Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping — 🍠🙌🧡 This is the BEST sweet potato casserole ever!! The sweet potatoes are tender and creamy, while the streusel topping adds a delightful buttery crunch thanks to the pecans!
Table of Contents
- Butter Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ingredients in Sweet Potato Casserole
- How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
- Recipe FAQs
- Storage and Reheating Instructions
- What to Serve with Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Topping Recipe
- More Easy Sweet Potato Side Dishes:
Butter Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
I love sweet potatoes and have a ton of recipes using them, but I was missing a classic: sweet potato casserole.
It was about time I made it and we loved every bite because this isn’t just any ole sweet potato casserole recipe. The crunchy butter pecan crumble topping really sets it apart.
The mashed sweet potatoes are so tender, creamy, and fluffy while the crumbly streusel topping adds a buttery, brown sugary crunch thanks to the pecans.
The brown sugar caramelizes in the oven with the butter and the topping is irresistible. I kind of want to put this topping on everything now.
This is an easy sweet potato casserole recipe that’s especially perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a no-frills side dish just like the one you grew up eating, and anyone can make it!
I was tasked with making sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving several years ago. Ironic bc I don’t actually eat the sweet potatoes. I picked this recipe bc I was attracted to the topping. It has been demanded ever since. Every single sweet potato hater in the extended family loves this. IF there are leftovers, prepare for a rumble. — TaMom
Ingredients in Sweet Potato Casserole
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy sweet potato casserole with pecan topping:
- Sweet potatoes
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Milk
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Ground nutmeg and cinnamon
- All-purpose flour
- Fisher pecan halves
I used Fisher Pecan Halves. Fisher Nuts are preservative-free and non-GMO Project Verified, making them an excellent choice for cooking and holiday baking. The resealable bag helps keep the nuts fresh for longer.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
I’m not even remotely exaggerating when I say this is the best sweet potato casserole recipe! Here’s a rough overview of the recipe steps:
- Prepare the filling: Peel, chop, and boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot until fork tender.
- Add the cooked sweet potatoes to a large bowl along with the eggs, butter, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Mash to combine (I like to use a potato masher!), turn the sweet potato mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Make the pecan topping: Melt the butter, then toss with the brown sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in the pecans.
- Assemble and bake: Sprinkle the crumble topping over the sweet potatoes. Bake until the top is lightly golden brown, the edges are set, and the center is mostly set.
Recipe FAQs
My sweet potato casserole took 50 minutes to bake at 350ºF because I started with it cold from the fridge (I prepped it the night before). Note that baking times will vary based on the pan used (glass or ceramic baking dishes will bake for longer than metal pans), your oven, climate, ingredient variances, etc. To be safe, start checking your pecan-topped sweet potato casserole at 30 minutes.
The butter pecan topping will be golden brown and the center should be set (it will never be firm like a cake, but it shouldn’t be runny or have lots of jiggle to it).
4 pounds. My best advice is to weigh your potatoes at the grocery store to see how many you’ll need. The number of sweet potatoes needed will vary depending on their size.
Yes! If you prefer sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, follow my classic sweet potato casserole recipe instead.
Unbaked casserole will last up to three days in the fridge, while the baked casserole will keep for about a week.
Yes, very easily! Here’s how:
1. Assemble the entire casserole the night before, cover it with foil, and refrigerate it until ready to bake.
2. Baked the prepped casserole straight from the refrigerator, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
In the fridge: If stored in an airtight container, leftovers will last up to 1 week.
In the freezer: Assemble the sweet potato layer, bake, let cool, then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat the prepped casserole, thaw overnight in the fridge. Make a fresh batch of topping, sprinkle it over the casserole, and bake until done.
To reheat: Cover with foil so the pecan topping doesn’t burn, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 300ºF, or until warm.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Casserole
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Sweet Potato Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Topping
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 pounds raw sweet potatoes, diced into large chunks and boiled
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup milk, I used unsweetened cashewmilk
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Topping
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 cup Fisher Pecan Halves
Instructions
Make the Filling
- To a large stockpot, add the sweet potato chunks, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 2.5 to 3-quart baking dish or a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- To the large bowl with the sweet potatoes, add the eggs, butter, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, optional nutmeg, optional cinnamon, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined and fluffy.
- Turn out into baking dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
Make the Pecan Topping
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
- Add the brown sugar, flour, salt, and toss with a fork or your fingers until moist crumbs form.
- Add the pecans and toss to incorporate.
- Evenly turn topping out over filling.
Bake
- Bake the sweet potato casserole for about 45 minutes (or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours if you’re prepping it in advance), or until top is lightly golden browned, set on the edges, and mostly set in the center. Mine took 50 minutes because I started with it cold from the fridge because I prepped it the night before. Baking time will vary based on pan used (glass or ceramic baking dishes will bake for longer than metal pans), oven, climate, ingredient variances, etc. Start checking at 30 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Extra will keep airtight for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Sweet Potato Side Dishes:
All of my Thanksgiving recipes!
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows — 🍠🙌🧡 Tender and creamy sweet potatoes, the subtle crunch of a buttery pecan crumble, and gooey marshmallows make this comfort food side dish an automatic family FAVORITE!
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole — If you thought sweet potato casserole couldn’t get any better, wait until you taste it topped with candied bacon and pecans!
Easy Homemade Candied Yams — Learn how to make the BEST candied yams which are baked in the most wonderful buttery cinnamon-and-sugar sauce!
