This sweet potato casserole with pecans is a family-favorite side dish to pass around at Thanksgiving dinner! Smooth and fluffy mashed sweet potatoes are topped with a nutty streusel and baked until golden and caramelized. It’s an easy recipe that’s perfect for the holidays.
If you’re looking for a fun way to enjoy the flavors of this festive casserole on a weeknight, try my twice-baked sweet potatoes topped with the same crunchy oatmeal pecan streusel! You might also love these cheesy scalloped sweet potatoes.
This warm and fluffy sweet potato casserole has a buttery, crunchy topping made with cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans. The combination of textures is seriously to die for! Underneath that crispy, nutty topping, the soft, sweet potatoes melt in your mouth. And putting it together for a holiday meal couldn’t be simpler. If you’re looking for a delicious sweet potato side dish to pass around with the cranberry sauce and gravy this Thanksgiving, this classic sweet potato casserole recipe is it!
Things to Love About This Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
- Sweet and comforting. This casserole is sweet like a dessert, with wholesome ingredients that keep you satisfied. It’s the perfect contrast to savory holiday dishes.
- Crispy topping. Speaking of contrast, nothing beats the crunchy pecan topping on this homemade sweet potato casserole. It’s light and crumbly, and it only needs 4 ingredients.
- Easy to make. The creamy sweet potato filling comes together easily, and then it’s a matter of layering everything in the pan and popping it into the oven to bake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This short and sweet list of ingredients may come as a surprise. You don’t need much to make the perfect sweet potato casserole! I’ve included notes below on the ingredients in the filling and topping. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe with measurements and step-by-step instructions.
For the Sweet Potato Filling
- Sweet Potatoes: Cooked and peeled. I usually bake them; see the How To section for details.
- Butter: Melted before you start.
- Maple Syrup: Use pure maple syrup rather than an artificial alternative. Honey, agave, or brown sugar are good substitutes.
- Vanilla: Use a high-quality extract or vanilla paste for the best possible flavor.
- Egg: This adds body to the filling while keeping it nice and light.
- Almond Milk: Plain and unsweetened. You can substitute another dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice.
For the Pecan Streusel Topping
- Pecans: Chopped. You can swap pecans with walnuts or almonds if you’d like.
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will do.
- Butter: Again, this should be melted.
- Cinnamon: For warmth and festive flavor. You could also use nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice.
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How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
Before you start on your filling, you will need to bake and mash up the sweet potatoes. Once they are prepared, you’ll bake them once more with the streusel on top.
- Bake the sweet potatoes. Scrub and dry the sweet potatoes, and then prick them all over with a fork. Then, bake the potatoes on a lined baking sheet at 400ºF for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, switch off the oven and let the sweet potatoes rest inside for an additional 30 minutes before removing them to cool. Alternatively, you can cook the sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot.
- Peel the potatoes. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the potato skins. Place the peeled sweet potatoes into a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mash. Next, add the melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla, egg, and almond milk to the sweet potato flesh. Mix everything with a hand blender until the potatoes are creamy and smooth.
- Combine the topping ingredients. Now, add the chopped pecans, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon to a small bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Assemble the casserole. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Transfer your prepared sweet potato filling to an 8×8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the filling.
- Bake. Bake the sweet potato casserole uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the topping is browned. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Casserole
- Don’t forget to prick the potatoes. Poking small holes in the sweet potatoes is an important step before baking. It allows the steam to escape while they cook, and prevents the potatoes from exploding in the oven!
- Peel the potatoes after cooking. While it’s okay to peel the potatoes before you bake them, I don’t necessarily recommend it. They are so much easier to peel after they’re cooked.
- Choose your preferred cooking method. This recipe instructs you to bake the sweet potatoes before mashing them. However, you can choose to boil the potatoes or cook them in the air fryer or Instant Pot. As long as your sweet potatoes are fork-tender and mashable, any cooking method will suffice.
- Avoid over-browning. If you find that your streusel topping is browning too quickly, simply tent a piece of foil over the baking dish while the casserole finishes baking. You could also use a pie shield if you have one.
Feeling Creative? Try These Easy Variations
There are plenty of ways to adapt this easy sweet potato side dish. Here are some tasty recipe variations:
- Marshmallows. Make a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and swap the crunchy pecans for a fluffy marshmallow topping. Sprinkle mini marshmallows over the filling and bake the casserole until the marshmallows puff up and start to brown.
- More spices. If you want to incorporate even more seasonal flavors into this dish, add extra spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice to the filling. Pumpkin pie spice is a great shortcut!
- Add bacon. Instead of or in addition to the pecans in the topping, try cooked bacon bits! Cook the bacon slightly less crispy to start, since it will continue to crisp up as the casserole bakes.
- Corn flake topping. Corn Flakes cereal has become a popular topping for sweet potato casseroles! Substituting the pecans with cornflakes is also a great way to make this recipe nut-free. You can even leave off the topping in favor of a generous layer of Frosted Flakes for something different!
Make-Ahead
If you’d like, you can make your sweet potato filling a day or two ahead of assembling and baking the casserole. Store it well-covered in the fridge until you’re ready to make your topping and bake.
