Sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and pecan topping

No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a classic sweet potato casserole. All your dinner guests are sure to love our traditional version made with cream cheese, maple syrup, and a tasty pecan and brown sugar topping.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt

Topping:

• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pecan halves

Instructions

1. Halve the sweet potatoes and place them in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water and boil until soft. Remove them from the water and allow them to cool before peeling. The peels come off very easily when removed after boiling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potatoes, butter, cream cheese, milk, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and salt. Whisk until combined and very creamy. Spoon mixture into the prepared baking dish.
4. To make topping, combine all topping ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand until well combined. Spoon topping evenly over the sweet potato mixture. Bake casserole for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

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The Best Sweet Potato Casserole recipe! It has just the right amount of sweetness, an irresistible buttery flavor, and a crisp cinnamon pecan crumble on top. It’s the perfect autumn side dish and a Thanksgiving staple. Everyone will want the recipe!

Is it a dessert or is it a side dish? I think we like to label it as a side dish so we still can have a second dessert later :).

This is my new favorite sweet potato casserole! It’s not overly sweet and I’m addicted to that crisp, cinnamon crumble topping.

The those marshmallow toppings are good but this pecan variation is even better! I just love every last thing about it. Trust me, it’s going to disappear in no time!

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

• Sweet potatoes
• Light brown sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Milk
• Eggs
• Vanilla
• Flour
• Cinnamon
• Pecans

Difference Between Yam and Sweet Potato?

It’s can be so confusing. I sometimes get comments on my sweet potato recipes with people claiming I’m labeling them all wrong. So just wanted to clear things up.

• Sweet potatoes generally have tapered ends, thin, smooth skin and flesh that can range from light yellow to dark orange (and even to purplish). They are wetter.
• Yams have a cylindrical shape with brown, rough, bark-like skin and usually has a white or purple flesh. They are starchier and dry.

Usually here in the U.S. I think you’ll now most commonly find them labeled as “sweet potatoes” but you still might find a “yam” labeling here and there. Just look for the ones like so…

How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
• Pierce each of the sweet potatoes twice on two side. Place on baking sheet and bake until cooked through and soft, about 60 – 75 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

• Peel potatoes (the peel should pull right off) and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Mash potatoes with a potato masher (or press through a potato ricer) until well mashed. Let cool about 5 – 10 minutes so the eggs don’t cook and in the mixture.

• Add in brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and season with 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) and 1/4 tsp pepper.

• Using an electric hand mixer blend mixture to combined well (don’t worry about lumps).

• Pour into a greased casserole dish (mine was about 12 by 8-inches) and spread into an even layer. Set aside.

• For the topping, in a separate medium mixing bowl using a fork stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans (break up brown sugar clumps with fingertips as needed).

• Pour butter into mixture and stir until mixture is evenly moistened (it will seem dry at first, keep tossing).

• Sprinkle mixture evenly over sweet potato mixture in baking dish.
• Bake in preheated until heated through, about 40 minutes, while tenting with foil during the last 10 to prevent excessive browning on topping if needed.

Can I Make This in Advance?

Both the sweet potato portion and topping can be made a day in advance then chilled separately in the fridge. Let rest at room temperature 30 minutes, add the topping and bake.

A Classic Thanksgiving Staple

Sweet potato casserole is a staple holiday recipe at my house. Thanksgiving dinner just wouldn’t be the same without it. Along with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls, mac and cheese, veggie side dishes, pies pies and more pies. I can’t wait!

I hope this sweet potato casserole becomes a new yearly tradition in your home! It’s definitely one of the best uses for sweet potatoes.

More Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love

• Best Dinner Rolls
• White Cheddar Cauliflower Gratin
• Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
• Perfect Pumpkin Pie
• Crumb Topped Apple Slab Pie

Sweet Potato Casserole

The Best Sweet Potato Casserole recipe! This version has just the right amount of sweetness, an irresistible buttery flavor, and a crisp cinnamon pecan crumble on top. It's the perfect autumn side dish and a Thanksgiving staple. Everyone will want the recipe!

Servings: 12

Prep15 minutes

Cook1 hour 40 minutes

Cooling5 minutes

Ready in: 2 hours

• 4 lbs sweet potatoes*
• 1/2 cup (110g) packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk (anything but skim)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping

• 1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
• 1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped or broken pecans
• 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

• Pierce each of the sweet potatoes twice on two side. Place on baking sheet and bake until cooked through and soft, about 60 - 75 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

• Peel potatoes (the peel should pull right off) and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

• Mash potatoes with a potato masher (or press through a potato ricer) until well mashed. Let cool about 5 - 10 minutes so the eggs don't cook and in the mixture.

• Add in brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and season with 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) and 1/4 tsp pepper.

• Using an electric hand mixer blend mixture to combined well. 

• Pour into a greased casserole dish (mine was about 12 by 8-inches) and spread into an even layer. Set aside.

• For the topping, in a separate medium mixing bowl using a fork stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans (break up brown sugar clumps with fingertips as needed).

• Pour butter into mixture and stir until mixture is evenly moistened (it will seem dry at first, keep tossing).

• Sprinkle mixture evenly over sweet potato mixture in baking dish.

• Bake in preheated until heated through, about 40 minutes, while tenting with foil during the last 10 to prevent excessive browning on topping if needed.

• Serve warm.

*This amount should yield about 5 cups mashed.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet Potato Casserole

Amount Per Serving

Calories 396 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 58mg19%

Sodium 105mg5%

Potassium 597mg17%

Carbohydrates 54g18%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 21860IU437%

Vitamin C 3.7mg4%

Calcium 88mg9%

Iron 1.7mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.