This Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping recipe will be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table! It is also the perfect side dish to any meal, any time of the year.
Original post: June 2018 | Updated: November 2020
Why This Recipe Works
Sweet Potato Casserole is one of those classic dishes that originates in the Midwest but is enjoyed by people in every region. It is SO easy to make and it is SO delicious.
This dish is typically made for Thanksgiving dinner, but goes great with any holiday or any-day meal. How can you go wrong with buttery, sugary sweet potatoes topped with crunchy pecans and gooey marshmallows?
It’s a sweet potato lover’s dream come true! The prep for this recipe is minimal, cook time is short and you can easily prep it ahead of time and bake just before serving.
How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole
Step 1
Boil 5 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes in a large saucepan for about 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and mash them using a potato masher or hand mixer.
If you use a hand mixer, be sure not to over-mix or the potatoes will become gluey. Add the eggs, 1/4 cup butter, milk, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.
Mix well and spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
Step 3
Combine pecans, butter, flour and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix well.
Spread the pecan topping over the sweet potato layer.
STEP 4
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.
Add mini marshmallows in an even layer 5 minutes before time is up.
Recipe Notes
- This sweet potato casserole with marshmallows recipe calls for 1 cup of brown sugar total, but replace some or all of it with maple syrup, honey or agave nectar, if desired.
- To make this recipe nut-free, replace the pecans with crushed pretzels! Or just go with a crumble topping, including the brown sugar flour mixture and topping with the butter.
- Some of my readers are not fans of the marshmallows on top (it might be a Minnesota thing?), so feel free to omit, if desired.
- Replace the fresh sweet potatoes with canned, if desired, but fresh is always best!
What To Serve With Sweet Potatoes
In need of ideas about what to serve alongside this tasty orange food? Check out this roundup of 20 delicious ideas: what to serve with sweet potatoes.
Can I Make This Dish In Advance
Yes! That is one of the things I love about this recipe. Prep Sweet Potato Casserole up to 2 days before baking, but leave the marshmallows off when you get to that part in the baking process.
This will save you 30 minutes, which is valuable time, especially if you are making this side dish on a holiday!
How To Freeze Sweet Potato Casserole
You can absolutely freeze sweet potato casserole! Layer the baking dish as directed, minus marshmallows. Seal tightly and store in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
When ready to bake, allow to thaw completely (preferably overnight in the fridge) and bake as directed.
Sweet Potatoes vs Yams
I was confused for so many years after cutting into a sweet potato only to find white flesh. Was it really a sweet potato or was it a yam? It is rare to find an actual yam in a U.S. grocery store. What you are seeing when you go to the store are two varieties of sweet potatoes. Crazy, right?!
“Yams” at the store are actually sweet potatoes with brown skin and dark orange flesh. “Sweet potatoes” at the store are sweet potatoes with lighter skin and also lighter flesh.
This variety is more firm in texture and not as fluffy when cooked. When you purchase sweet potatoes for this dish, you will want to purchase the “yam” variety! No more potato confusion, phew!
FAQ About Sweet Potatoes
You can tell when sweet potatoes are past their prime when they are mushy when squeezed. Blotchy patches may appear on the skin, as well as wrinkles.
Sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients and vitamins. They are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C and magnesium. They are also low in calories and can contribute to having a healthy gut!
Sweet potatoes do not contain gluten, making them a safe food to eat on a gluten-free diet.
Cooked sweet potatoes are actually very gentle on digestive systems and they contain a lot of nutrients, making them safe for your pups to consume.
For best results, either partly or fully cook sweet potatoes before freezing. They will last in the freezer for up to 12 months when package well.
There are approximately 25 g of carbohydrates in a 5-inch long sweet potato, making them about 10 g less than a regular potato of the same size.
There are approximately 110 calories in a 5-inch long sweet potato, making them about 50 calories less than a regular potato of the same size.
Sweet Potato Recipes
If you can’t get enough of the tuberous root vegetable, check out these delicious recipes:
- Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Healthy Lunch Bowl with Sweet Potatoes
- Baked Potato Chips
Mac and Cheese Recipes for Thanksgiving – 13 Delicious Ideas!
