Full of flavor and perfect for making ahead, this homemade sweet potato casserole will steal the show at your next holiday meal. Crunchy sweet brown sugar pecan crumble covers every bite of this buttery sweet potato mash. After your first forkful, you’ll already be thinking about going for seconds!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Side dishes are, without a doubt, the best part of a classic Thanksgiving meal. Don’t get me wrong—I love my Thanksgiving pies. But we’re talking creamy from-scratch green bean casserole, flaky soft dinner rolls, and flavorful cornbread stuffing.
Today’s recipe for homemade sweet potato casserole is a family favorite. Enjoy a smooth and creamy sweet potato mash topped with a crunchy, toasty, praline-esque pecan topping. Because it’s a little sweet, I like to serve this casserole with a sprinkle of sea salt and some savory fresh thyme or rosemary. A lovely balance of texture and flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- Creamy + crunchy = wonderful contrasting textures in every bite
- Buttery sweet potato mash with a hint of vanilla
- Cinnamon-spiced brown sugar pecan topping
- Sweet + salty—a decadent way to get your vitamin A!
- You can conveniently prep it a couple days in advance
One reader, Susi, commented: “Very easy to make and was a big hit at Thanksgiving! Prepared the potatoes and topping the night before so was a quick dish to put together and bake on the day. The pecan topping and sweet potatoes together were divine! ★★★★★”
10 Ingredients in This Thanksgiving Side Dish
- Sweet potatoes: You need 2 pounds (908g) for this casserole, which is 3 extra large sweet potatoes or 5 small/medium sweet potatoes. Don’t go overboard on the potatoes because the mash will end up tasting heavy and dense. If you buy a large bag and have leftovers, try my sweet potato turkey chili for an easy post-Thanksgiving weekend meal.
- Butter: For unparalleled buttery flavor.
- Brown sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar in this casserole, but light works too. You’ll use some in both the sweet potato mash and the pecan crumble topping.
- Eggs: For structure—they turn this into a casserole, rather than a pile of mashed sweet potatoes.
- Half-and-half: Half-and-half keeps this dish extra creamy. If you have heavy cream on hand for your other cooking and baking needs (like whipped cream & pumpkin pie), you can use that instead.
- Vanilla extract: For just a hint of delicate, aromatic flavor.
- Salt: Brings out all the flavors, and balances the sweetness.
- Flour: Gives structure to the crumbly topping.
- Cinnamon: Complements both the sweet potato and pecan flavors.
- Pecans: Buttery, nutty pecans are the jewels in the sweet potato casserole crown!
Plus, finishing touches like thyme or rosemary and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt round out the entire dish.
One reader, Christine, commented: “The fresh rosemary and sea salt made it…*chef’s kiss*. ★★★★★“
Boil & Mash the Sweet Potatoes
This recipe starts out just like my sweet potato dinner rolls. Begin by peeling the sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Boil them in a large pot of water until they’re nice and tender. Let them cool for about 15 minutes, and then mash. You can use a potato masher and some arm muscle for this, but I usually just use my mixer. Once they’re as smooth as you’d like (feel free to leave some chunks if you prefer them that way!), beat in the eggs, brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. These are all the ingredients you need for the sweet potato layer.
FAQ: Can I Use Yams Instead of Sweet Potatoes in This Casserole?
For the best taste and texture, I recommend using sweet potatoes instead of yams.
The names of these two starchy root vegetables are often used interchangeably, but they are actually different, and originate from different continents. Native to Central and South America, sweet potatoes typically have orange flesh and a pinkish-brown skin, and are sweeter and creamier in texture when cooked. Native to Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, true yams have white flesh and a bark-like skin, with a drier, starchier texture—more like a regular baking potato.
You could, however, use purple sweet potatoes if you can find them!
Easy Crunchy Pecan Topping
We’re finishing this sweet potato casserole with a delicious crumbly, praline-esque pecan topping. The crunchy texture contrasts so beautifully with the creamy, buttery sweet potato mash. It comes together quickly and easily, and uses some of the same ingredients as the sweet potato layer.
If you love the cinnamon-y brown sugar pecan topping here, you’ll enjoy something similar on this pumpkin French toast casserole and this cranberry Christmas cake.
Can I Use Marshmallows on This Sweet Potato Casserole?
Yes. If you love marshmallows on your sweet potato casserole, you can certainly add them. You could even use homemade marshmallows. I wouldn’t leave off the pecan topping, though. (You’ll really miss that texture!) Add the marshmallows towards the end of the bake time. See recipe Note below for details.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole Ahead of Time
This easy side dish can be prepared ahead of time, which we all know is a total lifesaver leading up to Thanksgiving dinner! Here’s how to get started:
- 1–2 days before serving: Boil and mash the sweet potatoes, add the remaining ingredients to the sweet potatoes, and smooth into a baking dish. Prepare the topping in a separate bowl. Cover each separately and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Day of serving: Spoon the topping over the sweet potato layer and bake.
- Freezing instructions: If assembled, the unbaked casserole can be frozen up to 2 months. Take it out of the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bring the casserole to room temperature and bake.
