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This easy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe with pecans is perfect for the holidays or a delicious, comforting side dish throughout the year.
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Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Is it a dessert? A side-dish? Is it a holiday treat or yummy enough for any occasion? Debates will rage on, but no matter how you feel about this sweet potato casserole recipe, I can tell you: your family is going to adore it. Mine certainly does!
Sweet Potato Casserole is one of my absolute favorite holiday side dishes. In fact, my family enjoys this recipe so much that we enjoy it often throughout the whole year! Who says you can only enjoy it for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Definitely, not me. I’m kind of a rebel in that regards anyways. 🤷♀️
It seems like everyone’s older relatives have their own perfect recipe for an easy sweet potato casserole. Grandmas and great-aunts love to pull this out at family get-togethers. I feel like it’s universal no matter what part of the country you live in!
Still, sometimes they don’t leave the recipe behind, or you just can’t get it quite right. Or maybe you never had sweet potato casserole during the holidays at all, and you want to make it for the first time. This sweet potato casserole recipe is simple, flexible, and absolutely scrumptious.
Whether you’re pulling out this amazing sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, any other holiday, or just a spectacular dinner with loved ones, it’s going to be a memorable dish!
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
The casserole:
- large sweet potatoes or cans of sweet potatoes
- large eggs
- granulated sugar
- evaporated milk
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- salt
The topping:
- all-purpose flour
- unsalted butter
- light brown sugar
- pecans
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NOTE: I am VERY excited to tell you that, yes, this recipe can be doubled! Create a casserole feast for your family and friends if you want! However, doubling the recipe will affect the cooking time. If you make more sweet potato casserole than the recipe calls for, ensure it comes out golden brown before serving.
How To Make Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cook sweet potatoes on the stove or drain canned yams. Mash potatoes or yams.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes/yams, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and well combined. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and butter until crumbly. Stir pecans into the flour mixture. Sprinkle flour mixture over sweet potato/yam mixture.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and sweet potatoes are set.
- Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Sweet Potato Casserole FAQs
If you can’t serve it immediately, you can definitely make this sweet potato casserole recipe in advance! (Maybe you have a big family dinner coming up, but no time to put things together beforehand.) For instance, you can make it and refrigerate it for up to two days, then bake it as directed when you’re ready to eat it. Also, if you cover it in foil, it’ll keep hot on the table for about 30 minutes.
The sweet potato mixture will keep in the freezer, in a freezer-safe container covered, for up to 3 months if you want to make it VERY far in advance. When you’re ready to cook it, just let it thaw in the fridge overnight, throw on your chosen toppings, and bake the casserole! You can also freeze leftovers and reheat them.
– For larger portions, it’s best to bake them. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 350F oven for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
– For smaller portions, it’s easiest to use a microwave to reheat the casserole until heated through.
For those with various dietary needs, I haven’t tried any particular substitutions, and so I can’t say for sure what works and what doesn’t. However, I have heard that egg substitutes will do just as well in this recipe. Just passing on that tip!
Recipe Tips
- You may notice the omission of a classic topping – marshmallows! You are free to add those in. I prefer the casserole without it. I know, I know! Different strokes and all that. 🙂 If you choose to use them, you’ll want to add them close to the end of the baking time, during the last few minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn.
- I’ve seen other additions that may be tasty: coconut or coconut milk, bourbon, vanilla pudding, cayenne pepper, and pineapple. I can’t personally vouch for any of them, but I’d LOVE to hear your experiences with them.
- The eggs are an integral part of this recipe. It’s the binder that holds everything together without making the dish too heavy – so don’t omit them!
- Sweet potato casserole makes for great leftovers, by the way – especially cold. 😉
Other recipes you may enjoy
Sweet Potato Casserole
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Equipment
Ingredients
Casserole
- 4-5 large sweet potatoes, or 3 cans, 16 ounces each sweet potatoes or yams
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, 1/2 stick
- ¾ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Cook sweet potatoes on the stove or drain canned yams. Mash potatoes or yams.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes/yams, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and well combined. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and butter until crumbly. Stir pecans into the flour mixture. Sprinkle flour mixture over sweet potato/yam mixture.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and sweet potatoes are set.
- Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
- You may notice the omission of a classic topping – marshmallows! You are free to add those in. I prefer the casserole without it. I know, I know! Different strokes and all that. 🙂 If you choose to use them, you’ll want to add them close to the end of the baking time, during the last few minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn.
- I’ve seen other additions that may be tasty: coconut or coconut milk, bourbon, vanilla pudding, cayenne pepper, and pineapple. I can’t personally vouch for any of them, but I’d LOVE to hear your experiences with them.
- The eggs are an integral part of this recipe. It’s the binder that holds everything together without making the dish too heavy – so don’t omit them!
- Sweet potato casserole makes for great leftovers, by the way – especially cold. 😉
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published on December 2, 2019. Updated on October 10, 2021.
Can I cook this in a crockpot?
For many years I have made two in advance of Thanksgiving and put them in the freezer. They are then ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thaw in the fridge and then bake and they are just as good as fresh made.