In my family, the Best Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is one that’s served up sweet and salty with a delicious, crunchy streusel topping! You’ll love this mashed sweet potato recipe and the nutty brown sugar crunch on top!
For more holiday side dishes, don’t forget the Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole, and of course Pistachio Salad!
Why this Recipe is Best
Every family has traditions, and in most cases, you can’t shake things up. Ever.
For instance, Thanksgiving. You are either a plain sweet potato or a mini marshmallows topped sweet potato family. There is no middle ground.
For years, my family was divided. Depending on who hosted Thanksgiving dinner, we either were served gooey, sweet marshmallow sweet potato casserole….or a sweet potato casserole with a little butter and brown sugar.
Those were the only choices. Until now.
Now I host Thanksgiving myself, and it’s my turn to determine how I want to serve my sweet potatoes. And while I love marshmallow topped, and brown sugar…today’s streusel topped sweet potato casserole are hands down, my favorite.
If you’ve ever been to a Ruth’s Chris restaurant you’ll recognize these potatoes!
- Sweet and creamy mashed sweet potatoes.
- Topped with a brown sugar crumble with a crunch for salty pecans.
- One of the best things about these sweet potatoes is that you can have them prepped ahead of time so that you only need to bake them on Thanksgiving.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet Potatoes. Choose fresh sweet potatoes that have no root growing off of them.
Sugars. You’ll want sugar for the mashed sweet potato and brown sugar for the pecan topping.
Vanilla extract. These candied potatoes are almost like a dessert. Using real vanilla extract (or try my homemade vanilla extract) gives even more flavor.
Eggs. Helps the casserole fluff up to a delicious texture.
Unsalted butter. If using salted butter, omit the extra kosher salt in the recipe.
How to make Sweet Potato Casserole
Start by cooking your sweet potatoes.
Bake. You can bake them in the oven (my preferred method), at 400 degrees F for an hour.
Stove Top. Or you can peel and boil potatoes in a large pot of water (for about half an hour).
Microwave. The third way would be to poke them with a fork and microwave the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes.
Instant Pot. OR you can pop them in the Instant Pot! Cook them tender by using my Instant Pot Sweet Potato recipe!
Mash the sweet potatoes.
Once your potatoes are cooked, combine them in a large bowl with the sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and melted butter. Using a mixer, beat them for about 4-5 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
Bake. Pour this into a 2 qt casserole dish and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Make the topping. While the potatoes are baking, make your streusel topping. Combine brown sugar with flour, chopped pecans, and melted butter. Stir together with a fork and set aside.
Once your sweet potatoes have cooked, top with streusel (and extra pecans on top if desired) and return to the oven to bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.
Making ahead of time
There is nothing worse than trying to figure out what goes in the oven, and when. Fortunately, this sweet potato casserole gets it’s “BEST” rating because of the flexibility.
First, you could bake as written above, if oven space is not an issue.
Or, you could bake the 25 minutes, top with the streusel and refrigerate until the next day. Then you would only need to pop it back into the oven for about 20 minutes.
You could also bake it as directed for entirety and allow to sit on the table for about 30 minutes (covered with foil to keep hot). This gives you time and space to warm up some dinner rolls and get the rest of your food heated and ready.
Side Dish recipes for Thanksgiving
Looking for a Classic Stuffing Recipe? My dressing is made with day old bread, vegetables, apples and mushrooms! Easy to make ahead of time too!
This Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole recipe is true comfort food. Made with frozen hash browns and plenty of cheese, I can guarantee your family is going to enjoy this one!
A sweet, fruity side dish, this Frozen Cranberry Orange Salad is great for the holidays. This recipe can be made days in advance!
A classic, easy 7 layer Salad recipe served in a trifle bowl. So many options for the seven layers, you choose what you love. Perfect for potlucks!
Don’t forget the Green Bean Casserole! Everyone loves the creamy mushroom soup with the crispy fried onions!
Thanksgiving Dessert recipes
While you’re here, how about we take a peek into my dessert archives? I’ve got some of the best Thanksgiving treats you could ever want!
Delicious layers of homemade Spice Cake with a Pecan Pie filling. This Pecan Pie cake is topped with a creamy Brown Sugar frosting! Drooling yet?
Smooth and decadent, French Silk Pie is a chocolate lovers dream! You’ll love the flaky pie crust, topped with smooth and silky chocolate!
Easy to assemble Turkey Rice Krispie Treats decorated for Thanksgiving! Loved by kids and adults!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake: two layers of delicious pumpkin cake with a creamy cheesecake center. Frosted with cream cheese frosting!
