This sweet potato casserole with pecans is lightly sweetened mashed sweet potatoes topped with a crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel. A classic make-ahead recipe that’s perfect for the holidays.
I love a good sweet potato casserole – my sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is one of the top recipes on this site! I know that some people aren’t marshmallow fans, so I’ve developed a more adult version of the casserole with a sweet pecan topping. This is a must-make for Thanksgiving!
Sweet potato casserole is a Thanksgiving tradition that cannot be skipped. There are so many ways to showcase sweet potatoes, but this sweet potato casserole with pecans is one of my favorites. The crunchy, buttery topping is totally irresistible!
How do you make sweet potato casserole with pecans?
This casserole starts with roasted sweet potatoes, which are peeled then mashed with brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, egg and butter. The mashed sweet potatoes go into a baking dish, then the brown sugar crumble goes over the top. The casserole is then baked until the streusel is browned and sweet potatoes are piping hot.
Tips for sweet potato casserole
- Miss the marshmallows? Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows over the top during the last 5 minutes of the baking process.
- I prefer to roast my sweet potatoes, but you can also steam or boil your potatoes if you’d rather cook them that way.
- This casserole can be assembled up to one day before you plan to serve it. You may need to add more bake time to compensate for starting with a cold casserole.
- Don’t love pecans? Walnuts or even almonds are a great substitute.
- If you want silky smooth sweet potatoes, try pureeing them in a food processor rather than mashing them by hand.
This sweet potato casserole is best served right after baking. If you try to bake it then reheat it later, the streusel topping may soften and it won’t be quite as good texture wise.
You can bake your sweet potato casserole in a 9″ square pan or any other shaped baking dish that has a capacity of about 2 quarts. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you need to feed a crowd. When I’m feeding a large group, I double the ingredient amounts, then use a 9″x13″ pan and it works perfectly.
Sweet potato casserole with pecans is the perfect fall side dish. It’s great for Thanksgiving, potlucks, parties, or even just served alongside a roasted chicken on a weeknight. No matter how you serve it up, this casserole is sure to get rave reviews!
More sweet potato recipes
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Sweet Potato Buddha Bowls
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Honey Glazed Root Vegetables
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans Video
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
Ingredients
For the sweet potato layer
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cooking spray
For the streusel
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and place them on the pan in a single layer.
- Bake the potatoes until tender, 45 minutes to an hour.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them open, scoop out the insides and place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of melted butter, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, egg and vanilla to the bowl.
- Use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash or beat the sweet potatoes until mostly smooth.
- Coat a 9 inch square pan or 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture in an even layer in the pan.
- In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, melted butter and pecans until large crumbs form. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned.
- Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve.
Nina says
I love sweet potatoes. I never had marshmallows on the top of the casserole.
David Elliott says
It does sound like an interesting Thanksgiving dish. I just wish I really liked sweet potatoes because I would love to try this out. Sounds delicious.
alison says
This is such a win for me. I love a good sweet potato casserole and don’t always love the marshmallows on top. Pecans, umm yes pleaseeeeee.
Betzy Cuellar says
In all honesty, I wish I had more time to prepare meals for our family.
Erica D Ardali says
I find it so interesting the different ways people prepare sweet potatoes. Growing up I only had candied yams – which are actually sweet potatoes but ok… lol This sounds like it would be interesting.
Cindy Gordon says
This is a killer recipe Sara! I would really enjoy some of this!
Monidipa Dutta says
After seeing the shots I took a printout of the recipe. I will ask my maid to follow it because right now I won’t be able to cook. And I bet i am gonna love it
Shannan P says
I LOVE sweet potato casserole! I am going to have to give it a try with pecan topping this year!
Peter says
I actually had to bookmark this because it looks sooo good! I’m definitely going to try this one day, although I’m no chef… I’ve got to learn! Thanks for this awesome recipe 🙂
Carrie Lewis says
I can’t tell you how beautiful these shots are! I’m so hungry just looking at the one with the spoon! It’s tempting me to bite the computer. The words sweet potato, casserole and pecans in one sentence got my attention quick enough, but then you post a photo of these bright orange delicacies creamed nice and smooth? Ohhh no! This recipe is going in my ‘forever save’ and I can’t wait to buy the ingredients and try it!