Sweet Potato Casserole With Brown Sugar Pecan Topping
If you've been searching for a sweet potato casserole that's simple enough for a busy holiday week but tastes like you spent all day on it, this is it. No marshmallows required. Just a smooth, creamy filling topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crumble that bakes up perfectly golden every time.
Thanksgiving is basically a full production. Between the turkey, the rolls, and making sure everyone shows up with the dish they promised, things get chaotic fast. This sweet potato casserole is one of the things I actually look forward to making because it's low stress and everyone LOVES it.
The filling is smooth and lightly sweetened, and that pecan crumble topping adds the perfect crunch in every bite. If you love a good holiday side dish, you'll want to check out my make-ahead mashed potatoes too - both can be prepped ahead, which is a total lifesaver on the big day.
Recipe Overview: Mixed Berry Cobbler on the Traeger
⏱ Prep Time: 20 minutes
⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
👥 Serving: 12 slices
🔥 Calories: ~314 kcal per serving
🥣 Main Ingredients: Sweet potatoes, brown sugar, pecans, butter, eggs, half and half, vanilla.
👌 Difficulty: Easy - simple ingredients, a creamy sweet potato filling, and a buttery pecan crumble topping
⭐ Why You'll Love It: Fluffy mashed sweet potatoes are blended with butter, vanilla, and a touch of sugar, then topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crumble that bakes to golden perfection!
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Table of contents
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole
Most of what you need is already in your kitchen! A few things worth calling out:
- Sweet potatoes - You'll need 4-5 medium ones. Try to grab ones that are similar in size so they cook evenly.
- Half and half - This makes the filling extra creamy. You can swap in whole milk in a pinch, but half and half really does make a difference here.
- Vanilla extract - Don't skip this! It adds a warmth to the filling that makes it taste special. If you want to make your own, my homemade vanilla extract is so easy and worth every minute.
- Pecans - Chopped pecans are what make that topping so good. If you have a nut allergy in the family, you can leave them out and the crumble is still delicious.
- Brown sugar - Light brown sugar is what I use for the topping. It gives you that caramel-like sweetness that pairs so well with the sweet potatoes.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Add them to a large pot of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer. Cover and cook until they are tender when poked with a fork.
- Drain the water and transfer the sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, half and half, vanilla, granulated sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mash everything together until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish. An 8x11 inch dish or a deep dish 10 inch pie pan both work great.
- For the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans in a bowl. Add the butter and cut it in with a fork or pastry blender until everything is well combined and crumbly.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potato filling.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is set.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Don't rush the boiling step. Make sure your sweet potatoes are really fork tender before you drain them. If they're even a little undercooked, the filling won't mash smooth and you'll end up with lumps.
Mash while they're hot. Add all your filling ingredients right away while the potatoes are still warm. Everything comes together so much easier and the butter melts right in.
Cut the butter in cold. For the topping, you want your butter to be cool - not melted. Cutting it in with a fork keeps the topping crumbly and helps it bake up with that nice crispy texture instead of going flat. I do the same thing for my strawberry rhubarb crisp bars and it makes all the difference.
Make it ahead. You can assemble the whole casserole the night before and keep it covered in the fridge. Just add the topping right before baking so it stays crisp.
If you love easy holiday side dishes, browse all my sides recipes for more ideas to round out your table!
Can I Make This Sweet Potato Casserole Ahead of Time?
Yes! This is actually one of the best things about this recipe. You can mash and mix the sweet potato filling, pour it into your greased casserole dish, cover it tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Wait to add the pecan topping until right before it goes in the oven. That way the topping stays nice and crumbly instead of getting soggy sitting in the fridge. Pull it out about 30 minutes before baking so it's not ice cold going into the oven.
Sweet Potato Casserole FAQs
You can! Drain them really well first. The flavor is a little different from fresh but it works great when you're short on time.
Absolutely. Just leave them out and the brown sugar crumble topping is still delicious. Some people also swap in walnuts if that's what they have on hand.
If you love a marshmallow topping you can swap out the topping for mini marshmallows also.
Yes, whole milk is the best swap. The filling will be slightly less rich but still really creamy and good.
Storage
Leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. It reheats really well - just microwave individual portions or warm the whole dish covered in the oven at 300 degrees F until heated through.
More Holiday Sides You'll Love
If you tried this Sweet Potato Casserole or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat to a medium simmer. Cover and simmer until they are tender when poked with a fork.
- Drain water and place sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, half and half, vanilla, sugar, salt, and butter and mash everything together until smooth.
- Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish. Anything around the size of an 8x11" or a deep dish 10'' pie pan will work.
- For the topping: Add flour, brown sugar and pecans to a mixing bowl. Add butter and cut in with a fork or pastry blender until well combined. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.
