This Sweet Potato Casserole with crunchy pecan topping is the ultimate holiday side dish. This is my sister Tanya’s recipe, and it is famous at our family’s Thanksgiving dinners. It’s a classic recipe with a fluffy and soufflé-like sweet potato layer topped with a crunchy pecan streusel. It’s also EASY to make.
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Sweet Potato Casserole Video
Watch the video tutorial where I walk you through step by step how to make this sweet potato casserole and see just how easy it is! If you make this recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, let me know.
The Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This easy sweet potato casserole recipe is the best I’ve ever tasted. Without fail, it is always served on our Thanksgiving menu alongside our Juicy Roast Turkey, an unforgettable Turkey Gravy, Au Gratin Potatoes, and Pumpkin Pie.
My sister Tanya taught me how to make her famous sweet potato casserole, and wow, is it good! As with my Stuffing Recipe, I love that it’s make-ahead friendly, and I’m always happy when we have leftovers from this dish because it reheats well (see make-ahead tips below).
There’s nothing more comforting than the sweet smells, the luxurious texture, and the crisp, nutty topping. It’s also terrific served with Prime Rib Roast on Christmas or Easter.
Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes – You’ll need 4 lbs or 4 large potatoes for about 6 cups once mashed. Choose firm potatoes with dark, blemish-free, and even-colored skin.
- For the Filling – Egg, Sugar, Butter, Vanilla, and a pinch of salt- give the potato layer incredible texture, flavor, and airiness. Eggs are an important binder and help the casserole puff up almost like a soufflé. You can adjust the sugar to taste or use your favorite sugar substitute.
- Dried Cranberries – while optional, they add a nice tangy bite to balance the richness of the casserole.
- For the Crumble Topping – Light brown sugar, flour, and butter for a crisp and buttery streusel-like topping. The pecans add a nutty crunch, but you can leave them out if needed.
Variations and Substitutions
Try some of these easy swaps to make the casserole your own:
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows: cover the streusel or replace the streusel topping with 2 cups mini marshmallows in the last 25 minutes of baking.
- Add a splash of maple syrup to the filling for a hint of maple flavor
- Change the texture: Coarsely mash sweet potatoes for a rustic texture, or whip them in a stand mixer for an airy texture.
- Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole: Replace the eggs with 3/4 cup applesauce. Also, replace the butter with your favorite butter substitute.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
In just a few easy steps, you can make this irresistible recipe for sweet potato casserole.
- Cook Sweet Potatoes – Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1″ chunks. Cover with water and boil for 10-15 minutes until fork-tender. Mash with a potato masher or use an electric hand mixer for super creamy potatoes.
- Make the Filling – Preheat Oven to 350˚F. In a medium bowl, whisk together: 3 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk in 6 Tbsp melted butter and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir butter mixture into sweet potatoes, then fold in 1 cup dried cranberries and spread into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Make the Pecan Crumble Topping – Combine 2/3 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup flour. Add 3 Tbsp of diced cold butter and rub the butter with the sugar mixture using your fingertips until pea-sized crumbs form. Stir in the pecans.
- Assemble and Bake – Sprinkle streusel mixture evenly over sweet potato mixture, put your baking dish in the oven and bake uncovered at 350˚F for 35-40 minutes or until hot and sweet potatoes start to puff at the edges.
Pro Tip
For a sweeter flavor, start with Baked Sweet Potatoes. Simply wash the outside, pierce the skin several times with a fork, and then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Then remove skins before mashing.
Serve Sweet Potato Casserole With
We make this casserole year-round, but it’s best known on holiday menus. Try serving it alongside these other delicious mains and sides:
- Spatchcock Turkey
- Deviled Eggs
- Au Gratin Potatoes
- Pear Salad
- Mashed Potatoes
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Cornbread
Can I Make Sweet Potato Casserole Ahead of Time?
The holidays can get busy so you’ll appreciate that this is make-ahead friendly and no one will know you prepped your sweet potato casserole early.
- Make Ahead – Assemble the casserole and store the topping separately. Refrigerate both for 2-3 days. Add the topping to the potatoes before baking, and add a few minutes to the bake time if starting with a cold casserole.
- Refrigerate Leftovers – Once completely cooled, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-5 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- To Reheat – Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.
This sweet potato casserole recipe is the perfect addition to your holiday table with its crunchy pecan topping and sweet, spiced sweet potato layer. I hope your family adores this dish as much as mine does!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 lbs sweet potatoes, 6 cups mashed
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt, or a pinch of salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries, optional
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour substitute
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold, diced
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped, optional
Instructions
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cook Sweet Potatoes – Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1" chunks. Add to a large pot with enough water to cover surface of potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered at a medium/low boil about until easily pierced with a fork (about 10-15 minutes). Drain and mash (mash with an electric mixer to make it even creamier).
- Make Sweet Potato Filling – Preheat Oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir butter mixture into cooked sweet potatoes, then stir in dried cranberries. Spread sweet potato mix evenly into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Make Pecan Crumble Topping – In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and flour. Add butter and use your hands to rub the mixture together until pea-sized crumbs form. Stir in chopped pecans.
- Assemble & Bake – Sprinkle over sweet potatoes and bake at 350˚F uncovered for 35-40 min or until hot and sweet potatoes start to puff at the edges.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Sweet Potato Recipes
If you love this sweet potato casserole recipe, then you won’t want to miss these other sweet potato recipes.
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Bacon
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
- Baked Sweet Potato
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
It’s not the holidays without this at the table. Looks amazing!
I agree! Sweet Potatoes are a must!
