This is without a doubt my all time FAVORITE Sweet Potato Casserole recipe, and usually the star of our Thanksgiving table! It’s topped with a brown sugar and pecan topping, it’s easy to make the day of or can be prepared in advance for an easy make-ahead holiday side dish.
I love learning what everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving foods are. What do you look forward to the most? Is it the big beautiful turkey? (Leftover turkey sandwiches are the best!) Is it the mashed potatoes and gravy? (Oh yea!) Or, the cranberry sauce? (I can’t have turkey without it!)
For me, it’s a no brainer…it’s the post-dinner PIE!!
But, if we’re talking Thanksgiving dinner, specifically, then this sweet potato casserole is my absolute number ONE! (Stuffing comes in close second.) The smooth and creamy sweet potato filling, combined with the sweet and crunchy topping, is almost like eating the best dessert of your life!
How to make sweet potato casserole:
1. Cook and peel sweet potatoes. Place them in a large pot and add enough water to the pot to cover the potatoes a little more than half way. Bring to a boil and simmer until fork tender. Drain water and place sweet potatoes on cutting board to cool down. Once they are warm enough to hold, peel the skin from the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Make filling. Add eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and butter and mash everything together until smooth. I start with a potato masher, and then use an electric mixer on low speed, for about 45 seconds, to get the mixture really smooth.
3. Smooth into casserole dish.
4. Add pecan topping and bake. Combine the topping ingredients; butter, chopped pecans, flour and brown sugar. Sprinkle all over the top of your mashed sweet potato mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Sweet potatoes: To Peel or Not to Peel?
Peeled sweet potatoes are best for sweet potato casserole but you don’t have to peel them before cooking them. In fact, I prefer peeling them afterward. I like to leave the peel on the potatoes whether I am baking or boiling them, and then the skin peels off really easily after they’re cooked.
How do I know if the potatoes are finished cooking?
The sweet potatoes are done cooking when they are fork tender, meaning when they are poked with a fork, the fork slides easily to the center. Once you’re finished cooking your potatoes, it’s a good idea to let them cool on a cutting board or plate, and then peel the skin off.
Pecan or Marshmallow Topping?
Obviously I’m partial to pecan crumble topping on my sweet potato casserole but I know marshmallows are another really popular topping.
To add a Marshmallow topping simply top the casserole with a layer of miniature marshmallows and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the marshmallows are puffy and browned. You could also prepare this dish half and half with half crumble mixture and half marshmallows. For this method, cook with half of the crumble for about 15 minutes first, then remove from the oven, cover the other half of the casserole with marshmallows and continue baking.
Make ahead, storing and freezing Instructions:
To make-ahead: You can prepare sweet potato casserole 1-2 days in advance. First make the filling and smooth into your baking dish. Then make the topping but instead of putting it on the casserole, place it in a ziplock bag. When you’re ready to bake your sweet potato casserole, take it out of the fridge and sprinkle the topping on top! Then bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
This is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish to make a day or two ahead of time, to save time and stress the day of. Here are some other great make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes.
To store: Store sweet potato casserole covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
To freeze: Prepare the sweet potato casserole completely, but don’t bake it. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes on the counter before baking.
Don’t miss these Thanksgiving staples:
- Best Homemade Rolls
- Easy, No-Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey
- Broccoli Casserole
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Sausage Cranberry Pecan Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Souffle
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Apple Cranberry Fruit Salad
- Triple Berry Pie
- Other pie recipes
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 large sweet potatoes
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk , or substitute cream or half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter , melted
For the topping:*
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans , chopped
Instructions
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot. Add enough water to the pot to cover the potatoes half way (a little more than half way). You will need at least 3-4 inches of water but the water will not completely cover the potatoes!
- Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat to a medium simmer. Simmer them until they are fork tender. It may take 20-40 minutes to cook your sweet potatoes depending on the size of the potatoes, but you don't want them to be mushy!
- Drain water and place sweet potatoes on a plate or cutting board to cool down. Once they are warm enough to hold, peel the skin from the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, sugar, salt, and butter and mash everything together until smooth. I start with a potato masher, and then use an electric mixer on low speed, for about 45 seconds, to get the mixture really smooth.
- Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish. Anything around the size of an 8x11'' , 9x13'' or even a deep dish 10'' pie pan would all work great!
For the Topping:
- Add flour, brown sugar and pecans to a mixing bowl.
- Add butter and cut in with a fork or pastry blender until well combined.
- Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated November 2019 with improved instructions.
Delicious!!!
I have your new cookbook & love your recipes🍽 I tried the sweet potato casserole. Absolutely fabulous!!! I will be making it often😃happy new year!!🎉 KH
The pecan topping is so good I could eat it plain with a spoon. This was hands down my kids favorite thanksgiving side. Make sure to read the make-ahead instructions for saving so much time on a busy thanksgiving morning.
