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Southern Sweet Potato Casserole (+Video)

This Easy Sweet Potato Casserole has a creamy filling made with canned sweet potatoes and is topped with a brown sugar streusel topping.

AN EASY RECIPE FOR SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Sweet potato casserole is a must-have, must-make side dish for me at the holidays. I’ve mentioned this before but I would be totally happy with a bunch of side dishes for holiday meals. It just isn’t Thanksgiving for me without sweet potato casserole!

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole on a plate

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Can I freeze sweet potato casserole?

I do a ton of cooking on Thanksgiving and over the years, I have learned ways to make my recipes not only easier to whip up but still have that same great taste I love. I use canned sweet potatoes or yams and I make this whole thing the night before, pop it into the refrigerator and it’s ready to bake the next day. If you want to prep this a few days or more in advance, you can freeze it (just make sure you wrap it really well.) Put into the refrigerator overnight to thaw and proceed with the cooking instructions below. Or cook from frozen but add on additional cooking time.

Which topping is better? Marshmallow or pecan?

The pecan praline topping on this is my favorite but I will never turn down a good ole marshmallow topping either. Instead of the pecan praline topping, you can leave it off and top with mini marshmallows towards the end of cooking. If you put them on too early, they will burn. Or. you could do a half and half. Just don’t add the marshmallow topping until the end of cooking. Also, if you don’t like pecans in the topping, you can just leave them out.

Can I use fresh sweet potatoes?

Of course! You’ll need about 3 small sweet potatoes. They need to be cooked soft enough to be mashed. Boiling is probably the simplest way to make them. Just peel and dice the sweet potatoes into large cubes and boil until tender then continue with the recipe as written.

How do you thicken up sweet potato casserole?

This answer is two-fold. Most people don’t allow their casseroles to set up after baking. The casserole needs at least 15-20 minutes to cool before serving. The casserole sets up as it cools. However, if you prefer a really thick sweet potato casserole, you can add about 2-3 tablespoons of flour to your sweet potato batter and this will help the mixture to thicken. This is an especially good idea if using fresh sweet potatoes.
If your sweet potato casserole turned out “watery”, its usually because you forgot to add eggs; you didn’t let your casserole have enough time to set up after baking or you used fresh sweet potatoes and didn’t boil them long enough before mashing. Sweet potatoes retain a lot of moisture so boiling them well beforehand will help release a lot of that excess moisture before adding them to your casserole mixture.

Who invented sweet potato casserole?

This one is for all you food fact nerds like me. Sweet potato casserole was actually invented by a marshmallow corporation in 1917. So the original recipe was intended to be made with marshmallows. They were trying to market the sweet pillowy treat with a recipe. This is a marketing technique we see regularly these days. However, southerners eventually morphed the original dish and added the sweet pecan brown sugar topping.

How do I store leftovers?

Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze leftovers. Cover and wrap well to protect from freezer burn. Casserole will freeze for up to 6 months.

Easy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe from The Country Cook

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • canned sweet potatoes
  • salted butter
  • milk
  • sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • eggs
  • brown sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • chopped pecans
canned sweet potatoes, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, salt, brown sugar, flour, chopped pecans

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE:

Preheat oven to 350f degrees. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes and stir in melted butter, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and beaten eggs. Stir until combined well.

melted butter, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and beaten eggs stirred together in a bowl

Pour sweet potato mixture into a 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish.

sweet potato casserole mixture poured in an 8x8-inch baking dish

In a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour and chopped pecans. Use a fork or your fingers until mixture becomes small crumbles.

sweet potato casserole crumble topping mixture in a bowl

Sprinkle crumbles over sweet potato mixture.

sweet potato casserole, pre-baking

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until topping is golden brown. Let casserole cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving. This is important as the casserole will set-up as it cools.

Sweet Potato Casserole, cooling

Makes 8 servings. 

Best Sweet Potato Casserole recipe, large spoonful

MORE SIDE DISH RECIPE IDEAS:

Originally published: November 2016
Updated and republished September 2019

Sweet Potato Casserole

Southern Sweet Potato Casserole (+Video)

This Easy Sweet Potato Casserole has a creamy filling made with canned sweet potatoes and is topped with a brown sugar streusel topping.
4.99 from 151 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

For the casserole:

  • 1 (29 oz) can sweet potatoes, drained
  • ½ cup salted butter, melted
  • cup milk
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, beaten

For the topping:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes and stir in melted butter, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and beaten eggs. Stir until combined well.
  • Pour sweet potato mixture into a 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish.
  • In a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour and chopped pecans. Use a fork or your fingers until mixture becomes small crumbles.
  • Sprinkle crumbles over sweet potato mixture.
  • Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until topping is golden brown. Let casserole cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving. This is important as the casserole will set-up as it cools.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Three small fresh sweet potatoes (peeled, diced and boiled) can be used instead of the canned sweet potatoes.
  • A marshmallow topping can be used instead of the pecan topping. Put the marshmallows on around the last 10 minutes of cooking. 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 152mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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183 Comments

  1. I actually make this year round being that it’s so easy and delicious. My kids absolutely love when they catch me stirring it up in the kitchen! Tons of YAYS! LOL so delicious with ham… Oh gosh. I’ll be making it this year for Thanksgiving!

  2. In regard to my question above- Thinking about it – I will guesstimate how many of the sweet potatoes that I purchased weigh about 29 ounces.. And next time I’ll weigh them at the store. ????

