least in the U.S.). This is the method my mom has always used.
Pour one 40-ounce and one 15-ounce can of yams into a saucepan and cook until warmed through for about 5 to 10 minutes. Many recipes skip warming the sweet potatoes, and you can if you like. My mom used canned sweet potatoes, and warming them through makes for a wonderful texture when mashing them. Once they are mashed, proceed with the recipe as written.
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Recipe Tips
- If using unsalted butter, additional salt is needed to taste.
- Light or dark brown sugar can be used. This recipe was made with light brown sugar.
- Don’t overbake the casserole. The texture will be dry. You want them to cook until heated through, bubbly, and delicious.
Recipe FAQs
Some sweet potatoes are stringier in texture than others. I find roasting them yields the best results. But alas, if you find your sweet potatoes on the stringy side, use a Hand Mixer at low speed. The strings will naturally wrap around the beaters. Every so often, stop and clean the strings off the beaters, then continue mixing.
You can also use a Fine Mesh Sieve. After mashing, press the sweet potatoes through a fine mesh sieve or strainer using a spatula or spoon. This will separate the strings from the mashed sweet potatoes, giving you a smoother texture.
For a crunchy topping, bake the casserole uncovered so the pecan topping can caramelize. Also, use the right butter-to-flour ratio to keep the topping crumbly and crisp.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add a little cinnamon to the sweet potato mixture ¼ to ½ teaspoon is usually plenty.
- If you have some family members who like marshmallows and some pecans, make half the casserole, the pecan topping, and half the marshmallow. I would add marshmallows about 15 minutes into cooking time.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
To make a casserole with only a marshmallow topping, replace the pecan topping with 10 ounces of mini marshmallows. You can also add ¼ to ½ cup of pecans to the marshmallows if desired. Bake for 25 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden brown. You can also turn on the broiler for a minute or two at the end. Just keep a close eye out so the marshmallows do not burn.
If you are worried about the marshmallows browning too quickly or burning, you can bake the casserole, add the marshmallows at the end, and then place them under the broiler. I haven’t found this an issue, but I usually decrease the cooking time by 10 minutes based on my recipe.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions
Storage: Cover with foil or plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
Prepare the sweet potato mixture a day ahead for up to 48 hours and store it in the fridge. Add the pecan topping just before baking. You can also assemble the entire dish and refrigerate it overnight, then bake it the next day.
Freezing: This casserole freezes well! You can freeze sweet potato casserole before or after baking.
- Before baking: Assemble the casserole, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.
- After baking: Let the casserole cool completely, then wrap and freeze. When ready to serve, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 350°F until warm.
Reheat: Warm the whole casserole in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through. You can also microwave individual portions. If the pecan topping is getting too soft, place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp it up again (keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn).
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Best Homemade Rolls
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Mashed Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
- Old Fashions Cream Corn Casserole
- Mom’s Cornbread Dressing
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Garlic Herb Citrus Turkey Tenderloin
- Sugared Cranberries
- Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Mashed Sweet Potato Mixture
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, 5 medium sweet potatoes or about 4 cups when cooked and mashed
- ½ cup salted butter, softened or (melted, if the sweet potatoes aren’t warm)- 1 stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Brown Sugar Pecan Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 ⅓ cup pecan pieces or chopped pecans, I do a mixture of both
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking dish with parchment paper or foil.
- Wash and clean sweet potatoes. Using a fork or knife to poke holes into the sweet potatoes, set them on the baking sheet, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until puffed up and soft inside when pierced with a fork (cook time will vary based on size of potatoes).
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let set until cool enough to handle.
Prep Oven and Baking Dish
- Turn the down to 375 ℉ and spray with cooking spray (or butter/grease) a 9 X 13 or 2-quart baking baking dish. (When baked in a 9 X 13 pan, the layers are thinner; this is how I bake mine)
Mashed Sweet Potato Layer
- Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl. To the bowl add sugar, milk, butter, beaten eggs, vanilla, and salt. Beat with a mixer until smooth (do not overbeat as they will become mushy). This can also be done by hand if your sweet potatoes are very soft. You just want a nice smooth texture.
- Transfer sweet potato mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Brown Sugar Pecan Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar, flour, pecan, and melted butter until a crumbly mixture forms. Sprinkle pecan crumb mixture over sweet potatoes.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until sweet potatoes are bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Allow the casserole to cool and set for 10 – 15 minutes.
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Notes
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions
Storage: Cover with foil or plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
Prepare the sweet potato mixture a day ahead for up to 48 hours and store it in the fridge. Add the pecan topping just before baking. You can also assemble the entire dish and refrigerate it overnight, then bake it the next day. Freezing: This casserole freezes well! You can freeze sweet potato casserole before or after baking.- Before baking: Assemble the casserole, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.
- After baking: Let the casserole cool completely, then wrap and freeze. When ready to serve, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven at 350°F until warm.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
©️Soulfully Made
The best recipe and a staple at our holiday table!!
Thank you, Lauren!
This is a delicious dish, my husband’s favorite!
I’m so glad to hear it’s a hit, especially with your husband! Sweet potato casserole is such a comforting dish, and it makes me happy knowing it’s become a favorite in your home. Thanks for sharing!