I have not made this myself, but my daughter knows I use this site for recipes and made this for Thanksgiving. OMG… so good it should be a dessert!😉
Fabulous! Thanks! I can’t wait to make this for Christmas!
I made your sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. My family raved about this dish. It was absolutely delicious and will be included on my Thanksgiving table from now on.
Absolutely delicious! I made it the night before and partially baked it. Then on Thanksgiving morning, I baked it about 15-20 minutes before I added the pecan topping on half. After about another 15 minutes I added marshmallows to the other half and baked until they were puffed and browned lightly.
Everyone loved it. Will definitely make this again!
I made the sweet potato casserole, and it was amazing with no leftovers! Will definitely be making it again thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes with us. God bless!
This is my family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipe! It’s amazing and so easy!
Best sweet potato casserole I’ve had! Easy to make and the family all loved it!!
This is THE best! My 8 year old wanted seconds!
This was SO good. Fantastic directions.
My sweet potatoes are white on the inside. Can I still use them in this recipe?
I was very pleased with this recipe. Not overly sweet, so you can better appreciate the buttery sweet topping. Also, I added apple pie spice from Spice Bouquet to the sweet potato. Yum! Will definitely keep this one.
Made for family,and I’d have to give this a10 star . Well done
This is the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever had. Made it for a friendsgiving and it received many compliments so today im making it again for our family thanksgiving. Add this one to your go to Thanksgiving list.
I’m just here to say that I will be making this for the third year in a row and this is the dish I look forward to the most. It is absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow!
When doubling recipe, how long do I bake?
If you’re doing two pans, the same amount of time. If you’re making a thicker casserole you will need to increase the time a bit. Add 10 minutes and check it every 5-10 minutes after that until it’s done!
When I only cover the potatoes just past halfway, only one side is fork tender and the other side is still hard. Is that how it is supposed to be?
I did not see your make-ahead instructions to put the topping in a Ziploc bag. I have the casserole in my refrigerator right now with the topping already on it. I plan to bake it in the morning. Will it be OK?
Yes, it will be fine–the nuts may just be a little on the softer side. But it will taste great.
Excellent!! Love this recipe. Will be keeping this as a holiday staple.
I don’t have a pot large enough to boil the sweet potatoes. Is it possible to instead cut the skin off dry, slice them up, and steam them?
You can steam them, boil or bake them!
I fix one similar to this but my topping doesn’t have any flour, only brown sugar, pecans and butter. It’s highly requested and delicious
I mixed this up 2 days before baking it to serve (without the topping). Looks runny, will it set up thicker?
Yes, bake it uncovered!
If you have spices: 1/2 tsp All Spice, 1/2 tsp Nugmeg, 1 tps Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Cloves (ground). All this with the brown sugar. You’ll thank me later.
Anyone had luck freezing it? Just made a batch and put it in the freezer. Just curious how it turned out for others who froze it. Thanks!
This is always a family favorite and the most asked for Thanksgiving side. This year I was thinking of roasting the sweet potatoes- would this work?
It will be BEAUTIFUL! Roasted potatoes have such a deep sweet flavor. Enjoy!
do you think you can make this in the crock pot and then toast the crumble and serve it on the side to be sprinkled on top?
Yes, sure.
Your recipe came out terrific and everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing.
If there’s a lot of leftovers put them in a processor and mix in a little sweetened condensed milk. Put it in a pie shell and bake till firm. It’s nearly pie filling already.
About how many pounds of sweet potatoes are needed for this recipe?
Yes I made it a while back and going to make another one today ! Best sweet potato casserole I ever made or tasted ! My family loved it ‼️
I made this today with our homegrown sweet potatoes for our Christmas dinner. I only made one change and that was to substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar. It was so delicious and everyone loved it! The topping was so good! I will be making this one again!
Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Thanks for brown sugar idea. Sounds better to me and I’ll make it for Thanksgiving.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out perfect. I’m making it again for Christmas, so easy. My grandson just loves it!
Hi Lauren – I have been making sweet potato casserole for years, and I love adding the following to my casserole: 1 tsp rum or maple extract, zest from 2 oranges, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, change white to brown sugar. For the topping, I simply put a layer of mini white marshmallows then crunch up some Mothers Iced Oatmeal cookies and put this over the marshmallows. Topping goes on the last 20 minutes of baking the casserole. I hope you try the additions – buon appetite 😊
hey I just made it one day in advanced but I cooked the topping with it? I need to store it in the fridge… what can I do to save the topping? I’m in China with limited availability of pecans and ingredients…
I made this sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving and it was positively delicious and so easy to make ahead of time. Everyone at the dinner table remarked how it was the best they ever had. This is my go to recipe from now on.
