Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe (2024)

By Laura

Posted Oct 18, 2020, Updated Mar 18, 2024

5 from 32 votes

32 Comments

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This sweet potato casserole recipe is silky smooth with rich fall spices and perfectly sweetened. A classic holiday side dish, this sweet potato casserole with pecans is topped with a buttery, nutty crumb topping (no marshmallows) and will become a family favorite!

Everyone has their favorite holiday side dish – you know, the one that you go back for seconds (or thirds), even if you’re full. Sweet potato casserole is definitely my mine (along with homemade dinner rolls, roasted Brussels sprouts, candied yams, etc.).

This sweet potato casserole recipe is is the best of the best. It’s silky smooth with rich fall spices and perfectly sweetened. It’s topped with a buttery, nutty crumb topping (no marshmallows) and is certain to become a holiday tradition!

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions

I recommend making this Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole as written, however here are some possible substitutions.

Salted Butter.Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter, you may just need to increase the salt.
Eggs.I do not recommend making a substitution for the egg.
Whole Milk.Half and half, heavy cream, or 2% milk can be used in place of whole milk. Fat content is important to the final outcome of this recipe.
Brown Sugar. light or dark brown sugar can be used with great results.
All-purpose flour.For a gluten-free version, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Pecans.Walnuts are a great substitute for pecans.

How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole

This sweet potato casserole is easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Roast the Sweet Potatoes

To easily roast sweet potatoes, wash and pierce them with a fork. Then, individually wrap the potatoes in foil and put them on a baking sheet. You can roast them directly on an oven rack, just be sure the foil is completely closed so there’s no dripping.

Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and compress when touched. The baking time depends the potatoes’ thickness. Check at 40 minutes if they are small.

Open foil and set the sweet potatoes aside to cool.

Make the Pecan Crumb Topping

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, make the crumb topping. In a medium bowl, use a fork or pastry cutter to combine butter, brown sugar, flour sea salt and cinnamon until a coarse meal forms.

Add pecans and stir until evenly distributed in the mixture. Set aside.

Rice (or Mash) Cooked Sweet Potatoes

Scoop the slightly-cooled sweet potato flesh out of the skins and transfer to a large bowl. Use a potato ricer to mash the cooked sweet potato flesh – discard any stringy pieces left in the ricer.

Note: you can use a potato masher but I don’t not recommend it, as sometimes the flesh of a sweet potato is stringy, and a ricer will remove any unpleasant texture. Or you can put the sweet potato, along with the other filling ingredients, in the container of a blender and blend until smooth.

Make the Filling

Once the sweet potato is riced/mashed, add eggs, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Assemble the Sweet Potato Casserole

Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F and grease an 8×8” baking dish. Pour sweet potato mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top so it is flat and even.

Sprinkle the pecan crumb topping evenly over the top of the sweet potato mixture, gently pressing it into the mixture.

Bake & Cool

Bake in preheated oven until the top is slightly puffed and the topping is lightly browned. Let cool slightly and serve.

Serve

Serve warm with your favorite main dishes and sides. Here are some recipes that pair really well with this sweet potato casserole recipe. Check out all my favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Serve it as a Thanksgiving or holiday side dish alongside this Roast Turkey and the best Turkey Gravy.
Roasted Brussels sprouts are a great green vegetable side dish to serve with this Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole, also this Brussel sprouts salad.
Green beans:these roasted green beans are so delicious, as well as these sautéed green beans (in apple cider – yum)!
You can’t forget the stuffing – this sausage stuffing is the best ever or try this cornbread dressing.
These herb-infused garlic mashed potatoes are the best you’ll ever eat, no joke.
5-minute stovetop cinnamon apples are a great pair to this sweet potato casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe FAQs

How do you store sweet potato casserole?

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Laura

5 from 32 votes

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 16 Servings

Calories 231

Equipment

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Layer:

▢ 3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium)
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ ¼ cup salted butter melted
▢ ¼ cup whole milk
▢ ¼ cup light brown sugar
▢ ¼ cup pure maple syrup
▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
▢ pinch ground nutmeg

Pecan Topping:

▢ ¼ cup salted butter softened
▢ ½ cup light brown sugar
▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
▢ 1 cup pecans finely chopped

Instructions

Roast the Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash and pierce sweet potatoes with a fork about 10 times. Wrap in foil and put on a baking sheet.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender (sweet potatoes compress when touched). The baking time depends on how thick your potatoes are. Check at 40 minutes if they are small.
Open foil and set the sweet potatoes aside to cool.

