Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

A super easy family-friendly casserole of sweet creamy mashed sweet potatoes topped with a scrumptious crunchy pecan streusel topping. This is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish or dessert.

Course side

Cuisine American

Keyword best sweet potato casserole, easy sweet potato casserole, how to make sweet potato casserole, southern sweet potato casserole

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 55

Servings

Calories 398kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter softened
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crunchy Pecan Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
8 tablespoons butter softened
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

Scrub, dry, and prick sweet potatoes with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 425 degrees or until fork tender turning the sheet halfway through the baking process. Let cool long enough to handle easily.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Scoop sweet potatoes out of the skin with a spoon and place them in a large bowl. Add sugar, beaten eggs, salt, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix well with a potato masher or on low with an electric mixer. Spread the mixture in the greased baking dish.
In a medium bowl combine brown sugar and flour. Using a pastry knife cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbled. Stir in pecans; sprinkle mixture over sweet potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes; turn the broiler on low for the last 1 1/2-2 minutes of baking just to lightly brown the top.

Notes

For optimal flavor and texture use baked sweet potatoes as it brings out the natural sweetness in the potatoes. However, in a pinch, you can boil them or use canned sweet potatoes just drain them well.
Maple syrup can be substituted for the granulated sugar.
Chop your pecans fairly fine so they blend well with the topping and spread nicely over the sweet potatoes.
I like to turn the broiler on for the last couple of minutes of baking to lightly brown the top. But stay very close by and keep an eye on it as I have always found broilers very unpredictable.
This recipe can be prepared ahead of time however hold the pecan topping in a separate air-tight container and sprinkle it on right before baking.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or cover with aluminum foil and place in a 300-degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until hot.

Nutrition