Mac and cheese is a Thanksgiving staple! Read on for some scrumptious mac and cheese recipes for Thanksgiving that you can make this year! You’ll find a ton of options to choose from in this roundup.
Thanksgiving Recipes
- My Mom’s Mashed Potatoes recipe is the BEST and goes great with any main dish, any time of year. You’ll never need another mashed potato recipe again!
- Done in just 30 minutes with a delicious glaze that everyone will love, Instant Pot ham recipe makes dinner or your next holiday meal easy!
- This is the best hash brown casserole recipe and it only requires 4 ingredients, 1 dish and 1 hour in the oven. Great for breakfast or a dinner side!
- Caramel Pecan Bars are a delicious replacement for pecan pie. These bars are packed with caramel and pecans and are easier than pie to make so you can get to enjoying them quicker!
- This Crockpot Mac and Cheese recipe is creamy and cheesy and just plain DELICIOUS. This comfort food comes together quickly and easily.
- Tater Tot Hotdish is the perfect holiday comfort food. Whether it’s the main dish or a side, everyone at the table will be satisfied.
- If you want to have low carb options available, try this Cauliflower Stuffing recipe! It’s an easy, healthy side dish for your next holiday meal and it is low carb, gluten free and delicious!
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Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping Recipe
Ingredients
Filling
- 5 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter melted (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 5 cups miniature marshmallows
Instructions
Make The Filling
- Fill a large saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add sweet potato chunks and boil for 20 minutes, or until a fork easily goes through the centers of the potatoes. Drain and mash. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- Add the eggs, 1/2 cup butter, milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and pour into prepared baking dish, spreading into an even layer.
Make The Topping
- In a medium bowl, combine the 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, pecans and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix and pour evenly over sweet potatoes. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, adding the marshmallows for the last five minutes of baking. Serve warm!
Notes
- This sweet potato casserole with marshmallows recipe calls for 1 cup of brown sugar total, but replace some or all of it with maple syrup, honey or agave nectar, if desired.
- To make this recipe nut-free, replace the pecans with crushed pretzels! Or just go with a crumble topping, including the brown sugar flour mixture and topping with the butter.
- Some of my readers are not fans of the marshmallows on top (it might be a Minnesota thing?), so feel free to omit, if desired.
- Replace the fresh sweet potatoes with canned, if desired, but fresh is always best!
Love!!!! Use every year for Thanksgiving, Thank you so much for this perfect recipe 👌🥰🍠
I’m so glad to hear it’s enjoyed! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be made without eggs? My daughter had an egg allergy but loves sweet potato casserole
Hi, I have never tried a substitute but I think 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce would work since it’s already a little bit sweet with the marshmallows on it. I’ve seen it recommended that you can try 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp vinegar but I haven’t played around with it to know for sure. Let me know if you find something that works!
pumpkin pie spice is not under the list of ingredients but you have it on the instructions. Could you include how much pumpkin pie spice to add under the ingredient list?
Corrected! 1 tsp is needed for this recipe. Thank you!
Is it like pie where you put a knife or toothpick in the middle and it should come out clean?
It does!
Hi! I love this recipe and would love to print it out.. are you able to email me a copy with the ingredients and instructions? Thanks so much! It tastes delicious!
Hi Sarah,
This recipe is loaded onto the Pip and Ebby cooking app. There you can access the directions and email or screen shot the ingredients for yourself. I highly recommend trying the app for this!
There is a print button in the recipe card of the instructions. You can send yourself a PDF or copy and paste them into the body of an email so you can print from there.
Thank you!
Do the instructions change if I need to make it the night before and pop it in the oven to reheat it on Thursday?
Hi Grace,
I’ve never thought about that before. What I would say is that you could follow the instructions and cook it but not add marshmallows until the day of and after you reheat it, add the marshmallows for the topping. I’m just not sure you could prepare it and not cook it for a whole day – sorry I wasn’t more help!
Made this for Friendsgiving and was amazing! I added a bit more butter to topping mix and little more brown sugar to potato mix. Yum!
