Sweet Potato Casserole

This sweet potato casserole is easy to make and topped with a crunchy pecan streusel. This simple side dish is a family favorite and perfect for Thanksgiving!

Do you have a favorite side dish at Thanksgiving? If I had to choose one, I would definitely go with sweet potato casserole. I mean, any side dish that you can eat with your meal and that tastes like dessert is a winner in my book.

With Thanksgiving just a little over a week away I wanted to share a simple sweet potato casserole recipe with you. This side dish is easy to throw together and it also has a delicious brown sugar pecan streusel topping.

And if you’re into marshmallows on top of your sweet potato casserole, you could leave off the streusel topping and use them instead. Or you could even cover half of the casserole with the streusel and the other half with some marshmallows.

To make this casserole, you’ll start with four pounds of sweet potatoes. You can cook them however you like, but when it comes to this dish I prefer to peel and boil them. Feel free to cook your potatoes in the microwave or oven, just make sure to pierce them with a fork first.

Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, you’ll mash them and mix them together with some brown sugar, whole milk, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, a little salt, and a couple of eggs. I prefer my casserole a little on the sweeter side, so I use 3/4 cup of brown sugar. I don’t find it to be too sweet, but if you prefer things less sweet I’ve made a note in the recipe for how you can reduce it.

I also prefer to use an electric mixer to mix up the sweet potato mixture so that it’s nice and creamy. If you don’t have a mixer, don’t worry, you can do this step completely by hand. Once you’ve mixed everything up just spread it around in a 9×13 pan.

Then, you’ll mix up the pecan streusel topping which is just a simple mixture of flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and chopped pecans.

If you want to make things a little quicker, you can prep the topping while the cooked sweet potatoes are cooling. Then, after you mix up the sweet potato layer you can just assemble everything and throw it into the oven.

The casserole will need to bake for about 40-45 minutes depending on your oven. The topping should be golden brown and the center of the casserole will be set.

Once the casserole has cooled a little, serve it and enjoy!

Baking Tips for Sweet Potato Casserole

• You’ll need to let the cooked sweet potatoes cool slightly before you mix everything together. I prefer to prepare the topping and gather all of the other ingredients while they’re cooling to save a little time.


• If you prefer your casserole less sweet, you can reduce the brown sugar in the sweet potato mixture from 3/4 cup (150 grams) to 1/2 cup (100 grams).

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Sweet Potato Casserole

This sweet potato casserole is easy to make and topped with a crunchy pecan streusel. This simple side dish is a family favorite and perfect for Thanksgiving!

Prep Time35 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade sweet potato casserole

Servings: 12 servings (One 9x13 casserole)

Author: Danielle

Ingredients

• 4 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into about 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) light brown sugar lightly packed*
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs

Topping:

• 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar lightly packed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Add the cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot/saucepan, cover the sweet potatoes with water, and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and allow the potatoes to cook for 10-15 minutes or until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Place the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl and mash well. You may also use an electric mixer to help make them smoother. Then add the brown sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and eggs and mix until fully combined. I prefer to use an electric mixer for this step, but you may also do this by hand. 
• Scoop the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread around into one even layer. Set aside.

To prepare the topping:

• Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until well combined. Cube the butter into pieces and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture starts to come together and is crumbly. Stir in the chopped pecans.
• Sprinkle the topping evenly on top of the sweet potato mixture. Place in the oven and bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until the topping is lightly golden brown and the center is set.
• Remove from the oven and set aside to cool some before serving.

Notes

*If you prefer your sweet potato casserole less sweet you may reduce the brown sugar down to 1/2 cup (100 grams). 

If you prefer a marshmallow topping, you can omit the pecan streusel topping and bake the casserole. Once it's finished baking, carefully remove it from the oven, add the marshmallows, set the oven to broil, and return to the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the marshmallows are lightly golden brown. 

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