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.
Absolutely perfect – thank you!! Some of the folks who said they only like marshmallows on their sweet potato casserole were converted today. this was the only dish that ended up COMPLETELY empty after everyone was done. They went back for seconds and thirds LOL – it was so easy. Thanks so much!
Made this the night before and just covered it and put it in the fridge and then baked it off Thanksgiving day. It worked perfectly. Best sweet potato casserole ever!!
how long did you cook it for after keeping in fridge? Also did you put topping on it then put in fridge?
This is the second time I’ve made this for Thanksgiving over the years. Folks like it a lot. It does freeze well, too, if you have leftovers, and makes a great dessert!
Just wanted to come back and let you know this is the absolute best sweet potato casserole I have ever made. Everyone kept praising it on how good it was.
Can I double this and make this is a crockpot? If so, how long do you suggest for the cooking time?
I’ve never made this in the crock pot – sorry! If you try it, I’d love to know how it goes for you!
Should I double the recipe if I’m using a 9×13 dish?
Yes, that should work. You may have to adjust the baking time.
This will be the fourth Thanksgiving that I make this! It’s so delicious and my family requests it every year.
Last year (2022) I was looking for a Sweet Potato Casserole recipe and found yours. I liked what I read so I made it for Thanksgiving. I received the most complimentary comments, I thought it looked and smelled great. The ratio of sweet potatoes to the rest of the ingredients is perfect and the ease of preparing it is a huge plus. I knew it was a keeper. I’ve already added it to this Thanksgiving’s menu. This year I am going to make it the day before along with several other recipes. You can’t go wrong making this recipe. I’m positive you will love it as much as my family does.
How far ahead of thanksgiving can I make this , if I made it on Tuesday would it still be good if I cooked it on Thursday?
Hi Amanda, Tuesday should be fine. Keep it covered in the fridge. It may take a little bit longer to cook on Thursday since you’ll be starting from cold so just keep an eye on that 🙂
Yummy! A hit at our Thanksgiving Dinner. The only change I made, was using fresh sweet potatoes. Love the pecan topping.
Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and comment Jackie! So glad it was a hit and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Can you use brown sugar in the mixture? Is there a difference in taste between white and brown sugar in the casserole?
For this recipe I put the brown sugar in the topping. Brown sugar has molasses in it so it’s up to you whether you want to also add it to the sweet potato mixture. This is the only way I make it so I can’t speak to other variations 🙂
Delicious!! Super easy as well!
I’ve been making this for Thanksgiving for the past three years and my family always loves it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Where are the measurements of the recipe ingredients? I searched the entire post. Hopefully it’s my mistake and I scanned over it accidentally.
I guess I won’t know how good it is because I’ll never make it the same way that you did. Thanks for wasting my time.
You have to scroll to the bottom. You scrolled right past it to get to the comments.
Gosh, Jackie. Was your last sentence really necessary?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
No s**t. scroll to the bottom. I love her recipe. I use it every year and it’s great… Brandie it’s perfect. don’t listen to the rude comments or rude ass people.. my family loves it
LOL thank you so much Stacy – the internet is a fascinating place sometimes haha
An easy recipe that is full of sweet flavor. Definitely a family favorite!
So, I see it can be done in the crock pot? I’m making this for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Do I just prepare like normal and fully cook it in the crock pot? How long do you think? Then throw it in the oven to crisp?
Thanks!!
Do you think if I use almond milk instead of milk would the consistency still set properly or would I need to add something else so it sets properly and isn’t runny?
Hi Jade, I’m not familiar with baking with almond milk at all so I really couldn’t say. I’m sorry! Perhaps someone else here can answer that question for you!
I will be making this for Thanksgiving this year, and I was wondering if you could use orange juice in place of the milk or, perhaps, half orange juice and half milk.
Thanks so much!
I know this is “side dish”, but can you provide me an idea of the serving size, since the recipe says it will serve 10?
About 1/2 cup or slightly more.
Can I substitute brown sugar with the regular sugar in the actual casserole?
Do you think this would work okay with only one egg?
Hi Kyra – it will work but it will be a little “loose” – not quite as set as a normal casserole should be. 🙂
It was awesome
Can I use two cans …and not double recipe
Can i prep this 24 hours prior
Yep!
