This Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecan Topping is a family favorite side dish. This casserole is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner.
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Table of contents
Why You'll Love This Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole!
This casserole may be a side dish but it’s really almost a dessert. The crunchy buttery brown sugar and pecan topping is the perfect pairing to creamy sweet potatoes. I know some people love a marshmallow topping but I’ve always preferred a pecan streusel topping myself.
I also love how easy this sweet potato casserole is to make and that it can easily be made ahead or even frozen.
Equipment Needed
sharp knife
cutting board
vegetable peeler
13x9 inch casserole dish- This is the perfect size for the recipe.
large pot
Key Ingredients
sweet potatoes- I like to use fresh sweet potatoes for this recipe since they are the main ingredient. Some people like canned yams which will work in a casserole too.
brown sugar-adds a sweetness to the casserole.
unsalted butter- just adds a great rich flavor to the sweet potatoes.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a casserole dish with butter and set aside.
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes that are fairly uniform in size. This will ensure that they cook uniformly.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the cubes of sweet potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes or until they are fork tender. You want to be able to mash them easily but you do not want them to be mushy.
Drain the water and add the potatoes back to the pot or to a large bowl.
Add the brown sugar, butter, half and half, eggs and spices to the potatoes. Mix with a hand mixer or mash with a potato masher until they are smooth. A few lumps are okay.
Add all of the sweet potatoes to the prepared casserole dish.
In a small bowl add the sugar, melted butter, flour, chopped pecans and cinnamon. Mix the topping ingredients together.
Sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato casserole. Bake uncovered in a preheated oven for around 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Serving
This is a great side dish for your Thanksgiving menu. I like to serve my casserole warm, but it can be eaten at room temperature too. Pair this with the classics like Green Bean Casserole, Traditional Bread Stuffing and Cranberry Orange Sauce.
Make Ahead
This is a great make ahead dish for the holidays. Make the sweet potato filling ingredients and sprinkle with the brown sugar pecan mixture. Once everything has cooled to room temperature, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. You can make this 1-2 days ahead.
If freezing wrap tightly in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake allow the casserole dish to come up to room temperature and bake as directed allowing a few extra minutes because the cold sweet potatoes may take longer to warm up. Tent with foil if the topping starts to get too brown.
Substitutions And Additions
pecans- I love pecans with sweet potatoes but you could use walnuts instead.
half and half- whole milk or heavy cream will work well too. To give the sweet potatoes a rich taste I would not recommend skim milk.
mini marshmallows- many people love to add mini marshmallows to their sweet potato casserole. Feel free to add these to the topping.
Love Thanksgiving Recipes? Try These Classics!
Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecan Topping
Ingredients
- 3 and ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup half and half
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a casserole 13x9 inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and add sweet potatoes. Cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the water from the potatoes.
- Add the sugar, butter, half and half, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and vanilla extract to the potatoes. Use a hand mixer to blend the potatoes until smooth. A few lumps are okay.
- Add the sweet potato mixture to the casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, add the topping ingredients. Stir well to combine. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the sweet potatoes.
- Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
Notes
Make Ahead
This is a great make ahead dish for the holidays. Make the sweet potato filling ingredients and sprinkle with the brown sugar pecan mixture. Once everything has cooled to room temperature, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. You can make this 1-2 days ahead.If freezing wrap tightly in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake allow the casserole dish to come up to room temperature and bake as directed allowing a few extra minutes because the cold sweet potatoes may take longer to warm up. Tent with foil if the topping starts to get too brown.
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