This sweet potato casserole recipe has a creamy sweet potato filling and crisp brown sugar and pecan topping. Make it ahead for a crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving or holiday side dish!
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This sweet potato casserole recipe has a crunchy, flavorful pecan topping with a creamy layer of sweet potatoes underneath. It’s easy to make with 8 simple ingredients, and you can prep it ahead—the ultimate mark of a great Thanksgiving or holiday side dish, if you ask me!
My family always has sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving. When I was growing up, we had sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, but since I started making this pecan version a few years ago, we haven’t looked back. The contrast between the creamy filling and crunchy topping is absolutely delicious, and the toasty pecans add an extra layer of rich, nutty flavor. It’s become one of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this sweet potato casserole recipe:
- Sweet potatoes, of course! 4 pounds, or about 6 medium-large sweet potatoes, will create a nice thick layer at the bottom of your casserole dish.
- Eggs – They act as a binder in the sweet potato filling, helping it set up with a light, creamy texture.
- Pecans – They add delicious nutty flavor and crunch to the casserole topping.
- All-purpose flour and unsalted butter – They help the topping clump together. Make sure to use cold butter, not melted or room temperature. It will give the topping the best crumbly texture.
- Light brown sugar – It sweetens the topping and perfects its crunchy texture.
- Minced fresh rosemary – It’s optional, but delicious! I love its earthy, piney flavor with the sweet potatoes and pecans.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
This easy sweet potato casserole recipe has 5 main steps:
1. First, bake the sweet potatoes. I tested this filling two ways: with boiled sweet potatoes and with baked ones. I loved the baked sweet potatoes so much more! They have a creamier texture and a sweeter, more concentrated flavor after caramelizing in the hot oven, so you don’t need any extra sugar, butter, or milk in the filling mixture. (I even tested a version with butter and found it too rich alongside the buttery topping! The sweet potatoes just need 2 eggs to help them set up.)
I prepare the baked sweet potatoes using the method from my baked sweet potato recipe. Simply scrub the potatoes, pierce them several times with a fork, and bake at 425°F for 40 to 60 minutes, or until soft. You want them to be super tender so they get nice and smooth when you mash them.
2. While the sweet potatoes are baking, make the pecan topping. Combine the topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Using your hands or two forks, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pinched.
3. Then, mash the filling. Peel off and discard the sweet potato skins, then transfer the flesh to a large bowl. Add the salt and use a potato masher to mash until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
4. Assemble the casserole. Spread the sweet potatoes in a large baking dish and sprinkle the pecan crumble on top.
5. Bake the casserole at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and crisp. Let stand for 15 minutes before digging in!
How to Make Ahead, Store, and Freeze
To make ahead:Â Prepare the sweet potato filling and topping up to 2 days in advance. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the baking dish and cover tightly with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil. Store in the fridge. Store the topping in a separate container in the fridge. When ready to bake, sprinkle the topping over the filling and bake according to the recipe.
To store:Â Store leftover sweet potato casserole in the covered baking dish or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To freeze:Â You can freeze leftover sweet potato casserole for up to 3 months. Transfer it to freezer-safe containers, or cover and freeze it directly in the baking dish. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat: Cover and heat in a 325°F oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until warmed through. Reheat smaller portions in the microwave.
Recipe Tip
If you don’t want to prep the full casserole ahead of time, you can simply bake the sweet potatoes up to 4 days in advance. Store them wrapped in foil or in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the casserole.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
If you love this sweet potato casserole, check out one of these classic Thanksgiving side dishes next:
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Best Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Or any of these 51 Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, about 6 medium-large
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Pecan Topping
- 1½ cups pecans, chopped
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Use a fork to poke a few holes in each of the sweet potatoes. Set them on the baking sheet and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until soft when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Meanwhile, make the pecan topping: In a medium bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, butter, salt, and rosemary, if using. Using your hands or two forks, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pinched.