How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Refrigerate leftover casserole in an airtight container once it has cooled completely (don’t leave it at room temperature for longer than 2 hours). It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat. To reheat it, place it in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. Make sure you cover it with foil to keep the topping from over-browning. Small portions can be reheated in the microwave.
- Freeze. You can freeze leftover casserole for up to 4 months. Place it in a freezer-safe container or cover it with two layers of plastic wrap. Thaw it out overnight in the fridge before reheating it.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy sweet potato casserole recipe is a classic Thanksgiving side dish! It has creamy, fluffy sweet potatoes and a buttery pecan topping.
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Filling
- 4 sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
For the Pecan Streusel Topping
- 1 cup of chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prick sweet potatoes a couple of times on all sides with a fork.
- Place sweet potatoes on the oven rack and bake for 40 minutes. Then turn off the oven and let the sweet potatoes sit for an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove sweet potatoes from the oven. Let cool.
- Remove the skin and place the potato flesh in a large bowl.
- Next, add melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla, egg, and almond milk. Mix with a hand blender until potatoes are creamy and smooth.
Make the Topping & Bake
- In the meantime, in a small bowl, add chopped pecans, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Mix until all is combined.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Place mashed sweet potatoes in a 2 1/2 quart round Corningware baker. {or in a 8×8 glass pan}
- Sprinkle pecan streusel over the sweet potatoes.
- Put the casserole dish in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes or until the topping is browned.
- Serve!
Notes
Makes 6-8 servings.
- To Store: Refrigerate leftover casserole in an airtight container once cooled (don’t leave at room temperature longer than 2 hours). It will stay good for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: Place large quantity of leftovers in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, covered. Small portions can be reheated in the microwave.
- To Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container or covered with two layers of plastic wrap for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 276
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 153 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
30 comments on “Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel”
When I make my topping I add great grains cereal to the topping.
I just add it till I am happy with the covering of the sweet potatoe dish.
sounds deicious!
Made this for a Christmas dinner. Want to freeze it and thaw it out the night before. Can I freeze it with the pecan topping already on it.
Hmmm I would not. I think the pecans won’t be as crunchy when you thaw and reheat.
I’m making for a large group. Can I double the batch and make in 9×13? What would you recommend cook and reheat time?
Yes you can totally do that! My mom does that every year! I would reheat at 350°F covered with tin foil so the pecans don’t burn and maybe cook for 20-20 minutes if cooking from cold.
I’ve never made a sweet potato casserole but this one sounds good with the pecan crust. Much better than marshmallows.
oh… Jessica you are missing out. You need to make it sometime and so much better with pecans! YUM!
I am such a rebel, that I actually put mini marshmallows on top of my pecan streusel topping! 😉 Your sweet potatoes look delicious Krista, and don’t need anything extra!!
haha.. too funny. Bet those are extra sweet sweet potatoes! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Lisa, hope you have a great Saturday!
This would be hard for me to share! I love sweet potatoes especially with pecans!
haha.. I know right!? Sweet potatoes and pecans are definitely my favorite holiday combinations, they are perfect for each other. YUM!
yum!!! thats such a fun way to eat sweet potatoes! I love them, and this is a great twist instead of the marshmallow kind… yum! I hope you had a chance to come over and check out my cheese dip I made for the roundup… Emily
Thanks Emily, it is so good. Definitely worth starting a fight over the thanksgiving table if its the last piece. 🙂
I haven’t had a chance to head over yet., but definitely plan on it today! 🙂
This looks delicious. Love the topping. First time visit to your blog and I’m liking it!
Thanks so much Shelby! So glad to have you for the first time, I always love when I find new blogs. 🙂 Fun stuff. Thanks for stopping by and the foodie props! Hope you have a fantastic rest of the week!
I’ve seen a few different versions of this recipe over the past few days and I love them all! I love how yours has the extra crunchy pecan topping. This is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving!
haha.. I know. I noticed that too! 🙁 This one the inside part is “skinny” no sugar, milk, or eggs like the other recipes. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by girl! Glad you like its, always love your sweet comments.
I prefer pecans to marshmallows, too. Definitely the best way!
Yah! I just love the crunch it adds to the dish, otherwise its all the same texture. 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing! Pinning!
Thanks so much Sheena, its as amazing as it tastes. 🙂
Looks wonderful! I’m with you on cutting back on some of the sweet. Such a beautiful color you have in this dish! Would look amazing on the plate!
You almost have to around the holidays because everything has 1/2 cup of sugar in it. 🙂 But I guess that’s why they made new years resolutions… hehe Thanks for stopping by kim!
Omg, this looks so yummy! I love sweet potatoes and I love pecans even more. Pinning this so I can try this out!
Thanks Karen, if you love both of those then this is a dish made in heaven for you! 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try it, thanks for the pin!
So happy you joined me on this my friend- even with all you had going on. Thank you!!!
Absolutely chica! 🙂 I love this every month, its fun to think out of the box on some recipes or just share a favorite like this month. 🙂
That sounds so good!!
It is delicious Tamar, hope you get a chance to give it a try! Thanks for stopping by girl!