Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
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!
This sweet potato casserole recipe is so good!! I’ve made it THREE times in the last month!!
– LeAnn
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
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.
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- usually around the last 10 minutes or so. 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.
Of course! You’ll need about 4 small sweet potatoes. They need to be cooked soft enough to be mashed. Boiling is probably the simplest way to make them or you can bake them until soft. Just peel and dice the sweet potatoes into large cubes and boil until tender then continue with the recipe as written. Or some people just boil the whole sweet for about 45 minutes until soft then peel and mash.
Yes, chopped pecans can be swapped for whatever nut you prefer. Try almonds, cashews, or peanuts.
Yes, you can make the sweet potato mixture and the topping and add them together in a baking dish, cover tightly and place in the fridge overnight. Then, remove from fridge and let come up to room temperature before baking with normal instructions. If you don’t pull it out to come to room temperature early enough, you’ll need some extra baking time, so keep any eye on that.
If you are using my recipe below then you should not have this issue. However, if you ended up here because you made another recipe (hopefully not, ha!) then here might be some reasons why this happened. This answer is two-fold. Most people don’t allow their casseroles to set up after baking. The casserole needs at least 15 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 since they release a lot of moisture.
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.
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.
Yes, you could double and bake in a 9×13-inch dish and you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Since I haven’t personally tested doubling this recipe, I can’t give exact baking suggestions.
I would assume you could. I have yet to attempt this, so unfortunately, I can’t give any specific instructions on what’s the best recommendations on how to do so.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- canned sweet potatoes– Important tip- Many canned sweet potatoes can be labeled as “Yams” as you’ll see in my ingredient photo below. But it says on the can that it is sweet potatoes in syrup. If you pick up a can of yams, you can definitely use them, you just need to drain them first. It doesn’t matter whether they are packed in syrup or some other sort of liquid, they’ll need to be drainer. Some cans might be labeled “Sweet Potatoes” but then say they are yams in syrup, which be be so confusing, right? Soem brands will label them one way while another brand does another way of labeling. But either one can be used in this recipe. Yams and sweet potatoes are actually two different things, but for some reason, when it comes to the canned kind, they seem to use the terms interchangeably.
- salted butter– unsalted butter can be used, just add a pinch of butter.
- milk– whole milk gives a little extra richness to this dish. You could use 2%, but I wouldn’t use skim if it can be avoided.
- sugar– simple white granulated sugar is what I tested this recipe with, but I suspect you could use an alternative sugar option.
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- brown sugar – for a deeper, richer flavor, you can use dark brown sugar but I almost always use light brown sugar since that is what I have on hand.
- all-purpose flour
- chopped pecans – I know nuts are a love it/hate it kinda things so please feel free to leave these out if you are in the “hate it” category.
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE:
Preheat oven to 350f degrees. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes. Then 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 about 15-20 minutes before serving. This is important as the casserole will set-up as it cools.
MORE SIDE DISH RECIPE IDEAS:
Originally published: November 2016
Updated photos and republished: October 2024
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 29 ounce can sweet potatoes, drained
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, beaten
For the topping:
- 5 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a large bowl, mash 29 ounce can sweet potatoes, drained.
- Then stir in ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted, ⅓ cup milk, ¾ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 large eggs, beaten. Stir until combined well.
- Pour sweet potato mixture into a 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish.
- In a bowl, combine 5 Tablespoons salted butter, melted, ⅔ cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup 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
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
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.
Thank you for the recipe first of all! I made this with 4 medium size sweet potatoes which only yielded me 2 cups (which was 16 ounces). So I grabbed a 15 ounce Can of pure pumpkin and used 3/4th’s of the Can. I think next time I will use the whole can. I then followed your recipe to the T. Well maybe a couple of exceptions, I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon & Ginger, plus a 1/4 tsp of salt. Everything else was perfect. We loved this recipe. Especially blending the sweet potatoes and pumpkin together. It made it that much more tastier. We will definitely be doing this again.
I followed the recipe and it turned out perfect. I doubled the recipe for a large family Thanksgiving and it was a hit, all gone. Thank-you for a great recipe to add to my holiday dinner.