  3. Hi Brandie- This recipe looks yummy. My mother in law used to make the yams with marshmallows on top every Thanksgiving, so this reminds me of her. I have other sweet potato recipes but would like to try this one. I’ve already purchased fresh sweet potatoes and was wondering how many large sweet potatoes would you use? Thank you!

    1. I used fresh sweet potatoes as well and it came in a 3lb bag. I weighed things out and about 5-6 potatoes were equal to the canned ounces she has in the recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    Hi! I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe! I tried it out on a whim last year because I was tasked with bringing sweet potatoes to the family thanksgiving dinner. I have never made any sweet potato dish ever! This one was a life saver!! Everyone LOVED it! Now that its that time of year again the extended family has requested this dish again! Ive also tweaked it to make it dairy free, have used agave instead of white sugar and palm sugar in place of the brown sugar (we have A LOT of dietary issues in our family!) and it still turned out amazing!

  5. Somebody previously asked if the canned yams were sweetened. I’m wondering the same thing. The only yams that I can find are packed in syrup. Are there canned yams not packed in a sweetened syrup? I just want to make sure the dish is not too sweet.

    1. 5 stars
      I made this recipe today for my office Thanksgiving luncheon, using two 40 oz cans of sweet potatoes packed in light syrup. I drained the potatoes, but did not rinse. However, to allow for residual syrup, I reduced the white sugar to 1/3 cup. I did not change or add to any of the other ingredients, even though I was using more than twice the listed amount of sweet potatoes. I baked for the recommended time and let it rest as recommended before serving. It was DELICIOUS and there was not a scrap left.

      1. Brandie .. I am attempting to follow in the footsteps of Renee .. I only increased the amount of sweet potatoes I used 40 oz + 29 oz cans. Common Sense tells me to use a 13 by 9 pan .. not sure if cook time .. should I reduce by 10 minutes .. I really don’t want to mess this up .. simple recipe that is typically my sister-in-law’s duty but with the pandemic we won’t be together this year .. I got to get this right .. I’m comfortable with doing best toppings and I plan to do so .. I plan to refrigerate overnight and bake tomorrow .. I saw no mention of spraying the dish with a product such as Pam, am I to assume the butter will keep the sweet potatoes from sticking .. I know I’m asking a lot .. I would really appreciate your feedback .. Daphne

      2. Yes, you will want to use a larger dish since you’re making more and you want it to cook evenly. You don’t need to spray the dish because of the butter in this recipe but I always tell folks to go with their heart when it comes to spraying baking dishes or adding garlic. LOL. It won’t hurt if you feel better doing it. 😉 Keep an eye on the baking time. Stick a knife into the center to tell when it is done. It should come out warm and not cold. Since you’re cooking directly from the fridge, you will probably have to add on some baking time. Hope that helps!

  6. 5 stars
    I also have a family member with a nut allergy. I love the idea of a praline topping instead of marshmallows…is there any way to do it without nuts?

    1. my grandmother made this and used sweetened condensed milk instead of the milk and white sugar. Hope this helps

  7. Can you make this the night before and refrigerate it versus freeze it and then pop it in the oven the next day? Wasn’t sure if freezing it was required. Thanks!!

    1. 5 stars
      You don’t have to freeze it. I just made it and am putting it in the fridge to cook tomorrow. She says she does this too. ????

  8. 5 stars
    About doubling the recipe, may I assume that a 9 x 13 casserole is an acceptable dish size.and about 10 minutes of extra baking time? Thanks! I always appreciate reading recipe questions and, of course, the answers.

  9. I want to make this for a pot luck lunch at work. Would it re-heat well in a microwave if I bake it the day before, refrigerate it that night and then microwave the next day for lunch?

  10. Hi Brandie! I’ve been looking for a different way to make Yams for thanksgiving, so definitely want to try this. Do you cook it the same amount if you use marshmallows instead of the praline mixture? (although I think it sounds good with the praline mixture, I have family that LOVES having the marshmallow on top). Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

    1. Audra – you could always do half and half 🙂 But if you are doing marshmallows only, cook the casserole (without any topping) for 25-30 minutes. Then take it out, add marshmallows, then pop it back into the oven for additional 5-10 minutes (until marshmallows are soft and gooey. 🙂

  11. Southern living says, freeze the sweet potato part but leave the topping off for later. Have you ever frozen the whole casserole?

    1. Hi Kelly, it is white sugar in the filling and brown sugar as the topping. Is there a specific reason that you don’t want to use the white sugar? You could definitely substitute but the molasses in brown sugar could make the filling a bit more “loose” and it won’t firm up as well. Hope that makes sense! 🙂

      1. I will use white sugar then for the filling. Thanks for explaining the difference! makes sense 🙂

  12. Would this freeze well, and if so, would I pre-bake it before freezing or freeze it before baking? I’m assuming I could thaw it the day of Thanksgiving.

      1. 5 stars
        I have cooked your recipe for the least few years so thank you! This will be my first time making cornish hens also since this pandemic not making a turkey…will only be 5 of us…my friends who have no where to go. Any suggestions on the hens?

  13. I always make with marshmallows but am so going to try this, but am wondering if it would work in the slow cooker on low for a few hrs and then pop in oven to brown if needed?? Thanks Happy Thanksgiving

    1. Hi Kathy! If you wanted you could make this a half & half style casserole. Half marshmallows and half pecan praline topping 🙂 It should totally work in a slow cooker but like you said, I would pop the insert into the oven so the top browns up and gets crunchy. Happy Thanksgiving!