- When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and transfer the soft flesh to a large bowl. Add the salt and mash until smooth, then add the beaten eggs and mix until well combined.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes to a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread evenly at the bottom. Sprinkle with the pecan topping.
- Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and crisp. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
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I have made mashed sweet potatoes quite a bit, but I have never made casserole. The flavors sound delicious and the toppings look tasty.
I needed to make an orange vegetable for a family dinner and found this recipe. It was the only dish of the night to be completely finished by the end of the evening and I got many compliments. My potatoes weren’t quite as thick as I would have liked so would add another potato to the dish, but the flavour was incredible, it looked beautiful, and since most of the time spent was hands-off while the potatoes were roasting, it wasn’t too onerous. I don’t have a food processor, so whipped the potatoes by hand and used a mini processor for the topping, plus I roasted the potatoes in my air fryer. Truly spectacular – thank you!
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad it was such a hit!
This was great, would definitely make this again. Since I do not have a food processer, I used an immersion blender for the potatoes and a mini chopper for the nut topping. A++
I’m glad this one was a hit for you too!
We loved it – all the aromas of Thanksgiving in one dish. Next time I might use a potato masher instead of the food processor as it might be better (for me) less pureed, but we’re definitely making this again. Thank you for a savory sweet potato casserole as I’m not a fan of the sweet version.
Hi Heather, I’m glad it was a hit!
My family HATED!!!!! This recipe. They put it in the Hall of Shame this year. Yuck!
My husband and I both tasted the topping and felt it was way too salty. 1.5 teaspoons is that right?
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
Hi Susan, I haven’t tried that, I’m not sure.
I am grand free can I swap out some thing for the oats?
Hi Ellen, you can skip them and add extra nuts to the topping.
Delicious! Bought some sweet potatoes from a farm market and stumbled upon this recipe and so grateful for the find! A nice balance of flavors that agrees with everyone’s palate, from 2 years old to 87! This was a hit and yes, I put aside my marshmallow recipe for this treasure!
Ha ha, I’m glad it was such a hit! Impressed that your two year old went for it 🙂
Would this recipe work just as well with PURPLE sweet potatoes?
Hi Pam, yes! How fun!
Why is there garlic in the crumble topping?
We like the flavor, but you can skip it if you prefer!
Will this still be good if I bake it at 350 degrees? I have one oven and (after the turkey comes out of the oven) will be baking a Mac and cheese at that time.
This is my question too. Have you decided what to do?
Can you recommend a substitute for the oats?
Thanks
Can this be made with purple Japanese sweet potatoes? Thank you
Hi Pam, that would work, it’ll just obviously be a different color that might not look as appealing.
I am hoping to make this tomorrow for Canadian thanksgiving. If I make the day before what temp do I cook it the following day and for how long? Thanks
Hi Holly, I’m sorry I’m getting to this late! I’d follow the instructions under “Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions” in the blog post.
Sounds delicious! What type of milk do you use to keep it vegan? Thanks!
This turned out really good with our family for Easter dinner as a side with a bone-in ham. I prepared the sweet potatoes and topping the day before and baked them together on Sunday.
So glad you loved it!
I used yams instead. Smoked Carolina ribs and a southern ditalini salad.
Almost as good as sex.
Very tasty recipe, although there seems to be too much salt in the topping (at least for our taste). We will decrease the salt to 1/2 teaspoon and add more, if needed.
Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. Much appreciated!
Hi Kathy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I was asked to bring a side dish to our Thanksgiving dinner this year and decided I would do this casserole. I’m not a big cook and don’t have a food processor, but I do have a ninja blender… Would that work? Thank you so much!
Hi Rebecca, I think the sweet potatoes will be too thick to do in the blender, and the crumbly mixture would get stuck too. Instead of the blender, you could mash the sweet potatoes with a masher or a fork. And you could chop the crumble topping mixture with a knife, or use a plastic zip lock type bag and a rolling pin to crush it. Hope that helps!
I already have molasses. Could I use it instead of maple syrup?
Add milk with food processor running or it will leak onto the counter.