Sweet potato casserole is a classic Southern side dish made with creamy mashed sweet potatoes baked and topped with a brown sugar pecan butter topping! It’s the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.
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The BEST Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole is an iconic Southern side dish that features velvety mashed sweet potatoes, baked to perfection and crowned with a heavenly brown sugar pecan butter topping. It’s the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish that I’m here to guide you through, ensuring a scrumptious and stress-free addition to your meal lineup.
For those of you who don’t like marshmallows in your dinner table, this side dish is for you. It captures the essence of sweet potato casserole, but has an incredible brown sugar pecan butter topping you don’t want to miss.
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole ingredients
- sweet potatoes
- sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- milk
- butter
For the topping:
- brown sugar
- flour
- butter
- pecans
Substitutions for Southern Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping
- Butternut Squash: Swap out sweet potatoes for roasted or mashed butternut squash. They offer a similar texture and a slightly different flavor profile that pairs well with a pecan topping.
- Acorn Squash: Acorn squash can be used as a sweet potato substitute, providing a slightly nutty and sweet flavor that complements the pecans.
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin puree can work as an alternative to sweet potatoes. It has a creamy texture and a natural sweetness that pairs nicely with a pecan topping.
Each of these substitutions will bring a different flavor and texture to your dish, so choose the one that best suits your taste preferences and dietary needs.
How to make Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
This is one simple side dish recipe. If you are on the hook for a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish, sign up to bring sweet potato casserole with pecans! You’ll get the easiest recipe of the holiday.
- Start by baking the sweet potatoes in the oven or microwave. Then, let cool a few minutes and remove the peel.
- Mash the sweet potatoes and add sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and butter and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Put in a sprayed 2-quart baking dish and make the topping.
- For the topping: Mix together the brown sugar, and butter with a fork or pastry cutter. The mixture will be crumbly. Add in chopped pecans and sprinkle on top of the mashed sweet potatoes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Can I make this Recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this casserole side dish ahead of time. You can make the mashed sweet potato mixture and the topping the day before you plan on serving the dish.
We recommend keeping the topping separated from the sweet potato mixture until just before baking. Refrigerate both, covered, in separate containers and take them out to come to room temperature before baking.
Add the topping and bake according to the instructions.
Tips for Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
Here are some tips for making a delicious Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping:
- Select the right sweet potatoes: Choose fresh sweet potatoes with vibrant orange flesh for the best flavor and texture. You can also use canned sweet potatoes if you’re short on time, but fresh sweet potatoes often yield a superior result.
- Cook sweet potatoes properly: You can boil, roast, or microwave sweet potatoes until they are tender. Boiling is the recommended method, but roasting them can enhance their natural sweetness. Make sure they are fully cooked and easily mashable.
- Mash them well: For a smooth and creamy casserole, mash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. You can use a potato masher or a food processor for this step.
- Add flavor and sweetness: Enhance the sweet potato mixture with ingredients like butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
- Texture matters: Some people prefer a completely smooth sweet potato filling, while others like it slightly chunky. Adjust the texture by mashing to your preference.
- Bake to perfection: Bake the casserole until it’s heated through and the pecan topping is golden brown and crisp. Keep an eye on it to avoid over-browning the pecans.
- Serve hot: Sweet potato casserole is best served hot, straight from the oven. It’s a classic side dish for Thanksgiving and other holiday meals.
- Customize to your taste: Feel free to experiment with your sweet potato casserole by adding extras like marshmallows, a hint of orange zest, or a drizzle of maple syrup for added flavor.
How to serve the Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole pairs perfectly with holiday dishes like roast turkey or ham, making it an ideal addition to festive meals. It’s best served hot so prepare to heat it until just before you’re ready to eat.
Storing leftover Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
To store sweet potato casserole with pecans, first allow it to cool to room temperature. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Alternatively, transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze the casserole in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months. Reheat in the oven or microwave when ready to serve, adding extra pecans if desired for a fresh crunch.
Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping FAQs
No, yams are not the same as sweet potatoes. Yams have a tougher exterior skin and are more in line with a yucca root vegetable.
While you can make a casserole with yams, it won’t be the same as using sweet potatoes.
Yes, you can prepare sweet potato casserole with pecan topping in advance. You can assemble the casserole, including the pecan topping, and refrigerate it a day or two before baking. This can be a time-saving option for busy holiday meals.
Absolutely! While pecans are a classic choice, you can customize the topping by using other nuts like walnuts or almonds. You can even mix different nuts for a unique flavor and texture.
To make a vegan or dairy-free version, substitute plant-based butter and non-dairy milk (such as almond, coconut, or soy milk) for the dairy equivalents in the sweet potato mixture.
A soupy sweet potato casserole can be the result of several factors:
Overly Moist Sweet Potatoes: If the sweet potatoes are too wet when mashed, they can release excess moisture into the casserole during baking. Make sure to drain or pat dry your cooked sweet potatoes before mashing.
Too Much Liquid: Overly generous amounts of liquid ingredients like milk or cream in your sweet potato mixture can make the casserole too runny. Be mindful of the ratios when adding wet ingredients.
Underbaking: If the casserole is not baked long enough, the sweet potatoes may not have the chance to set properly, leaving it with a soupy consistency.
Incorrect Ratios: An incorrect balance of ingredients, especially sweeteners like sugar or maple syrup, can affect the texture. Too much sugar can liquefy the mixture.
Undercooking the Topping: If the pecan topping is undercooked, it can release moisture into the casserole as well.
Boiling sweet potatoes before baking is one approach you can take when making sweet potato casserole, but it’s not necessarily better or worse than other methods. Boiling sweet potatoes can help to soften them and make them easier to mash, which can result in a smoother and creamier texture in your casserole.
However, some people prefer to roast or bake sweet potatoes instead of boiling them because it can enhance the natural sweetness and flavor of the sweet potatoes. Roasting can also add a slightly caramelized and earthy flavor to the dish.
Yes, sweet potatoes tend to get sweeter the longer you cook them. This sweetness occurs because the cooking process breaks down the starches in sweet potatoes into simpler sugars, primarily maltose. As you continue to cook sweet potatoes, these sugars become more concentrated, resulting in a sweeter flavor.
So, if you’re aiming for a sweeter taste in your sweet potato dish, consider cooking them for a longer duration or using methods like roasting or baking to enhance their natural sweetness.
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes approx. 2-3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup butter softened
Topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Bake sweet potatoes in oven or microwaves nd cook until tender. Peel and mash.
- In medium-sized mixing bowl add mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and butter together.
- Place in 2-quart baking dish that has been sprayed.
- Mix brown sugar and butter together. It will be crumbly. Add in chopped pecans. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture
- Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Rose says
Your sweet potato casserole looks good. Think I’ll use it for Thanksgiving.