Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping — This is the BEST sweet potato casserole ever!! The sweet potatoes are tender and creamy, while the streusel topping adds a delightful buttery crunch thanks to the pecans!
Table of Contents
Pecan-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole
I love sweet potatoes and have a ton of recipes using them from bread to enchiladas, but I was missing a classic: sweet potato casserole.
It was about time I made it and we loved every bite because this isn’t just any ole sweet potato casserole recipe. The crunchy butter pecan crumble topping really sets it apart.
The mashed sweet potatoes are so tender, creamy, and fluffy while the crumbly, streusel topping adds a buttery, brown sugary crunch thanks to the pecans.
The brown sugar caramelizes in the oven with the butter and the topping is irresistible. I kind of want to put this topping on everything now.
I originally posted this recipe in November 2016 and it’s become a reader and family favorite and holiday staple over the years. You and your family will absolutely adore it!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy sweet potato casserole with pecan topping:
- Sweet potatoes
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Milk
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Ground nutmeg and cinnamon
- All-purpose flour
- Fisher pecan halves
I used Fisher Pecan Halves. Fisher Nuts are preservative-free and non-GMO Project Verified, making them an excellent choice for cooking and holiday baking. The resealable bag helps keep the nuts fresh for longer.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
I’m not even remotely exaggerating when I say this is the best sweet potato casserole recipe! Here’s a rough overview of the recipe steps:
Prepare the filling:
- Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot until fork tender.
- Add the cooked sweet potatoes to a large bowl along with the eggs, butter, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Once combined (I like to use a potato masher!), turn the sweet potato mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Make the pecan topping:
- Melt the butter, then toss with the brown sugar, flour, and salt. You’re looking for the mixture to resemble crumbs.
- Stir in the pecans, then sprinkle the crumble topping over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake the sweet potato casserole with pecan topping until the top is lightly golden brown, the edges are set, and the center is mostly set.
Make-Ahead Instructions
This sweet potato casserole with pecans is an easy recipe to make and assemble before baking it off, especially if you’re cooking it for a holiday meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve dinner.
To make in advance:
- Assemble the entire casserole the night before, cover it with foil, and refrigerate it until ready to bake.
- Baked the prepped casserole straight from the fridge, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the bake time.
When cooking a holiday meal it’s so helpful to have as many things in the ‘ready to pop into the oven’ stage as possible, and this easy sweet potato casserole is one of those dishes.
Recipe FAQs
My sweet potato casserole took 50 minutes to bake at 350ºF because I started with it cold from the fridge (I prepped it the night before).
Note that baking times will vary based on the pan used (glass or ceramic baking dishes will bake for longer than metal pans), your oven, climate, ingredient variances, etc. To be safe, start checking your pecan-topped sweet potato casserole at 30 minutes.
4 pounds. My best advice is to weigh your potatoes at the grocery store to see how many you’ll need. The number of sweet potatoes needed will vary depending on their size.
Yes! If you prefer sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, follow my classic sweet potato casserole recipe instead.
Unbaked casserole will last up to three days in the fridge, while the baked casserole will keep for about a week.
Recipe Variations to Try
My family adores sweet potato casserole, so I’ve made quite a few versions over the years! Additional variations of this recipe you might enjoy are:
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Potato Chip Topping
- Classic Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping
- Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
And for a wholly unique sweet potato side dish, try these sweet potato bites or twice baked sweet potatoes!
How to Store Leftovers
If stored in an airtight container, this easy sweet potato casserole will last up to a week in the fridge.
Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Casserole?
Yes, you can assemble the sweet potato layer, bake, let cool, then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat the prepped casserole, thaw overnight in the fridge. Make a fresh batch of topping, sprinkle it over the casserole, and bake until done.
How to Reheat Sweet Potato Casserole
If you need to reheat this sweet potato casserole with brown sugar pecan topping, I recommend covering it with foil so the pecan topping doesn’t burn and then placing it in a warm oven. It’ll likely need to be in the oven for a good 15 to 20 minutes, possibly more if the oven is cooler than 300ºF.
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Sweet Potato Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Topping
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 pounds raw sweet potatoes, diced into large chunks and boiled
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup milk, I used unsweetened cashewmilk
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Topping
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 cup Fisher Pecan Halves
Instructions
- Make the Filling
- To a large stockpot, add the sweet potato chunks, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 2.5 to 3-quart baking dish or a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- To the large bowl with the sweet potatoes, add the eggs, butter, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, optional nutmeg, optional cinnamon, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined and fluffy.
- Turn out into baking dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
- Make the Topping
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
- Add the brown sugar, flour, salt, and toss with a fork or your fingers until moist crumbs form.
- Add the pecans and toss to incorporate.
- Evenly turn topping out over filling.
- Bake the sweet potato casserole for about 45 minutes (or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours if you’re prepping it in advance), or until top is lightly golden browned, set on the edges, and mostly set in the center. Mine took 50 minutes because I started with it cold from the fridge because I prepped it the night before. Baking time will vary based on pan used (glass or ceramic baking dishes will bake for longer than metal pans), oven, climate, ingredient variances, etc. Start checking at 30 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Extra will keep airtight for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
All of my Thanksgiving recipes!
Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey-Cinnamon Dip – The honey glaze and the creamy cinnamon dip make these potatoes irresistible!!
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad — Goodbye mayo-loaded, mushy, boring potato salad. Hello to a Mexican-inspired potato salad full of flavor and texture with corn, black beans, peppers, and cilantro!