Look at those beautiful layers in this Pumpkin Magic Cake! This is a must make recipe for the holidays!
Apple Crumble. The comfort of home in an easy, no pie crust recipe!
The best (and easiest) Pumpkin Pie recipe you’ll need this holiday season. Make Thanksgiving dessert in no time at all with this delicious pie recipe!
Serving Suggestions
So many dinner ideas pair nicely with these sweet potatoes. Here are a few of my favorites!
- Baked Pork Chop Recipe
- Meatloaf Recipe
- Peach Pork Chops
- Meatball Subs
- French Dip Recipe
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
The Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
In my family, the Best Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is one that’s served up sweet and salty with a delicious, crunchy streusel topping! You’ll love this mashed sweet potato recipe and the nutty brown sugar crunch on top!
Ingredients
For the Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the streusel topping:
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Cook sweet potatoes in desired manner, until soft. See notes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2 qt baking dish with nonstick spray (I use coconut oil spray). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and melted butter. Beat with an electric mixer for about 4-5 minutes, until fluffy and smooth.
- Pour into prepared dish. Bake for 25 minutes.
- While baking, prepare streusel topping by combining brown sugar, flour, pecans, and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix with a fork and set aside.
- Sprinkle the baked sweet potato mixture with streusel and return to oven for about 10-15 minutes until crumble is lightly browned. Serve immediately or cover with foil and serve in 30 minutes.
Notes
For the sweet potatoes you can cook them your favorite way. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for one hour. Or pierce with fork and microwave for 15 minutes (or more depending on size). Or peel and boil them for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g
*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.
Omg I added Heath toffee bits to my strudel mixture and marshmallows and it was out of this world, a thanksgiving classic is now being enjoyed as a summertime favorite!
This is a great recipe. I add coconut and raisers to the sweet potatoes. It really takes it up a notch!
This was a Easter hit. I made 2 pans and the family lived it. The topping was the game changer! Thanks for sharing it.
SO glad it was a hit with your family!
I made this last Thanksgiving for my family and I loved it. So much, that I have craved it whenever I think about sweet potatoes. I mean, I love a good sweet potato fry and that’s my first choice. But when I was grocery shopping and ran into the sweet potatoes at the store, well this was the recipe that NEEDED to be made. Its the streusel topping for sure! And I don’t mind the melted butter in the streusel – it made it a little sticky but it helps to keep that amazing top layer floating like clouds in heaven! So yesterday I paired it with a nice baked ham and again – so delicious! I even snuck some outta the pan yesterday before it was completely gone – to save for my lunch today at work. I can’t wait for lunch! It’ll be the best part of the day! Thank you so much for your amazing page of recipes!!
So happy to hear you love it too. We’ll be making it again for Easter, to go with our ham 🙂
Do not melt the butter to make the streusel topping, cut it up in small pieces and using a pastry blender or fork keep working the ingredients until small tiny balls form. Then sprinkle on top of sweet potatoes, bake for about 10 more minutes or until streusel is light brown.
I can’t wait to try this. I would add raisins to the sweet potato mixture and add marshmallows to the streusel.
What type and size pan should I use?
Oh my goodness. I have gotten so many requests for this recipe! Everyone loved this more than the family sweet potato recipe. Streusel topping was not stick for me. I prebaked the sweet potatoes the day before. Added the streusel topping once the sweet potatoes were cool. Refrigerated until I was ready to pop in the oven to warm up and serve.
So happy to hear it 🙂
My cousin made this for Thanksgiving and it was a fan favorite. I couldn’t get enough. I just got back from the grocery store with the ingredients so I can make it today!
LOVE it 🙂 It’s one of our family favorites 🙂
Do you use white sugar for the potato mixture? Thank you!
White sugar is granulated sugar hon!!
How many canned sweet potatoes should I use??
Hi! I think there is a typo in your recipe – is the butter for the streusel actually meant to be melted? My streusel came out sticky as others have commented, and I think cold butter may have worked better. Thanks!
This was a huge hit today for Thanksgiving dinner! I added half a teaspoon of vanilla and sprinkled some cinnamon into the streusel mixture and it was to die for!
So happy to hear it 🙂
I made it for Thanksgiving and boy was it a hit! I just love it! Thank you!
Made this way instead of my normal way. I did added some cinnamon and nutmeg to the potatoes and strudel.
Yes my streusel came out sticky
Can I make this ahead of time and keep warm in the oven?