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
- Cornbread Stuffing and Sausage & Herb Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole
- Dinner Rolls and Cornbread
- Cranberry Sauce
- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry Tarts
For even more inspiration see my complete list of 40+ Thanksgiving side dishes. And of course… dessert. Here are our favorite Thanksgiving pie recipes, including classics like pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie. Don’t forget turkey pot pie for any leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
Print
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe with Pecan Topping
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy, comforting, and simple sweet potato casserole with a crunchy pecan crumble on top. Texture and flavors are spot on!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (908g) sweet potatoes, peeled (about 5 small/medium)
- 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp; 71g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup (120ml) half-and-half or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp; 71g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 2/3 cups (210g) pecan halves or chopped pecans
- optional: fresh rosemary or thyme, and flaky sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot or dutch oven and cover them completely with water. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the water and allow the sweet potatoes to cool for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan (or a similar size casserole dish, or a 12-inch oven-safe skillet). Set aside.
- Place the cooked sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the potatoes until relatively smooth—I like to leave some chunks for texture. For your reference, you will have about 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. Add the butter, brown sugar, beaten eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt. Spoon/pour the mixture into prepared pan.
- For the topping: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the melted butter and pecans until the mixture is totally combined. Spoon evenly over potatoes.
- Bake for 30–40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then top with a little fresh thyme or rosemary and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This is a great make ahead recipe! Here’s how to get started 1–2 days before: Prepare sweet potatoes through step 3, then prepare the topping. Cover each separately and refrigerate for up to 2 days. On the day of serving, assemble and bake. Assembled, unbaked casserole can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and continue with step 5. Baked casserole can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature, and bake at 350°F (177°C) until warmed through.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Pot (such as a Dutch oven) | Vegetable Peeler | 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Flaky Sea Salt
- Adding Marshmallows: If you love marshmallows on top of your sweet potato casserole, you can certainly add them. Bake as directed above, but 5 minutes before it’s done, add 1 cup marshmallows on top and then finish baking.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Sweet potato casserole with condensed milk and coconut and post toasties
We have used almond milk and 1:1 flour (King Arthur) and it works fine. Everyone says it tastes the same.
I made this last year for the first time and there was nothing left….the family all loved it.
I have 9 adults, 2 children 12 and 9 (9 year old won’t eat)
Should I double the recipe? Last year i had 11 adults one of whom ate it.
I want to have enough plus I’m sure they’d like to take some home.
Also, I don’t remember if i used heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2. Which do you prefer? I do use dark brown sugar as you suggested.
I love all your recipes!!!!
We’re so glad you love this dish, Donna! You can double all the ingredients and bake in two baking dishes. Half-and-half keeps this dish extra creamy, but if you have heavy cream on hand for your other cooking and baking needs, you can use that instead. Enjoy!
I have some crystallized ginger left over from making Sally’s Ginger Chocolate cookies (which were a big hit). Is there any way to use some of it in this recipe? If so, how
Hi Annie, you could try sprinkling some on top of the fully baked casserole. Let us know what you try!
It’s very tasty but too sweet I regret putting any brown sugar in the mashed . The potatoes are sweet enough . Just use in topping or taste as you go !
Have you tried this gluten free?
Hi Leah, we haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do!
My son is gluten and dairy free (Crohn’s) and we have been making it gluten and dairy free for the last few years. Everyone says it tastes the same. ( I can tell a slight difference due to the almond milk but I’m the only one!) My DIL makes it that way and takes it several places over the holidays and gets nothing but compliments.
Hi Sally! I always love your recipes and they get great review from family and friends every single time so thank you!!
One question for this recipe… if there is an egg allergy in the family, what would be the best substitute for the eggs?
Thank you!
Hi Kendra, thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes! The eggs help give the casserole structure and we haven’t tested any substitutes. Let us know if you do!
What to replace flour in this recipe can I use almond flour?
Hi Georgia, we haven’t tested almond flour in this recipe, and it’s not necessarily always a 1:1 swap. If you’re looking for a gluten free option, you may have better luck with a 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour blend. Let us know what you try!
We have used almond milk and 1:1 flour (King Arthur) and it works fine. Everyone says it tastes the same.
Hello, I love your recipes! They are always delicious and I love the detailed instructions, tips and make ahead information! Thank you so much!
I just made the sweet potato filling yesterday. I’m going to freeze it and the topping separately, put it together and bake on Thanksgiving. My question is that the sweet potato mixture is only about 1″ deep (without topping) in the 9 x 13 pan. Does that sound right or did I make a mistake? I did not measure the sweet potatoes, but weighed them. They were slightly over 2 lbs. before peeling. Thanks for your help.
Hi Patty! It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. If you used about two pounds of sweet potatoes (and didn’t omit any other ingredients), you should be all set. We hope it’s a hit!
Sally, been making this for several years. Our daughter aaaaalwaaaays requests I
Question, can I make this into a sweet potato pie? Also, needing the pastry to be GF.
Hi Laura, We haven’t tried that, but we have this recipe for sweet potato pie that you may also love!