Delicious! I put the sweet potatoes and other ingredients in the blender as the potatoes were not smooth after mashing them. It made them light and smooth! This recipe is just right–not too sweet. Will make again!
Is this a ‘sweet’ sweet potato casserole? looking for one with little sweetness added.
Yes, it’s sweet!
Everyone loved it!
I learned a great trick for keeping butter hard when you make these crumb toppings,and its especially good for biscuits. freeze the sticks of butter then grate onto wax paper or in a bowl and stick it back in freezer for a few, then cut it into your dry mixture. makes it quick and easy!
I’m going to try this for thanksgiving! Very excited! Is it possible to do both the crumb topping ANd the marshmallows on top of
Each other? If so, what do
You suggest?
I often do one half of the pan with the crumble topping one half with marshmallows. For this method, cook with half of the crumble for about 15 minutes first, then remove from the oven, cover the other half of the casserole with marshmallows and continue baking.
This is recipe is delicious! A huge hit with everyone,
I love this recipe, turns out fantastic every time and always a hit! The only thing I do differently is bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. It seems to keep the flavor of the sweet potatoes better.
I’m planning on making this cuz I can’t find my old recipe but my big question is do you cover it or not… I made one of these casseroles one time and didn’t cover it and it was runny so I wanted to ask before I made it thank you I can’t wait
No, I don’t cover it.
This Sweet Potato Casserole is the best tasting, undisputed #1 SPC recipe in the world and I will fight anyone who claims otherwise.
Easy to make – makes a bunch – my daughter has to make two so everyone can take some home. Got 3 calls already to make sure it’s on the menu –
Well done Allen!
I love this sweet potato casserole so much but my new dIL can’t eat nuts. Will it be ok to eat without the nuts or don’t bother making it.
Help!!
You can make it without the nuts or use marshmallows!
Some of my family doesn’t like nuts. I make my casserole with corn flakes for that reason. Butter, brown sugar and crushed cornflakes. I add corn flakes AND nuts (all mixed together and sprinkled on half…. And the other half with just the corn flakes brown sugar and butter. Amazing either way!
I’m allergic to pecans. Any suggested subsititions?
Can I put this in a pie shell? Baked or unbaked?
Yes, that would be fine, in an unbaked shell.
Do you bake it covered with foil?
No, I don’t.
Hi Laura,
I’m looking for your Sweet Potato Pie recipe, but the “SEARCH” area keeps bringing me back to your yummy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. Can you guide me?
thanks,
Sue
I don’t have a sweet potato pie recipe–only pumpkin pie: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/pumpkin-pie-with-caramel-pecan-topping/
DELICIOUS! I made this for Thanksgiving and I was a hit. Sweet like a desert. I made it in a 2 quart pan which was too deep. Not all the topping cooked through. Next time I will put it in a 7 x 11 which is what the recipe called for. This will be a staple in my Thanksgiving menu. I will consider trying it with marshmallows but the brown sugar and pecan mix was fabulous!
Amazing!! Will make it again for Christmas this year. 🙂
I am not a fan of sweet potatoes. However, I absolutely loved this dish with the pecan topping. AMAZING!!!!!
Very tasty. Sweet potatoes were rich and creamy, the pecans topping gave it extra texture and flavor.
I think this recipe is delicious, but it is very different than other sweet potato casseroles I’ve made. The egg and evaporated milk makes a little more custardy. I subbed the white sugar for brown sugar and my hubs does not like pecans, so I left the topping off but added marshmallows! 🙂 It was a welcome change the same old casserole.
Do you have an approximate weight for the sweet potatoes? Since they vary in size so much, I’d rather buy them based on weight.
This recipe was SO good. thank you for sharing it. Made it for Thanksgiving, everyone raved about it! Subbed regular milk for evaporated, it was delicious!
Do I use unsalted butter?
Either will be fine.
My family and I love this recipe. I have made it each Thanksgiving for the last 3 years.
If I prepare a day ahead of time, do I put the ziploc bag with the topping in the fridge?
YES!
So glad you asked this, I was wondering the same thing and thought the answer was yes, but checked comments to be sure 😊. Thanks!
If i choose to top with marshmallows do i also put brown sugar on the top?
You can use marshmallows in place of the brown sugar or sometimes I like to do mine half and half.
hi! making this now and wondering, do you know how many cups of sweet potato I’d need? I bought my sweet potatoes but they’re fairly small.
Can I use canned yams for this recipe? I have 3 29oz cans that work gave me, I don’t want to waste it.
Yes you can, best of luck!
Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk?
Sure!
If I wanted to half the recipe (smaller thanksgiving) how would I do that with the egg? 1.5?
Yes, that’s what I would do! Or use 2 medium eggs.
