The BEST Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe! (VIDEO) (2024)

Published: Nov 12, 2019 · Modified: Feb 10, 2024 by Kelly · This post may contain affiliate links · 72 Comments

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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.

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A Thanksgiving and holiday favorite

Sweet Potato Casserole with its crunchy pecan topping is a favorite on the Thanksgiving or holiday table. Even when everyone is stuffed – we always reach for just one more serving of this sweet, creamy, and crunchy casserole. It makes the perfect side dish for roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings.

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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 cominglesperfectly 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.

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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 asyrupy glaze underneath the crunchy top that keeps everything moist anddelicious.

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What ingredients are in Sweet Potato Casserole

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:

How to prepare the sweet potatoes

You can cook the sweet potatoes any way you choose. Myfavorite way of cooking the sweet potatoes is wrapping them each in foil, thenroasting for about an hour. I find it to be the most foolproof method for sweetpotatoes 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 themicrowave
the foil catches any sugary drips that come outof 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
peel and cube the sweet potatoes, then boil in a large pot of water until tender (don't overcook or they'll get watery)

How to make the sweet potato filling

Process cooked and peeled sweet potatoes in a food processoralong with the other filling ingredients (eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, andvanilla) until velvety smooth. This takes about a minute or so in a foodprocessor.

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Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer and a large bowl. Or mash the potatoes with a potato masher or press through a potato ricer until well mashed.

Spread the sweet potato filling evenly in a baking dish. I used an oval 2 quart dish that measures 11 by 8 inches. The potatoes in the photo below are not spread evenly 🙂

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How to make the streusel topping

The streusel topping couldn’t be easier. Just combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then stir in melted butter with a spoon. Use a gentle hand and mix until everything is moistened and in clumps. Don’t overmix or it will become pasty.

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Evenly spread the pecan topping on top of the sweet potatoes.

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How to bake the Sweet Potato Casserole

Bake the Sweet Potato Casserole in the lower third of a 350° Foven for about 30 minutes. The topping should get golden brown. If it starts toget too brown, cover with a piece of foil. The inside temperature of thecasserole should reach about 170° F.

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Can Sweet Potato Casserole be made ahead?

Preparing the Sweet Potato Casserole ahead of time comes inhandy, particularly for a busy holiday dinner.

Both the sweet potatoes and the streusel topping can be madeup to three days in advance then chilled separately in the fridge. Let rest atroom temperature 30 minutes before baking, then add the topping and bake.

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My signature holiday dish

This Sweet Potato Casserole is perfect as is. However, Imake an orange scented variation that’s so special and unique - It knockseverybody’s socks off. It’s the first thing to go on the holiday table.

Adding orange zest and a little orange juice gives the sweetpotatoes a lovely brightness. It doesn’t taste orangey. It just elevates the sweetpotato flavor to a whole new level.

To make the orange scented variation, to the sweet potato filling add 1-2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest and substitute ¼ cup orange juice and ¼ cup heavy cream for the milk.

Sweet Potato Casserole

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 33 reviews

Author: Kelly
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

Sweet potato casserole - velvety smooth, sweet potatoes topped with the most amazing sweet, crunchy, pecan and brown sugar streusel. A must have on the Thanksgiving or holiday table.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

For the sweet potato filling:

3 cups peeled (cooked sweet potatoes, from about 3 pounds (about 1.36kg) sweet potatoes (See Note 1))
½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
½ cup (113g) butter, melted and cooled
½ cup (113g) milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt

For the streusel topping:

1 cup (213g) light brown sugar, packed
½ cup (71g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (113g) chopped pecans
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
pinch of cinnamon

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Instructions

Preheat (or reduce temperature after baking potatoes) oven to 350° F.

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.
Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer to combine well.
Pour into a greased casserole dish (mine was about 12 by 8-inches) 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

To cook sweet potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash sweet potatoes, then prick in several places with a fork.
Wrap each in foil and bake until cooked through and soft, about 60 - 75 minutes.

Peel potatoes. The peel should pull right off. Let cool slightly before mixing with eggs.