Make the Topping

In a medium bowl, use a fork or pastry cutter to combine butter, brown sugar, flour sea salt and cinnamon until a coarse meal forms.
Add pecans and stir until evenly distributed in the mixture. Set aside.

Assemble

Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8” baking dish, set aside.
Scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins and transfer to a large bowl. Use a potato ricer to mash the cooked sweet potato flesh. (Note: you can use a potato masher but I don’t not recommend it, as sometimes the flesh of a sweet potato is stringy, and a ricer will remove any unpleasant “strings”).*
Add eggs, milk, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Pour sweet potato mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top so it is flat and even.
Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potato mixture, gently pressing it into the top.

Bake

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until slightly puffed and the topping is lightly browned.
Let cool slightly and serve.

Video

Notes

*Or put the sweet potato, along with the other filling ingredients, in the container of a blender and blend until smooth.

Ingredient Substitutions

Salted Butter.Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter, you may just need to increase the salt.
Whole Milk.Half and half, heavy cream, or 2% milk can be used in place of whole milk
Brown Sugar. light or dark brown sugar can be used with great results.
All-purpose flour.For a gluten-free version, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Pecans.Walnuts are a great substitute for pecans.

Store

Store any leftovers of this sweet potato casserole with pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.

Freeze

Let it cool completely, cover and freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Prepare in Advance

You can make this sweet potato casserole in advance in a few ways:

Make and assemble the casserole the day before. Store in tightly covered in the refrigerator and then bake it the next day.
Make and assemble the casserole, tightly cover it and freeze it for up to 2 months. To bake, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature – then bake according to the recipe.
Roast and mash the sweet potatoes the day before you want to serve this dish. Then mix it together and bake.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

Try these Delicious Recipes

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Soup

Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Best Thanksgiving Recipes

Candied Yams

Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why put eggs in sweet potato casserole? ›

The egg is the all-important binder in a sweet potato casserole: it enriches and stiffens the mixture without making it heavy. Make sure to cool the mash slightly before adding the egg so it doesn't scramble, and to stir well so there are no streaks of cooked egg white in the finished dish.

How to bake sweet potato in oven Martha Stewart? ›

Pierce potatoes all over with the tines of a fork and bake in oven, directly on rack, until soft and caramelizing, 1 1/2 hours. Slash the tops of potatoes open with the tip of a sharp knife and push ends of each potato toward each other to open. Divide butter, salt, and pepper among potatoes and serve.

View Details ›

Is it better to bake sweet potatoes in foil or not? ›

Wrapping the sweet potatoes in foil ensures that they don't dry out too quickly, and allows you to add aromatics if desired. Unwrapping the sweet potatoes and increasing the oven temperature produces charred, roasted flavors and caramelizes converted sugars.

Keep Reading ›

Do sweet potatoes cook at the same time as regular potatoes? ›

However, as a general guideline, sweet potatoes typically take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to bake at 400°F (200°C), whereas regular potatoes may take closer to 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake at the same temperature.

Find Out More ›

What is the purpose of adding eggs in baking? ›

What Eggs Do in Baking Recipes. Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to meringues and pastry cream — they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.

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How do you keep a sweet potato casserole from getting runny? ›

How can I keep my sweet potato casserole from becoming watery? The sweet potato mixture will set up as it cools, but for an even thicker texture, you can add a spoon of cornstarch or flour to the filling before baking.

Know More ›

Does egg thicken casserole? ›

The proteins in eggs coagulate or set at different temperatures. This results in thickening but it means that eggs must be cooked gently and heated carefully or they will scramble rather than thicken a sauce or other mixture.

See Details ›

What is the purpose of putting an egg in mashed potatoes? ›

Adding egg yolks to a pot of mashed potatoes is an easy, dairy-free texture and taste upgrade that doesn't require any special techniques. The yolks harbor all the flavorful fats and emulsifying components and will thus effectively unify the fat and water in potatoes, translating to a smoother, uniformly creamy pot.

Read The Full Story ›