American · Side · Easy
Sweet Potato Casserole
Velvety spiced sweet potatoes under a crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel. It sits proudly between side dish and dessert.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Sweet Potato Casserole, in 5 ideas
- Drain the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Extra water makes the filling loose and soggy.
- The pecan streusel gives the crunch that marshmallow topping cannot.
- Eggs in the filling keep the casserole sliceable instead of soupy.
- Assemble the whole dish a day ahead, refrigerate, and add the streusel just before baking.
- A little cinnamon and vanilla make it taste like the holidays without overpowering the sweet potato.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, divided
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
How to make it
Directions
- Boil the sweet potato cubes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until very tender. Drain well.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Mash the sweet potatoes until smooth.
- Stir in half the melted butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, the milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until fully combined.
- Spread the mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish and smooth the top.
- For the streusel, mix the flour, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, remaining butter, and pecans with your fingers until crumbly.
- Scatter the streusel evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the topping is golden and crisp and the filling is set at the edges. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Roasting the sweet potatoes whole at 400°F for 45 minutes instead of boiling concentrates their sweetness and keeps water out of the filling. The skins slip right off when they are done.