Easy Sweet Potato Casserole - classic Thanksgiving holiday side dish made easy! The praline topping is irresistible!
This dish is perfect served with my Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and Hashbrown Casserole.
Sweet Potato Casserole is my favorite Thanksgiving ( and holiday in general, because I make it for Christmas too ) side dish. It's sweet, delicious and the praline pecan topping is amazing! For my marshmallow loving kids, I cover the top of this casserole with mini marshmallows and bake just until they are toasted. We never have leftovers from this dish!
This recipe makes the best and easiest Sweet Potato Casserole with the perfect texture and topping. It has been a family favorite for years!
Instructions:
The best sweet potato casserole has to have the right texture. It needs to melt in your mouth, be smooth and not watery or soggy. This dish cuts really easy and won't run all over your plate. Cut peeled sweet potatoes into large chunks and place in a large pot. Cover with water and cook until done. Drain really well. You can also cook sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot ( which is my favorite method ), just like I did in this recipe. Next, mash potatoes really well, until the texture is smooth. Let the potatoes cool for a little bit before adding the rest of the ingredients. Hot potatoes with scramble the eggs. Add butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs and mix well. Spread mixture in a buttered casserole dish, prepare the topping and sprinkle on top. Bake the dish and if desired, top with mini marshmallows and place under broiler or back into the hot oven to toast them.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Cook potatoes till soft, cool completely, then mix with remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in buttered dish and cover the dish with saran wrap. Store in the fridge. Wait to top it with the pecan brown sugar topping just before baking, for best results. You can store the topping mixture in a ziploc bag. After you take the casserole out of the fridge, let it sit in a room temperature for 30 minutes. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may shatter.
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Preparing the potatoes:
The most common way to cook sweet potatoes for a casserole is to peel them, chop them and cook on a stovetop in a pot. Since I had my Instant Pot, I let it do the work and I have the stovetop free to make gravy or the cranberry sauce. You can also cook sweet potatoes baked style, scoop the flesh and mash for the casserole.
Reheating:
To reheat a sweet potato casserole, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, to prevent the brown sugar pecan topping from burning, and bake for about 15 minutes.
Other Thanksgiving side dish recipes:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Green Bean Casserole
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted cooled
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Butter 2 quart casserole dish. Set aside.
- Peel and dice sweet potatoes. Cook in a pot with water until soft.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once potatoes are cooked, drain and mash. Add butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs. Mix well. Using a whisk helps. Spread potato mixture in prepared casserole dish. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, mix together sugar, flour, salt and nuts. Add melted butter and stir with a fork, until it forms crumbly dough.
- Sprinkle the topping over the mashed potatoes.
- Bake casserole for 25 minutes. If desired, add mini marshmallows. Place dish back in the oven and bake until the marshmallows are toasted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Cool before serving.
Nicole says
My go to sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving! Everyone always raves about it and takes multiple helpings. I’ve also used this recipe with monk fruit brown sugar replacement for a relative who has diabetes and it comes out just as good as the regular recipe.
Ariana M says
Hands down the best recipe!!!! I have made it numerous times and it is simply the best!! Thank you!
Lea Poirier says
Can I use gluten free flour fr the topping
Dianne says
I have made it twice now and it is a real hit 👍 I think it will be a traditional casserole like mashed potatoes at our house😊 thank you for sharing 😊👍
Anna says
I am so glad the casserole was a hit! Thank you so much, Dianne!
Cece, L.A., CA says
Made this for Thanksgiving potluck and it was a smash. My cousin wants me to make it for Christmas potluck because she didn't have any leftovers and was sad. I bought pre cut sweet potatos at Trader Joe's which made it so much easier. It was delicious and easy to make especially with my instant pot. Thank you for the recipe.
Lea says
Can I make it 4 days ahead
Deb Hendrix says
This was excellent, our family devoured it in no time at all. Will definitely make this every year !!!!
Anna says
Perfect! Thank you so much, Deb!
Heather stenger says
I make this ever year and it’s the most popular item - everyone loves it!
Anna says
That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Heather!
Silvia says
OMG!! Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been using it for the past 4 years and every time is comes perfect!!! And of course I will make it for this Thanksgiving! 😊
I made it even in Italy, from where I am originally from, and EVERYBODY in my family loved it, even tho we do not have this type of dish in our traditional cuisine!
Thank you so so so much!!!
Anna says
Hi Silvia! Yay! That's absolutely wonderful! I am so glad the casserole is such a hit. Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing it!
Frank E says
To be clear - since the recipe could be misread- the brown sugar is used twice. In basic potato mix and again in the topping.
Mikayla says
If I make the recipe ahead and store in the fridge until the day I serve it, how long will it be good for?
Anna says
Hi Mikayla! You can prepare the casserole and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. I hope this helps!