Making this easy sweet potato casserole recipe for the holidays is perfect – it is made with pecans and it is so delicious!
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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!
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! I bet you’re thinking about your old auntie’s casserole right now…
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. Read on for more details!
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
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 degrees. Spray 13×9 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 mixture to 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 Recipe: Tips & Tricks
Let me share some tips I picked up about this casserole! If you have any questions, check here first.
- You may notice the omission of a classic topping…marshmallows! You are free to add those in. I just prefer the casserole without it. I know, I know! Different strokes and all that. 🙂
- Other additions I’ve seen 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.
- 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, then put it in the oven for 20 minutes or so the next day. 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 for 3 months if you have leftovers or 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!
- 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!
- Sweet potato casserole makes for great leftovers, by the way…especially cold. 😉
How did you like this recipe
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! ? Let me know in the comments how it turned out for you, and if you have any questions, I’ll try my best to answer them.
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Making this easy sweet potato casserole recipe for the holidays is perfect - it is made with pecans and it is so delicious!
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 (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Cook sweet potatoes on the stove or drain canned yams. Mash potatoes or yams.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 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 mixture to 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.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 490Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 306mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 7gSugar: 44gProtein: 10g
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary greatly between brands. Always be sure to read labels.
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.