Could I put marshmellows on this?
Yes, I actually answer that question and talk about it more above in the Frequently Asked Questions sections
Does the salted butter make a difference or will unsalted butter work just as well?
Hi Anna – it does actually. You could certainly use unsalted butter though if it’s all you have. That salted butter just adds to the depth of flavor.
Amazing. First timer making anything like this. Turned out delicious. Thanks for sharing.
How much brown sugar would I need in place of the white sugar?
I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not really sure – I am sorry!
Could I cook and reheat? Our oven space is going to be tight tomorrow.
Hi Anna – yep you sure can!
Can I make this one day prior and just store in the refrigerator?
Do you need to rinse the canned juice/liquid off of the potatoes before you mash them?
Hi Aine, no it’s not necessary to rinse.And yes, drain the sweet potatoes (I do have that included in the printable recipe) 🙂
Do you drain the canned sweet potatoes?? Thank you for sharing!
Can you use almond flour instead of regular flour to make it gluten free?
Hi Cara! I don’t cook or bake with almond flour so I’m really not sure. I’m sorry!
If you use unsalted butter, how much salt should i add if any
Can you use “canned yams”..?? I couldn’t find canned sweet potatoes…I know they’re kinda the same
You sure can Jody! 🙂
How much longer would I need to cook if I double the recipe? Do you think it would taste good with marshmallows and the praline topping?
Hi Kristi, you’d have to keep an eye on the time since I haven’t actually tested it with double the ingredients. For the topping, perhaps do half praline and half marshmallows? It might be too much with both on top of each other. 🙂
Do you use all purpose flour?
Hi Dana – yes 🙂
This is the best “Easy Sweet Potato Casserole I’ve EVER eaten!! Easy to make, everyone should try this around Thanksgiving or Christmas Holiday, or just anytime of the year!! SO,SO,SO GOOD!!!
Woo hoo!! Thank you, thank you Tracy! There are a lot of sweet potato casserole recipes out there so I am honored that you really love mine. Makes my day to hear!!
If I make this a day early, I’m just putting all the ingredients together right, not actually baking it until the next day right?
Do you use all-purpose flour in the topping?
Could you bake these in individual cups? I wonder what the cooking time would be?
If I wanted to double this recipe, do you think I could double it and bake it in a 9×13? How much longer do you think I would need to bake it for? Thanks!!
Could you make this recipe in a 9 X 13 BAKING DISH?
Hi Anna, yes you can. It’ll just be much thinner.
Hi, if I’m doubling the recipe (using two 29oz cans of sweet potatoes) will I need to double all other ingredients? Also, would a 9×13 dish work to bake it ? Thank you
Yep, just double all the other ingredients and a 9X13 should work. 🙂
Can this be made without eggs? Allergy! Maybe I could substitute something else?
Hi Karen, the eggs are needed as a binder. Perhaps a liquid egg substitute?
There is a vegan egg substitute called just egg I believe at Whole Foods or sprouts .. it’s not eggs but definitely works as a substitute
Thank you so much for helping!
Can I do the pecan topping AND marshmallow topping?
Can I make this early and freeze it
Hi Marilyn – you sure can!
I haven’t tried it yet but can you use fresh sweet potatoes?
Sure can, if you want to take the “Easy” out of the recipe title “Easy Sweet Potato Casserole” 🙂
Made it for luncheon with ladies….every bit eaten. It is great and easy to make.
I used to turn my nose up at recipes that used canned sweet potatoes instead of the real thing. But you know what? I’ll bet that in the final result with all that other goodness added in that you can’t even tell whether it’s canned or not! I am going to use the canned this year!
This sounds DELICIOUS!!!!! How do you think this recipe would work as a pie?
Looks delicious
We made this for Easter. Everyone raved and wanted the recipe. I made it exactly to your recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing!
Hi Angela, yes! You may just need to cook it a little extra time since you’ll be baking it from cold. Hope that helps! 🙂
Love the recipe and everybody enjoys it but I actually double this 4 times. We love it that much!!
Could I add cinnamon??
Absolutely! 🙂