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows — 🍠🙌🧡 Sweet, creamy, decadent, and reminiscent of sweet potato casserole but individually portioned! FAST and EASY enough for family dinners or make them for more formal holiday celebrations!
Sweet Potato Bites with Marshmallows and Pecans — Sliced sweet potato rounds are brushed with a maple cinnamon-and-sugar mixture, baked, and then topped with marshmallows and pecans!
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad — Goodbye mayo-loaded, mushy, boring potato salad. Hello to a Mexican-inspired potato salad full of flavor and texture with corn, black beans, peppers, and cilantro!
Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole — A HEALTHIER and DELICIOUS twist on sweet potato casserole!! The potatoes and apples retain some texture with the perfect amount of crumble topping!
Post is brought to you by Fisher. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #ThinkFisher
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher nuts. The opinions and text are all mine.
I am wanting to make this tomorrow and I wanted to ask if I can put marshmallows on top at the end of cooking and how much if you use canned yams ty help please
Marshmallows – honestly the crumble topping is so good you really don’t need them. So I really cannot comment on time since I never have used them here.
Canned yams – also have not used them so cannot comment.
Make the recipe as written is my advice!
Delicious. There was no mention of peeling the sweet potatoes before or pulling the skin after.
Delicious. There was no mention of peeling the sweet potatoes before or pulling the skin after.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious! I guess I assumed that people would peel the sweet potatoes for a sweet potato casserole but sometimes you never can assume.
Anyone made this with canned sweet potatoes? I am too busy with everything else to boil SP.
I never have done it so can’t say for sure but likely ok however I have not tested it so take it for what it’s worth.
I have and my family hasn’t complained. I drain the liquid off before I mash them. I use 2 40 ounce cans.
I have made your recipe for several Thanksgivings, always to rave reviews by my family! My sister is a little quirky about the pecans on sweet potatoes, so I leave a small section for her without them. My niece Megan, who is my #1 fan of this recipe, is getting married in May and I will be passing this on to her for her new family!
I have made your recipe for several Thanksgivings, always to rave reviews by my family! My sister is a little quirky about the pecans on sweet potatoes, so I leave a small section for her without them. My niece Megan, who is my #1 fan of this recipe, is getting married in May and I will be passing this on to her for her new family!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you are loving my recipes and passing them on to your family too!
This recipe has become a favorite for us! So much so that it was requested by both families that I make again this Thanksgiving. It’s also very easy to throw together and the kids enjoy helping.
This recipe has become a favorite for us! So much so that it was requested by both families that I make again this Thanksgiving. It’s also very easy to throw together and the kids enjoy helping.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love it and it’s become a family favorite for you – on both sides!
I just whipped this up! It looks and smells amazing! We are celebrating Thanksgiving today as most of the family will be out of town on the actual day. I expect this will be a hit!
Just out of interest for us living in Europe. Is the casserole served as a dessert, or as a ‘side dish’ accompanying the other dishes of the main meal . I have always been confused about this ,due to the sweetness of the dish.
Is it ok to omit the sugar altogether,maybe adding only a little (1 tbsp )of honey or maple syrup instead, as I imagine the topping to be quite sweet anyway.many thanks
Its typically served in the US as a side dish. But its so sweet, that it could almost be considered a crustless pie.
In the US, cutting out that much sugar might not satisfy people, as we tend to use a lot of sugar in most things. I usually mix it all minus the eggs and taste the mix prior to adding eggs and adjust to taste then add eggs. That way I dont over or under sweeten and same with any spices. I add a lot of spices like nutmeg, cinamon etc.
I’ve been making this for years, I lost my recipe and this one is pretty darn close! It is a HUGE hit with everyone! The only difference I have is BAKE your sweet potatoes instead of boiling. It really brings out the flavor of the sweet potato!!!
I’ve been making this for years, I lost my recipe and this one is pretty darn close! It is a HUGE hit with everyone! The only difference I have is BAKE your sweet potatoes instead of boiling. It really brings out the flavor of the sweet potato!!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it was a huge hit with everyone!
In terms of baking vs boiling, I agree that baked sweet potatoes tend to have more flavor. However in this recipe I do like to boil them because I like the extra moisture they get from boiling versus in the oven where they are a bit drier, but go with personal preference and whatever you like.
I made this for the 1st time at Christmas. I had a hard time with peeling the potatoes. Extremely hard & I kept getting black places all over the potatoes.
What was I doing wrong ??
Get a new peeler for one thing, if it’s dull, you’ll struggle. https://amzn.to/3mdZenm
And I always put on yellow kitchen gloves like for washing dishes. I have terrible grip with bare hands for tasks like this and the gloves save me and my grip!
Loved this recipe and wondered if you can cook it in a slim cooker?
Loved this recipe and wondered if you can cook it in a slim cooker?
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you loved it!
I am thinking you mean slow cooker…not slim cooker although maybe there is something called a slim cooker!
Anyway this recipe is intended to be made as written because the top will not get crispy if it’s in a slow cooker and will stay pretty soft is my guess.
I made a Keto friendly version of this casserole, with pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes, golden monkfruit sweetener instead of sugar and omitting the flour in the topping. Kept everything else the same and it worked beautifully! Absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you were able to make this keto-friendly and that you’re enjoying this during a time of the year that’s not Thanksgiving through Christmas when people usually only make this!
I make this every year for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Its a family favorite. My husbands Grandma is the best chef ever and she requests I bring this every year because it’s her favorite.
Thanks for the five star review, I’m glad you make it for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and that your family members request it!