Easy Foolproof Roasted Turkey — Learn how to make juicy, flavorful herb-roasted turkey that’s not dry! This turkey has all the flavor that grandma’s used to have, minus the hassle.
The Best Mashed Potatoes — Buttery, creamy, PERFECT mashed potatoes that rival your favorite restaurant’s version but EASY and ready in 45 minutes!!
Classic Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing — Nothing frilly or trendy. Classic, amazing, easy, homemade stuffing that everyone loves! Simple ingredients with stellar results! It’ll be your new go-to recipe!
Slow Cooker Stuffing with Sausage — This sausage stuffing is super easy to make since the slow cooker does all the hard work for you! There’s no sauteing or browning required at all!
Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce – Make your own cranberry sauce with amazing depth of flavor in 30 minutes! The best cranberry sauce you will EVER have, guaranteed!
No-Knead Make Ahead Dinner Rolls with Honey Butter – An amazingly easy dinner roll recipe that you don’t even have to knead!
Herb-Roasted Tri-Colored Carrots — Lightly caramelized around the edges, crisp-tender in the center, and seasoned with rosemary, thyme, and parsley!! A trusty side that you’ll make again and again for holidays or easy weeknight dinners!
The Best Green Bean Casserole — No processed soups nor canned ingredients and instead made with fresh green beans, mushrooms, red onions, and a cheesy crispy breadcrumb topping that will have the whole family going back for seconds!
Post is brought to you by Fisher. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #ThinkFisher
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fisher nuts. The opinions and text are all mine.
I made this last year at Christmas and it was a big hit with adults and kiddos. I did substitute walnuts because my sister is allergic to pecans, and I added a few marshmallows just broiled on the top because I thought that the kids would like it… and we all did!!!
(I know someone asked before… I did make this the day before and it worked out well.)
I am excited to make it again this year!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that you will make it again this year! Thank you for chiming in that you added marshmallows, so many people have asked about this in the comments, I hope they read your comment. I have never added marshmallows to this particular recipe so I’ve never been able to say definitively to do it or not do it, but it sounds like they turned out great for you just boiling them briefly. I hope you enjoy this dish on Christmas again!
My cousin made this for Thanksgiving and it is, hands down, the best sweet potato casserole EVER. It had the bunch of us ooo-ing and ahhh-ing! SO delicious!
I plan to make this for Christmas because we are all anxious to eat this dish again!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you think it’s hands down the best sweet potato casserole ever and everyone was oohing and ahhing! Hope it’s just as good for you on Xmas!
This was a delicious addition to our Thanksgiving dinner. It even tastes good cold. As my husband is diabetic, I left the white sugar out of the filling and cut the brown sugar to 1/4 cup. It was yummy and the topping would be good on everything! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it waas a delicious addition for you!
Should the potatoes be skinned?
Yes
I need to travel about 45 min with this dish. I will prepare tonight and bake in the morning. Will it be okay to serve it about an hour after baking?
Yes fine but if possible I would ask the host if you can pop it in the oven to heat it up briefly. It’s fine lukewarm/room temp but I prefer it hotter but if there is no oven space or other factors at hand, it will still be fine.
That’s what I was thinking ….thank you!
Has anyone tried adding marshmallows to this dish.
I personally have not done so.
It was a great hit at my first Thanksgiving gather (that I hosted). Everyone was asking about the recipe :) I did add marshmallows just because I had some in the pantry and cut back on the sugar. Thank you!!
I have.made a very similar recipe but use the mini marshmallows, too and my family has loved it. It’s been requested year after year for many years. Now have passed in on to grown children. Pass your recipes on while you still can!!
That is great advice! Thankfully all mine have a digital record which will live on (I hope)!
Hi I’m wanting to make this for Thanksgiving. How many sweet potatoes roughly is 4 lbs worth?
It just truly depends on how big the potatoes are. Weigh them at the store.
This casserole was so delicious and a star on our Thanksgiving table. I did not make any changes,
other than using real dairy. As my adult daughter said, “it’s a keeper!” I plan to make it again and again. Thank you!
Would it keep if you prepared two days before baking?
Possibly but I haven’t tried it so cannot say for sure.
Where do you get that milk from?
From my local grocery store.
I’m making the sweepotato casserole.
Can I use frozen sweet potatoes?
I never have tried it that way so not sure how that would work.
So my daughter has requested this for this years dinner, however she is the only one that will eat it. DO you think this recipe could be halved and placed on a smaller dish?
Yes I think that would be fine.
I was confused by the make ahead instructions. Do you fully bake it and then refrigerate and reheat? Or do you just prep it with pecan topping, refrigerate, and then fully bake it the next day?
The second half – just prep it with pecan topping, refrigerate, and then fully bake it.
Hi Inwas wondering if almond flour was ok? Looking for gluten free idea.
Thanks
Marianne
Definitely would not use almond flour. I would use a GF baking blend BUT…. I have not tried it that way and really don’t know how it will turn out.
This is my FAVORITE casserole dish! Its been a family recipe for years! I now use coconut milk in place of milk & add organic cranberries to it!! SO Yummy!
I do wonder tho.. If the chips would go well with the pecan toppings?? hmmm..
I may be experimenting this year!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this has been a family recipe for years now!
How many sweet potatoes did you use?
You need 4 pounds worth how many ever potatoes that takes you. They vary greatly in their size as you know.
Hello!
Would it be good to put marshmallows on top of the pecans? Or does that sound weird to do?
Just wondering.
This topping, for us, is perfect and we don’t want the marshmallows in addition to this topping since we love the topping, as is. But you could experiment with marshmallows and see how it goes for you and if you prefer it that way or without.