This sweet potato casserole recipe is silky smooth with rich fall spices and perfectly sweetened. A classic holiday side dish, this sweet potato casserole with pecans is topped with a buttery, nutty crumb topping (no marshmallows) and will become a family favorite!
Wash and pierce sweet potatoes with a fork about 10 times. Wrap in foil and put on a baking sheet.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tender (sweet potatoes compress when touched). The baking time depends on how thick your potatoes are. Check at 40 minutes if they are small.
Open foil and set the sweet potatoes aside to cool.
Make the topping:
In a medium bowl, use a fork or pastry cutter to combine butter, brown sugar, flour sea salt and cinnamon until a coarse meal forms.
Add pecans and stir until evenly distributed in the mixture. Set aside.
Putting it together:
Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8” baking dish, set aside.
Scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins and transfer to a large bowl. Use a potato ricer to mash the cooked sweet potato flesh. (Note: you can use a potato masher but I don’t not recommend it, as sometimes the flesh of a sweet potato is stringy, and a ricer will remove any unpleasant “strings”).*
Add eggs, milk, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Pour sweet potato mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top so it is flat and even.
Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potato mixture, gently pressing it into the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until slightly puffed and the topping is lightly browned.
Let cool slightly and serve.
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Notes
*Or put the sweet potato, along with the other filling ingredients, in the container of a blender and blend until smooth.Ingredient Substitutions
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter, you may just need to increase the salt.
Whole Milk. Half and half, heavy cream, or 2% milk can be used in place of whole milk
Brown Sugar. light or dark brown sugar can be used with great results.
All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Pecans. Walnuts are a great substitute for pecans.
To StoreStore any leftovers of this sweet potato casserole with pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through. How to freeze sweet potato casseroleLet it cool completely, cover and freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To make in advance:You can make this sweet potato casserole in advance in a few ways:
Make and assemble the casserole the day before. Store in tightly covered in the refrigerator and then bake it the next day.
Make and assemble the casserole, tightly cover it and freeze it for up to 2 months. To bake, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature - then bake according to the recipe.
Roast and mash the sweet potatoes the day before you want to serve this dish. Then mix it together and bake.