Can I use white sugar for topping instead of brown sugar
Could you add the marshmallows on top of the praline or vise versa ?
I was also wondering the same! I saw that she said u could make the recipe at towards the end add the marshmallow to the top and broil it for 5 mins.
when making the night before do you leave the topping on or off?
I am wondering the same! Thanks!
I love this recipe, I have made it several times. The only thing I change is I replace the milk with French vanilla coffee creamer. My family can’t get enough!
Should I change the amount of ingredients to make it in a 9×13 dish? I need to make this tomorrow 🙂
Have you ever baked this the night before and reheated the next day?
I haven’t but you could absolutely do that. You may just have to add a few more minutes to the cooking time since you’ll be cooking it from cold rather than room temperature.
This recipe was sooooo easy and sooooo good! I never would have thought to use canned yams, and I was skeptical, but it went beyond my expectations!
Thank you DeeDee! I’m all about keeping it as easy as possible!!
I have a high bag of frozen sweet potatoes. How much of the 5 lbs of sweet potatoes can be used for the casserole? If I can use them. I don’t know what to do with these sweet potatoes! Hate to waste them. Thank you.
This recipe was a hit and I will be making it again. I doubled the yams, reduced the sugar to about 1/3 cup and kept everything else the same as called for in the recipe. Just before serving, I added marshmallows and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Lots of rave reviews. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Its amazing!!! Made this recipe once and now,I’m officially assigned to make it every holiday because it was such a hit! So easy,i make it ahead of time. Thank you for sharing your recipe ♡♡♡
Wonderful!! Love hearing that!!
This was so delicious, I’m making a post-Thanksgiving casserole for the family! Everyone was sad when the leftovers were gone. 😉
The top of the index card should be changed to reflect the actual total time of an hour, not 35 minutes. I started the recipe thinking it would be just over half an hour. Now I’m waiting twice that. 🙁 Oh well. I’m sure it will be delicious!
This recipe was very close to the one I have used for several years, but cant find since we moved. This recipe can be baked in a 1.5 qt Dish -with additions nal cooking time-for taller servings. I sub vanilla flavored almond milk for regular milk to add another layer of flavor. Thank You for posting.
Just made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow and it already tastes amazing!! We used 6lbs of fresh sweet potatoes (bc Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell canned). Peeled and boiled them, and then followed the directions except that we used original unsweetened almond milk and gluten free flour. Doubled (and a half) the recipe and it is so stinking good!!!!!! I put one in a 9×13 pan and that’ll have the pralines, and a small square 8×8 pan that’ll have marshmallows for those who can’t have nuts. Putting them in the fridge now! Excited to bake and eat them tomorrow!! P.s. this is my first time making sweet potato casserole, but now it definitely won’t be my last! ????
Made this and the whole family loved it!
Hello, I was wondering what tastes better to you, fresh sweet potatoes or canned with this recipe. -thanks luv ur recipes
Can this be mixed up and refrigerated the day before thanksgiving and baked on thanksgiving before dinner?
Yes ????
Can you do the brown sugar topping without the pecans?
I believe I’ve already answered this question a few times above. I have never tried it but I don’t see why not. If you try it, please come back and let us know how you liked it! 🙂
Is there a way to mix marshmallows with the pecan topping? I would like both and not just half and half
Hi Katelyn, most people don’t use both. Usually just marshmallows or the pecan topping. However, I suppose you could bake this recipe (as is) then towards the end, sprinkle some mini marshmallows on top and then stick it under the broiler in your oven to slightly melt them and brown. Hope it turns out good for ya! 🙂
How much extra of each ingredient do I need if I’m going to use a 40 ounce can of potatoes instead of 29.
Thanks, excited to make this
Fallon, I made this recipe using TWO 40 oz cans of sweet potatoes and did not change any other ingredients with the exception of reducing the white sugar to 1/3 cup. I did that because my potatoes were packed in light syrup – I drained them, but was still a bit worried about it being too sweet, so I slightly reduced the sugar. Recipe was great – my office loved it!