I can not wait to try this recipe for Thanksgiving! What an EXCELLENT idea adding a bit of chopped cranberry to the recipe! I was happy to see how to add the marshmallows as my [adult /lol] daughter would be very disappointed with out them…but personally I would love this recipe better “without ” the marshmallows. Thank you so much for this Amazing Cooking site! It is definitely my favorite Food site!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Cindy!
This is the same recipe my mom makes, however, she adds 2 T of bourbon. It takers it over the top. Alcohol cooks out, so it’s safe for kids.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This casserole is perfection! We loved all the flavors and how easy it is to make!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I had Friendsgiving last weekend and made this as one of my sides. All of it was gone and everybody asked me for the recipe.
Thank you Natasha for a great dish as always!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
After it’s baked, do you eat it hot or cold?
We love it hot or warm 🙂
I am taking the sweet potato casserole for a Thanksgiving dinner. As the oven will have the turkey, can I cook the casserole at home and then warm it up in the oven when the turkey comes out 4 hours later.
I think that may work well Carol! I hope you like it!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving 2 ways. I had to divide it because my nephew is allergic to nuts. So I made half following the recipe and the other half substituting marshmallows for the pecans. They both came out FANTASTIC. There were no leftovers (which made me very sad because I was looking forward to leftovers). Can’t wait to make it again next week when I have friends over.
Thank you, Natasha, for a delicious recipe.
You’re welcome Renee! I’m happy to hear the recipe is such a success! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
I made this dish for this Thanksgiving. Everybody loved it! I used yams instead. Will make it again for next holiday!
Awesome, I’m happy to hear that!
Delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness without tasting like dessert.
I’m glad you love it! Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I was thrilled to see this featured in an email, because my husband recently tried a similar recipe at work. He raved about it and even emailed it to me. I took one look and was shocked because it calls for so much added sugar. Your recipe uses half the amount, perhaps even less. I was going to try adjusting it myself, but wasn’t sure about how much. This looks perfect. Thank you.
My pleasure JoAnn! I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know what you think.
Thank you for the recipe!
Do you serve it hot, worm or cold?
Gosha, I would serve it warm or hot. It reheats easily.
This looks great. I make something similar, but due to an egg allergy, I use orange juice.
That is a great tip! Thank you for sharing! Are you omitting the eggs?
Hi Natasha! Excited to make this for thanksgiving, however I wonder if I could substitute sugar with maple syrup or maybe not add any sugar at all inside the sweet potatoes since they are already sweet and there’s some sugar on top? I don’t know if that would alter the taste much. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Ani, it would cause the casserole to be less sweet but if you are looking to reduce sugar, that would still work, the flavor just wouldn’t pop quite as much.
Hi Natasha, how far in advance would it be k to prepare this ? Thank you and have a very happy thanksgiving!
Mary, please see “make ahead tip” in the third paragraph of the post.
Thanks – I didn’t read thoroughly lol 😏
I use my mom’s recipe, which is much the same without the craisins. I don’t use orange juice, but many do with the marshmallow topped sweet potatoes instead of this crunchy topping. Since I will have both lovers of each this year, I will not add the orange juice (it’s too prominent, and not needed with the crunch topping), but I will alternately “stripe” the top, crunch mixture and marshmallow topping. Maybe all will be happy this way!
Thank you for sharing!! I do like the idea of marshmallows and it is clever to stripe the top!
Ah! I have a similar recipe and it’s a fan favorite. Mine has more streusel on top with small diced nuts, no berries. I add orange juice for acidity and flavor. So delicious!
That does sound good! Thanks for sharing Brianne!
thank you for this recipe, a nice new version, at least to me, of what I usually make, so thank you for this twist!
My pleasure Sabrina! I hope you love the recipe!
Natasha – I am a huge fan of your Apple Cinnamon Slab Pie! This will be the 3rd time that I will be making it for my siblings, parents, and friends. I stumbled across it while searching for similar apple recipes online. I was attracted to your blog because it was so down to earth and easy to follow. I love trying new things and I will definitely keep up with your blog. New fan! (P.S you are absolutely stunning… I cannot get over your amazing skin!)
I’m happy to hear how much you are enjoying my site Fatima! Thanks you for your sweet and encouraging comments!
Hi! If I make the Ahead of time and add the egg mixture to the hot potatoes and the right into my refrigerator, will the texture get funny because the eggs will kind of cook from the hot potato’s?
Hi Pat, it won’t get funny if the eggs are mixed into the butter and sugar before mixing with the sweet potatoes. It will work to make this ahead, but you will need to bake a little longer if baking this right from the refrigerator. Make sure it is hot in the center and you can double-check with an instant-read thermometer that it reaches a minimal internal temperature of 165˚F in the center since there are raw eggs added to the casserole.
This is so pretty to eat Natasha 😊
Thanks Inna! I agree 🙂
Glad to find this way of preparing sweet potatoes. I usually prepare the bake using mozzarella but this one is new thing to me. Thank you for sharing !
I hope you love it! And I would like to hear more about your version. Sounds interesting and I always love to experiment! 🙂
Dear Natasha,
Glad you’re interested in this savory version. It combines sweet potatoes with mozzarella, Parmesan, bacon and poppy seeds. I do not know if it is OK to attach the link of the dish I have published so you can see the details. Anyway here it is:
http://www.2pots2cook.com/2016/12/29/savory-sweet-potato-cheesy-casserole/
Of course, if you do not prefer to show other people’s posts, feel free to delete my answer, no problem at all.
I hope you will enjoy our savory version 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! I love the idea of a savory sweet potato casserole 🙂