You can never go wrong with a little extra butter and sugar! Glad it was amazing! Thanks for letting me know!
Have a Friendsgiving/Going away party and I’m making these to bring!! Super excited and can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Great choice! It’ll be fun to share with others. Thanks for checking in! Happy Friendsgiving!
what kind of flour can you use?
I use all purpose flour, it’s pretty versatile and this isn’t much for a recipe.
It tried printing the recipe, but the gray text on a gray background is barely legible. Is there somewhere or some way I could print this without the gray background? Otherwise, I made it today for Christmas dinner and it turned out great using canned yams….fresh wasn’t conveniently available with all the other dishes I made.
Hi Donald! I just emailed you the recipe. I hope this helps and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Megan
Could canned sweet potatoes be used? And if so, would timing be different?
Hi Jenn! Yes, definitely swap out fresh for canned and no need to adjust cooking time. I hope it turns out great! Enjoy!
Megan
Thank you Megan! 🙂
I don’t know if my comment went through earlier, but when it came time to make the topping it came out in clumps and could not spread on the top. I followed the instructions, could I have put more butter or cut down on the flour?
Not sure why, Sheila, but to fix you definitely could have tried adding a little melted butter. I hope it tasted great!
Megan
I had my brother distracting me, plus he melted the butter in the microwave which I never do.
The measurements do not make sense. Please re-read and revise.
Hi Amy! I’m not sure what isn’t making sense, but the recipe is written out correctly. Topping ingredients are listed separately for better understanding. Hope this helps!
Megan
Could you do this without the pecans?
Definitely, Allie! The pecans add a little something, but still delish without.
Megan
The directions say only bake for 25 min. Mine came out super runny, almost like soup!! But at the top of the recipe it says that it takes 1 hour? Should I be baking the dish longer
Hi Danielle! The 1 hour refers to total time to make recipe. It should only be in the oven for 25 minutes. It definitely should not be runny! What was the consistency of your potato mixture before you added it to your baking dish? It should have been moist but not anywhere close to runny. I hope you’re able to salvage it!
Megan
Try putting it back in the oven for a bit and hopefully that’ll help!
Totally making this but I don’t have pecans in my house so I’m going to try walnuts! Hopefully it still turns out great! 🙂
Thoughts on assembling the night before and then baking the next day?
I am wondering the same thing. I made the sweet potatoes tonight and baked them without the marshmallows. Tomorrow I will reheat in oven and then add marshmallows! Hope this helps!
Let me know how this works, Jenny and Liz! I’ve never tried it before but will love to hear how it turns out. I’m sure it’ll be great!
Megan
Wow, HBN, nasty much?? Constructive criticism is one thing, but day-um!
I think it sounds delish! I will be making this on Thursday with the exception of roasting the tubers, rather thank boiling. Yum yum, can’t wait!
I hope you love it, Amanda! GREAT call on roasting the sweet potatoes. That’ll make it even tastier! YUM!
Megan
Should the butter be slated or unsalted?
Totally your call on this, Linds, but I always always use salted butter!
Megan
I made this for a friendsgiving dinner and didn’t get to taste it until the party. This recipe is awful, you lose the integrity of the sweet potatos and it just tastes like, as my cousin kindly put, "bootlegged pumpkin pie." Less than a quarter of what I made was actually eaten. If you’re looking for a sweet potato casserole recipe, LOOK ELSEWHERE.
"Awful"…oh no! This recipe is a favorite of ours and gets TOTALLY devoured every single time. It is soooo yummy and I can’t imagine anyone labeling it as "bootlegged pumpkin pie." 🙁
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
The recipe also has false measurements. In the ingredients list, it calls for 1/2 cup of butter, but the instructions ask to use 1/2 cup of butter for the potato mixture, and 1/4 cup of melted butter for the topping, so it should be 3/4 cups total…
The 1/4 cup butter you are referring to is actually listed under TOPPING in the ingredient list. Hope that clarifies things!
@HBN Maybe you just don’t know how to cook and everyone saw that?