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

• peel and cube the sweet potatoes, then boil in water until tender

To make an orange scented variation:

Add 1-2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest to the sweet potato filling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Category: Dessert, Side Dish
Method: oven
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 430
Sugar: 32.2 g
Sodium: 165.9 mg
Fat: 27.3 g
Carbohydrates: 44.9 g
Protein: 4.2 g
Cholesterol: 86.3 mg

FAQs

How do you make sweet potato casserole not watery? ›

Maple syrup, a dash of cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla all make an appearance for an incredible flavor. It's hearty and satisfying. Eggs and cream help stabilize the dish and prevent it from becoming too runny (a common complaint with many sweet potato casserole recipes).

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Why do you add eggs to 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.

Why are my sweet potatoes still hard after baking? ›

If the potato is still firm when squeezed, that means it needs to cook more. Baked sweet potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat for 2 minutes in the microwave, at 400°F in the air fryer for 5 minutes, or at 400°F in the oven for 10 minutes.

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What variety of sweet potato is best for casserole? ›

Texture: Moist, watery. Best uses: Boiling, baking, in casseroles. Jewels have light orange skin, and are less intensely sweet than Beauregards, but can be used in many of the same recipes. These orange-fleshed sweet potatoes pack a lot of moisture, and take well to boiling, baking, and making into casseroles.

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How do you keep a casserole moist? ›

Pro Tip: Avoid Dry Casserole.

The best way to prevent it from drying out is to add a little bit of water, around ¼ cup, to the top of it. Allow the water to seep between the food and the sides of the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil to seal in the moisture.

Know More ›

Should you poke holes in sweet potatoes before baking? ›

Before baking, use a fork to prick each sweet potato several times. You don't need to jab the fork in deep. We're creating steam vents. Otherwise the pressure in the sweet potato could build up so high in the oven that it explodes—an unlikely possibility but one best avoided!

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Do sweet potatoes get softer the longer you cook them? ›

How Long to Roast Sweet Potatoes. This recipe produces perfectly roasted sweet potatoes after about 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 425 degrees F. If you like your roasted sweet potatoes very soft, you might want to cook them a tad longer.

Learn More Now ›

Do sweet potatoes get sweeter the longer you cook them? ›

The longer and slower you cook a sweet potato, the more maltose is formed and the sweeter it will taste. So if you want a much less sweet potato try steaming it, or cut it into small pieces and roast on a higher heat.

Which is better canned sweet potatoes or fresh sweet potatoes? ›

There were significantly lower amounts of copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, and zinc in canned sweet potatoes than in fresh sweet potatoes and no significant differences in cal- cium, chloride, iron, manganese, and sodium between the fresh and canned samples.

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What do you eat with sweet potato casserole? ›

I love to serve this sweet potato casserole as a side dish, alongside roasted turkey and chicken, glazed ham, and perfectly seared steaks. But since the flavors are reminiscent of pumpkin or sweet potato pie, this also makes an excellent dessert.

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What's the difference between yams and sweet potato casserole? ›

While both yams and sweet potatoes are root vegetables, the taste of each is entirely unique. The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes tend to be much sweeter and creamier in texture compared to yams which have a white flesh that's starchier and more similar to a white potato.

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What to do if casserole is too runny? ›

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener.

A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking. You can also substitute chickpea flour for cornstarch. Chickpea flour is an excellent thickener for savory dishes.

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How to make sweet potatoes less watery? ›

One way is, you can put your sweet potatoes in A plastic bag, and put it in A warm windowsill, and that'll hold in the moisture.

How to stop potato bake from going watery? ›

Some potatoes, like Yukon Gold, have more water in them. Try letting the dish rest for 10 minutes or so to let the water get absorbed and let the sauce thicken. Try cooking your recipe longer. Try uncovering the dish in the oven for the last 10 minutes or so.

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How do you keep sweet potato mash from getting watery? ›

Removing the water as steam makes room in the starch granule for the good stuff, the milk and cream. It also helps reduce the runny consistency. If you want dense mashed potatoes, use less milk and substitute yogurt. Don't whip the potatoes with a hand mixer, mash them with a potato masher.