In my family, we love this Best Sweet Potato Casserole. Sweet, salty, and topped with a crunchy streusel! You’ll love this mashed sweet potato recipe and the nutty brown sugar crunch on top!
Tried this recipe at a local Ruth’s Chris restaurant many years ago. After several tweaks, it’s so similar and still delicious.
I originally published this recipe in November 2018. It’s been republished with new images in January 2022.
Every family has Thanksgiving traditions you just don’t mess with. You’re either a marshmallow-topped sweet potato family or you aren’t, there’s very little middle ground. For years, my family was divided depending on who hosted. These days, I solve the problem by serving both.
After trying a similar version at Ruth’s Chris years ago, I came home and started tweaking until I got this Sweet Potato Casserole recipe just right. Fluffy, creamy sweet potatoes topped with a brown sugar and pecan streusel that’s sweet, salty, and wonderfully crunchy!
I’ve made this casserole for enough holiday dinners to know that oven space is precious, so I’ve tested several ways to prep it ahead. Make the sweet potatoes in advance, add the streusel when you’re ready, and you’ve got one less thing competing for oven space on Thanksgiving Day.
Aimee’s Recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole Notes
Taste: Sweet and savory with a rich vanilla flavor, topped with a nutty, brown sugar crumble.
Texture: Creamy and smooth mashed sweet potatoes paired with a crunchy, buttery pecan topping.
Ease to Make: Easy to prepare, with options to make ahead or bake in advance.
Cooking Method: Baked in the oven.
Top Tips:
- Add extra pecans for more crunch and flavor.
- Use fresh sweet potatoes for the best texture.
- Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor!
“This has been my go-to recipe for a long time now, I make it for every holiday or potluck and it never disappoints! Thank you!” – Hannah
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes. Choose fresh sweet potatoes that have no root growing off 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 The Best 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. Cook them tender by using my Instant Pot Sweet Potato recipe!
Mash the sweet potatoes.
Once you cook your potatoes, combine them in a large bowl with the sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and melted butter. Using a mixer or potato masher, 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.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan 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.
After you cook the sweet potatoes, add the streusel on top. You can also add extra pecans. Then, put them back in the oven to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Store sweet potato casserole in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
PRO TIP: Try my recipe for sweet potato casserole with marshmallows next!
Making ahead of time
Nothing is worse than determining what goes in the oven and when. Fortunately, this recipe for sweet potato casserole gets it’s “BEST” rating because of the flexibility.
Here are THREE options on how to make today’s sweet potato casserole recipe:
- 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 can also bake it as directed. Let it sit on the table for about 30 minutes. Cover it with foil to keep it hot. This gives you time and space to warm up some dinner rolls and get the rest of your food heated and ready.
Tips for Simple Sweet Potato Casserole
After making this casserole for countless holidays, I’ve learned a few small details can make a big difference. You want the sweet potatoes creamy and fluffy, with a buttery pecan topping that stays crunchy instead of sinking into the filling.
- Let the potatoes cool slightly before adding the eggs. If the sweet potatoes are piping hot, you risk cooking bits of the egg before everything is mixed together.
- Don’t skip the salt. With sugar in the filling and brown sugar in the topping, that teaspoon of kosher salt is important. It balances the sweetness and brings out the flavor of the sweet potatoes.
- Use an electric mixer for the fluffiest filling. I beat my sweet potato mixture for several minutes until it’s light and smooth. A potato masher works if you prefer more texture, while the mixer gives this casserole that creamy, almost souffle-like consistency.
- Watch the topping, not just the timer. During the final 10-15 minutes, you’re looking for a lightly browned, crisp streusel. If your pecans are browning faster than the casserole is heating, keep foil on top!
How to Serve the Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole is best served warm, after letting it rest for about 5-10 minutes out of the oven. This gives the creamy filling a chance to set slightly while keeping that brown sugar pecan topping crisp.
My family makes this casserole most often for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it pairs beautifully with all the classics. Since the sweet potatoes are rich and slightly sweet, I especially like adding something savory or fresh to the plate for balance.
For a complete holiday meal, try serving it with:
- Turkey or Ham– Using my Thanksgiving turkey recipe or honey glazed ham, this buttery casserole is a perfect contrast to a savory main dish.
- Green Bean Casserole– my French’s green bean casserole recipe is the perfect side dish.
- Mashed Potatoes– Yes, you can absolutely serve two kinds of potatoes for holidays. I don’t make the rules.
- Dinner Rolls– fresh rolls or my easy Artisan bread is perfect because we don’t count carbs on holidays.
And don’t save this recipe only for holidays. It’s just as easy and delicious alongside pork tenderloin and roasted chicken.
Thanksgiving Recipes
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Sweet Potatoes Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
For the Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon 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.
- Butter– for a traditional Ruths Chris topping, you’ll want to melt the butter. If you prefer more of a crumble, just use softened butter instead.
- 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.
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!
can I make this two days ahead of time? I would like to put together today for EAster
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 🙂
Outstanding – I made this at thanksgiving and it was such a big hit I decided to make it for New Year’s Eve as well.
2nd time tryin’ it!
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 🙂
Ma’am, how long did you reheat?
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??
This was a great and easy recipe. Next time I would cut the streusel in half since it made too much for our liking.
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.
Can I make this ahead of time and keep warm in the oven?
If I am using arrowroot powder instead of eggs, should I still cook it for the 25 minutes?
Can you freeze this recipe?
How many cups of mashed sweet potatoes would this recipe call for? 😀
I found another recipe calling for 4 and it listed as 8 cups sweet potatoes.