How can I double this recipe? Have you ever tried using evaporated milk instead? Thank you
I’ve probably left a review before. This sweet potato casserole is so good and it turns out good every single time! I make this on rotation and it’s always a hit. It’s also great with leftover! If you like cottage cheese, it’s perfect topped with cottage cheese the next morning for breakfast Thank you so much for this dish Sally!!
I made this last Thanksgiving and it became an immediate family favourite. My partner and brother in law requested it again for Christmas, and then for Thanksgiving this year – and neither of them are big fans of sweet potatoes. Perfect holiday recipe!
Have also had crushed pineapple in sweet potato casserole,really enjoyed ,with pecans as well.
Hi! Want to make an attempt to make this soon! Could I use Japanese sweet potato instead of the regular sweet potato? Would it affect anything?
Hi Vicky, we haven’t tried this recipe with Japanese sweet potatoes, so are unsure of the difference, if any. If you give it a try, please report back!
This is such a good sweet potato casserole but I don’t see many comments about the dish size. The pecan topping is the best and the potatoes themselves are sweet but not overly sweet. I’ve made this twice. First time I followed the recipe except that I roasted the sweet potatoes skin on and then just scooped out the filling. It takes no re time but it’s hands off and gives you a better flavor in my opinion. The first time I used the recommended 9×13 and I thought the pecan topping was too thick in comparison to the potato layer. I made it a few days later for another thanksgiving event but used a smaller casserole dish. It was closer to 9×9 I think. That was much better. I didn’t use all the pecans but still had a thick layer. I’m guessing it’s personal preference. But the recipe as written has a thinner layer of potatoes with a thicker layer of nuts.
Hi Sally, would this work with just oat milk? There is a dairy and coconut allergy, so I can’t substitute coconut milk like others have tried. I’ve had the original version before and loved it, so I’d still like to use this recipe but adjusted it possible.
Hi Anne, we haven’t tested this recipe with oat milk. Let us know if you do!
This is the best sweet potato casserole recipe and it’s not even close. And I’ve tried about a dozen recipes over the years. For family with a big sweet tooth, I did both the pecan topping AND marshmallows and NGL it was AMAZING. (And I’m one of the ones who doesn’t like things too sweet!) Just make this and don’t even bother with another recipe! It’s another winner from Sally!
I love sweet potatoes! One of my favorite treats is the sweet potato casserole at Ruths Chris. This recipe sounded pretty close to that so I decided to make this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. It turned out amazing! Thank you Sally for giving me the closest recipe to my favorite side dish at a fraction of the price.
Will be making this every holiday and probably off & on all year. Absolutely delicious!
I made your sweet potato casserole for the lst time for Thanksgiving. It was fabulous, everyone loved it!!! I always know your recipes will be just as you say and i was comfortable to make for the lst time for the holiday. I love your videos and tips!!! Thank you so much!
This was so delicious. My father in law loves sweet potato casserole. He loved this recipe and so did I! Your recipes are always a hit.
Best sweet potato casserole I ever made. Only chage I did was to bake the sweet potatoes first, keeping more flavor intact. Everyone raved about it.
It was my first time make this dish – ever. I knew Sally’s recipe wouldn’t disappoint. It was so delicious and a hit this thanksgiving! Thank you!
HI Sally made the salted caramel cheesecake and your sweet potato casserole. Added the topping and garnished the cook’s half with maldon and fresh rosemary!!! Yum…. the other half was for my family, several of which cannot do nuts, so I did marshmallow top or…. be tarred and feathered by popular opinion! Sally,, as far as I am concerned you are giving Ina and Julia a run for their $$. Thanks so much for these great recipes!!
If you bake the sweet potatoes in the oven instead of boiling them..and add a little time
e longer then usual..you will get caramelized sweet potatoes that are SUPER YUMMY!
can i double this recipe and just have a thicker layer of potatoes?
Hi Lily, If the potatoes are too thick the center may not warm through but you can certainly try it. You can double it and split between two pans, or even using a larger size pan. Hope the recipe is a hit!
I doubled it and put it in two dishes! It worked well!
Only 4 cups in a 9×13? How thin is that sweet potato layer?
It’s not a super thick layer, typical for sweet potato casserole. Watching the video above will give you a good idea of what to expect!
Can I bake this sweet potato casserole a day or two before needed, and if so, how to rewarm it the day it is needed. (Oven availability is limited on holiday, so hope to bake fish ahead of time.
Hi Mari, Yes you can bake it the day before and reheat it in your oven at 350°F (177°C) until warmed through. Enjoy!
Great. Thank you
hey sally! i was wondering if i could put this in two pie pans instead of a 9×13 pan, if so how long should i bake it?
Hi Charlotte! We haven’t tested that, but it should be ok. We’re unsure of the bake time needed.
How do you double the sweet potato casserole recipe with pecan topping
You can double all the ingredients and bake in two baking dishes.
I have made this as a dairy free and gluten free dish with full fat coconut milk and almond flour or other gluten free flour. Adding flax to the mashed potatos is another option to increase nutriment value
Was it good like this? I’d like to try it!
Great recipe!