If I want to double this recipe, would I double everything? I made this last year and im starting to prepare for this year!
Yes, double everything! So happy you liked it!
I made this dish for THANKSGIVING. It was a huge hit with everyone. My grandson asked me to make him a casserole to take home! Of course I did!
It’s better to bake the potatoes than boil them. They are not as watery.
Lauren,
I decided to make this dish because I didn’t want to use the canned and the marshmallows like before. Plus, you have “Make ahead” directions which was a game changer and less stress Thanksgiving. My mom who does not care for sweet potatos tried this and liked it. She even took some home.
My most favorite thing to eat in the entire world! Made for thanksgiving yesterday and everyone LOVED them!
I made the sweet potato casserole, my family loved it.
Everyone loved this! I will make it again. Thank you!
I made this for my family Thanksgiving and got glowing reviews. My brother in law said he doesn’t even like sweet potatoes, but this casserole was delicious!
First time making this and soooo easy! My entire family wanted the recipe! It was a hit! And I made it a day in advance.
So many compliments from this recipe. And absolute yummy! Thank you for sharing
Thank you for teaching me how much easier it to peel a potato after it’s boiled! Game changer. This recipe was delicious and a huge hit at Thanksgiving.
4-5 large sweet potatoes only filled the bottom of an 8X8. I did half the pecan topping and half marshmallows to keep both young and old happy! Thanks!
Can you use canned sweet potatoes or yams instead of fresh?
Yes, you can use canned.
This looks delicious! Can the eggs be omitted or swapped for something else? We have an egg allergy.
Thank you
You could leave them out, they just wont be quite as fluffy. Just add 1-2 tablespoons more of milk 🙂
My sister is gluten free, could I do cornstarch instead of flour in the topping?
I would not use cornstarch, but gluten free flour or oat flour should work.
This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and my family requests it every year. I like to add cinnamon and nutmeg and a smidge of cloves to the sweet potatoes. Sometimes I sprinkle some more cinnamon on top before I bake it. Just how Ive come to do these over the years but it’s perfect as is. Thanks for sharing….your website has given me a long list of new things to try!!
WOW! super yummy – simply HEAVENLY. I usually make the traditional yams sliced thinly with butter, brown sugar and mini marshmallows. I wanted something different. The recipe was super easy and I used heavy whipping cream WOW!!!! I will continue to make this for all our holiday meals. Thank you so much! Sending my friends to your site, you’re the best!
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was definitely a star! Such great flavors!
I was assigned to make the sweet potatoes this year. Made these and everyone loved them! How could you not with that delicious topping?
I made your sweet potato casserole. I do always make close to the same every year, but this year followed your recipe instead as yours has less sugar and less butter. Still delicious and no one noticed anything missing?
My family loved this recipe! We’ll definitely make this again next year!
I have 2 questions:
I’ve finished making the casserole and will be baking it tomorrow:
1. noticed the color is more yellowish- gold than orange- ( I’ve never encountered this before) is this due to the butter and color of the sweet potato?
2. I have small lumps of potatoes after mashing and using my blender, will the lumps disappear when baking the casserole,
Thanks for your help!
Hi Cindy,
1. The color is definitely due to the color of the sweet potato.
2. Next time be sure you cook your sweet potatoes until they are very soft. Likely the sweet potato cooked more in the oven and it turned out great!
Great sweet potato recipe! Perfect amount of sweetness. I cooked my potatoes in my Instant Pot.
Made this receipe for Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes/candied yams have never been part of our Thanksgiving dinner as not many fans, well let me just say this receipe was easy and Delicious! This dish will be part of Thanksgiving for years to come! Big hit!
Yummy sweet potato casserole recipe!! I made this dish for Thanksgiving dinner!! It was a success!!
Amazing, I’ve made many sweet potato casseroles and this one by far is the best! No need to try any other recipes! Kids love it as well!
Is there a specific sweet potato you use for this receipt? The ones in the video look more orange than regular sweet potatoe? Just want to make sure I get the right ones 🙂
Any sweet potatoes will work :)!
I can’t eat reg sugar so put plant sweetener substitutes in it and whole cream…delish
my mouth is salivating looking at this casserole
My husband NEVER would eat anything with the world Sweet Potato in it. Until I cooked your Sweet Potato Casserole. I finally got him to taste it and OMG…He LOVES it!!!! Although that is the only thing he will eat that has sweet potatoes in it. This is by far the best in the world!! So glad I found your recipe!
Hahahaha, thank you so much for sharing! I’m so happy this recipe won him over 🙂 Thanks for commenting and sharing!
Tried it & it was delicious. It tasted like a desert. I had it next day cold & it was just as good .will make it for family on Christmas day I’m sure they’ll love it to
Thanks so much! Happy you enjoyed it!