The ONLY sweet potato casserole recipe you need! Creamy whipped sweet potatoes with cinnamon and nutmeg are topped with a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping in this Southern Sweet Potato Casserole. Instead of marshmallows, our recipe has a crunchy, crumbly pecan topping: we’re proud to say it’s the best sweet potato casserole recipe ever!
Southern sweet potato casserole is a family favorite of Thanksgiving side dishes, and for good reason. It’s a rich, sweet casserole that pairs wonderfully with other seasonal Fall flavors, and it’s SO easy to put together! This easy make ahead sweet potato casserole forgoes the marshmallow topping for a crumbly pecan topping everyone will love.
Sweet potatoes are the perfect Fall ingredient. We love everything from glazed sweet potatoes, to a classic recipe for candied yams, to sweet potato casserole as soon as this time of year rolls around! They’re perfect for Easter and Christmas, too; imagine, sweet potato casserole with a serving of Maple Glazed Ham… yes, please!
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Ingredients
Our easy sweet potato casserole recipe requires just a handful of common, fresh ingredients. No canned sweet potatoes here! The best part is that you can make a delicious Southern Sweet Potato Casserole recipe using fresh sweet potatoes just as easily as if you were cracking open a can. We know you’ll love this sweet potato casserole with pecans!
- Sweet Potatoes: You’re going to need 4-5 large sweet potatoes to end up with about 4 cups of cooked mashed sweet potatoes.
- Sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, and butter to make your potatoes rich and creamy!
- Spices and flavors: pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg for those comforting fall flavors.
- Crumb topping ingredients: butter, brown sugar, flour, and chopped pecans.
Below are the exact measurements you will need for the ingredients to make this simple sweet potato casserole.
Ingredients
- 4-5 sweet potatoes large
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 stick butter melted
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
For the pecan topping
- 1/2 stick butter melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans chopped
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
Here’s the step-by-step guide to making our easy sweet potato casserole. We truly believe this is the best sweet potato casserole recipe ever, and we’re sure you’ll agree once you try it. And, as an added bonus – your home is about to smell amazing!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pierce sweet potatoes several times all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 60 minutes.
- Once cool enough to handle, peel sweet potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Whip sweet potatoes with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth. You need about 4 cups of whipped sweet potatoes.
- Add sugar, eggs, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg to the sweet potatoes.
- Mix with electric mixer and put in a greased square casserole dish.
- Add topping ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Spread on top of sweet potatoes.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until heated through.
That’s it! These are all the steps you need to follow to make a delicious batch of Southern Sweet Potato Casserole. This easy recipe is sure to become one of your favorite Thanksgiving sides! Everyone at the table will be asking you for the recipe!
Can you make sweet potato casserole ahead of time?
YES! You can easily turn this into a make ahead sweet potato casserole by cooking your sweet potatoes and whipping them up ahead of time. Store them in your casserole dish, tightly covered in the refrigerator, for a couple of days.
You can also make the topping ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator separate from the casserole. The day that you’re ready to bake it, spread the topping on top and pop it in the oven. You’ll need to add a few extra minutes in the oven since you’ll be cooking it from cold, but that’s it!
Can you freeze sweet potato casserole?
YES! Sweet potatoes freeze well and this dish would be a great frozen staple to keep on hand for busy nights. We recommend preparing the potatoes as instructed but making the topping on the day you plan to bake it. Just thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight and you’ll be good to go!
What to Serve with Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Thanksgiving first comes to mind when we think about serving baked sweet potato recipes, but this dish is also excellent alongside ham (think Easter spread!) and is a great potluck dish or a side for any meal of the year – especially as a part of your buffet menu ideas for the holidays! You could also eat this as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and we’re not against a little sweet potato casserole for breakfast, too.
But, let’s get back to turkey for a minute! Here are some scrumptious recipes to complement sweet potato casserole:
- Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
- Easy Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
- Slow Cooker Stuffing
- Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole
- Classic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
We hope you’ll love our easy sweet potato casserole. Let us know how you like your sweet potatoes in the comments below and with a rating! We love to hear from you.
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Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 4-5 sweet potatoes large
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 stick butter melted
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
For topping
- 1/2 stick butter melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pierce potatoes several times all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake potatoes until tender, about 60 minutes.
- Once cool enough to handle, peel potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Whip potatoes with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth. You need about 4 cups of whipped sweet potatoes.
- Add sugar, eggs, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg to the potatoes.
- Mix with electric mixer and put in a greased square casserole dish.
- Add topping ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Spread on top of potatoes.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until heated through.
Notes
- Make it ahead of time: Turn this into a make ahead sweet potato casserole by cooking your sweet potatoes and whipping them up ahead of time. Store them, tightly covered, in a casserole dish in the refrigerator, for up to a couple of days ahead of time. You can make the topping ahead of time by simply preparing it and storing it to spread on before baking.
- Freeze it: Prepare the potatoes as instructed but make the topping on the day you plan to bake it. Thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight, and you are good to go!
Nutrition
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Liz @ Books n' Cooks says
This looks really amazing!