I need to make the topping without the nuts. What do you do?
Just leave them out. 🙂
Can I mix the sweet potatoes with all the wet indgriediants then cover it and pop in fridge then put the topping in the morning before I bake it. I plan on making the topping ahead of time and placing in a zip lock bag
Can you make the topping without the pecans?
Yes, just leave them out. 🙂
I made this tonight as a trial run before thanksgiving. It tastes delicious but filling was a bit funny even though I used a larger can of potatoes. I might cut back on the milk or one egg next time. So good, thank you!
Good thinking to do a trial run! 🙂 Make sure you are allowing it a full 15 minutes to cool. It does set up as it cools. Also, I know some ovens run a bit different so it may have needed slightly longer to cook. If the topping is getting too brown, just top it with aluminum foil. Hope that helps and Happy Thanksgiving!
Forgot to rate ????
Ha! Thanks so much Dee! So happy tour kiddos love it too!!
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!
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. ????
Hi Elaine! That is a really good question and I’m not 100 percent sure. I would probably guess about 3 sweet potatoes. So you’ll want to peel then cut them and then boil until fork tender. 🙂
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!
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.
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!
You are SO sweet to come back and let me know! Love hearing that you made it your own!! Happy Thanksgiving!
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.
If that is all you can find, just drain all the syrup. It won’t be overly sweet. Hope that helps! 🙂
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.
Hi Renee! Thanks so much for coming back and leaving feedback. I am sure your comments will be very helpful to other readers. Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
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
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!
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?
This looks delicious but my daughter is allergic to nuts. How do you make the marshmallow topping?
Are these sweet potatoes sweetened or non sweetened canned?
Hi Dianne – they aren’t additionally sweetened. Just grab the large can of yams or sweet potatoes. 🙂
Have you ever used evaporated canned milk?
Hi Georgena! No, I’m sorry I haven’t.
my grandmother made this and used sweetened condensed milk instead of the milk and white sugar. Hope this helps
Amazing recipe! I wouldn’t change a thing. Huge hit & they are ALL of it so you know that’s a good sign it was a hit! lol
Going to give it a try this Thanksgiving. Looks both good and easy.
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!!
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. ????
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.
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?
If I doubled this could I still use the same size baking dish & just cook longer?
Hi Olivia! You sure could!
Coming back to let you know it was a success 🙂
I really don’t. I’d add on about 10 minutes and go from there.
Absolutely delicious! No changes made.
To double the recipe, would I double everything, even the eggs?
Hi CC! Yep – exactly! 🙂
Made it exactly to your directions. It was a huge left and nothing was left!
Can I use peeled boiled seeet potatoes rather than canned?
Of course! 🙂
Just wanted to let you know we made this and it came out absolutely perfect – thank you!!
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!
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. 🙂
Thank you!
Just to clarify any kind of can sweet potatoes or yams? Like the kind in the canned veggie alsle?
Hi Renae, yes exactly. I usually go with Bruce’s yams since that is what Wal-Mart and Kroger near me carry. 🙂
Southern living says, freeze the sweet potato part but leave the topping off for later. Have you ever frozen the whole casserole?
Hi Sherry, personally I don’t think that is necessary at all. Maybe if you had a marshmallow topping on there you would do that but with pecan praline topping, you can freeze the whole thing.
Thanks Brandie. Would I pre-bake it first before freezing or would it be better to freeze it before baking?
Hi Morgan – I wouldn’t pre-bake. It’s not necessary and would just make more work for you 🙂
can you do brown sugar instead of white?
The other instructions and video show sugar as “Brown Sugar”. Hope this helped.
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! 🙂
I will use white sugar then for the filling. Thanks for explaining the difference! makes sense 🙂
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.
Hi Morgan! It does freeze very well. You don’t have to thaw it first but you will want to add on some cooking time since you’ll be cooking from frozen. Happy Thanksgiving!
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?
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
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!
Hi could I make this with unsalted butter? Thanks!
Hi Morgan, yes you can but you’ll want to add a pinch of salt to the mixture.