This comforting dish combines mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and butter with a hint of cinnamon. It is all crowned with pillowy soft marshmallows and toasty pecans. A sweet potato casserole is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
A Dessert-Like Holiday Side Dish
I love turkey dinner… not for the turkey per se, but more for the stuffing and the sides that go along with it, like this amazing casserole.
This Sweet Potato Casserole is fairly simple and traditional; the flavors of sweet potatoes and pecans really shine. It’s easy to make and can be made ahead of time. Not only are they delicious; this sweet potato casserole is inexpensive to make. This almost dessert-like side dish is perfect for Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas but simple enough to serve for Sunday supper too!
Ingredients For Sweet Potato Casserole
The ingredients in this sweet potato casserole recipe are simple but delicious. There is no need for extra additions like eggs or flour.
Sweet Potatoes—This recipe uses 3lbs of sweet potatoes, which is about 6 medium to large sweet potatoes. This can vary a bit. You can use canned sweet potatoes if you’d like. You’ll need 3 cans (29oz each) (well drained). We tested a few different brands and found Bruce’s to be superior as it contains way more potatoes in the can for the same weight! Brown Sugar—Light or dark brown sugar can be used in this recipe. I prefer dark brown sugar if I have it, as it has more flavor. You can also add a dash of maple syrup if you’d like. Butter—I use salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, add extra salt if needed. Pecans—We love pecans paired with sweet potatoes. Feel free to swap them for walnuts. Flavoring—A little vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon are added for flavor. You can add extra cinnamon or more warm spices (like pumpkin pie spice) if you’d like. You can also add a splash of bourbon or other flavors.
Topping Options
Our favorite way to top this recipe is with pecans and mini marshmallows. If you’d prefer, you can add a streusel topping or pecan crumble.
Preparing the Sweet Potatoes
I prefer to peel and cube my sweet potatoes before boiling to reduce cooking time. You can certainly boil them whole (they’ll need about 20-25 minutes) and peel them once they’re cooked. Using a potato masher to mash sweet potatoes by hand allows you to leave a little bit of texture. If you prefer them completely silky smooth, you can use a hand mixer to make them fluffy.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
Variations
We always make a simple sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans, but you can also add a delicious crumble topping or a splash of bourbon if you’d like.
Easy to Make Ahead
This easy sweet potato casserole recipe can be prepared well ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours for meal prep (store the topping separately). If you do refrigerate it before baking, remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. If chilled, heat it for about 20 minutes and then stir the sweet potatoes. Add the topping and cook for 15-20 minutes, cold sweet potatoes take much longer to heat through. This Sweet Potato Casserole is a perfect Thanksgiving or Easter side dish, yet it is so easy that you will want to serve it for any Sunday supper. The addition of pecans and marshmallows really adds a crunchy, crisp topping that pairs so nicely with those soft, buttery mashed sweet potatoes. Once you try it, you’ll see why this sweet potato casserole appears on every special occasion.
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