The World’s Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This easy sweet potato casserole recipe is a must-have at our Thanksgiving and Christmas table every year!
The incredible crumbly topping, that is filled with pecans and brown sugar, creates a delicious masterpiece that will quickly become the most requested recipe at your table!
Our Thanksgiving and holiday dinners are always filled with our favorite dishes. In fact, we have the same menu each year. Under strict orders, from my family, I’m allowed to add dishes to our menu, but I am not allowed to take anything away! 😀
It’s A Dessert-Like Side Dish
The crumbly pecan, brown sugar and butter topping for this sweet potato casserole makes it so good, that it almost qualifies as a dessert. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the other savory dishes that will be a part of your holiday traditional meal.
It’s a side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas or any holiday meal, but is simple enough to serve for Sunday supper too!
It Can Be Made Ahead
This recipe for sweet potato casserole can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to two days prior to baking. If you do refrigerate it before baking, I suggest removing it from the fridge 30 – 45 minutes before placing it in your preheated oven.
I don’t recommend freezing it though, as that seems to change the texture of the potatoes. The leftovers heat wonderfully in the microwave.
You’ll Love The Convenience
Not only is this the most delicious sweet potato casserole that I’ve ever had, the use of canned sweet potatoes in the recipe makes it super easy to prepare. No need to cook potatoes ahead of time!
This recipe will fill a 9 x 13 size casserole dish and will feed at least 8 people, but you can easily double the recipe and split it between two casserole dishes.
Since this reheats in the microwave so well, I always make an extra casserole to have as leftovers.
I love sweet potatoes just about any way that they can be prepared. I grew up eating plain old baked sweet potatoes with lots of salt and butter and it’s still a favorite way of mine to enjoy them. Believe it or not, leftover baked sweet potatoes are good cold and peeled, straight from the refrigerator. Sweet potatoes have so much natural sweetness, they’re even good plain.
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it is everyone’s favorite, hands-down. It is one of my most requested recipes. I’m happy to finally be able to share it with you!
The World's Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the casserole
- 3 - 20 oz cans precooked sweet potatoes drained and mashed
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 stick butter softened, (do not substitute margarine)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup canned evaporated milk
For the topping
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 stick butter melted, do not substitute margarine
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, eggs, softened butter, vanilla and evaporated milk together. Can be mixed with a mixer on low to medium speed or by hand.
- Place mixture into a 9 x 13 un-greased casserole dish.
- Prepare topping by mixing brown sugar, flour, melted butter and nuts with a fork in a separate bowl.
- Sprinkle topping over casserole, making sure to entirely cover the casserole.
- Bake at 350 fahrenheit for 35 - 40 minutes
Notes
Do not double.
This Sweet Potato Casserole is perfect for any special occasion yet is so easy – you will want to serve it all the time! Make it a family staple!
This sweet potato dish looks so yummy. Can’t wait to try it out next week!
If you did this in the crock pot how long should it cook for?
Hi Rebecca. I have no idea how long it should cook in a crock pot since I’ve never tried cooking it that way before. Sorry I couldn’t answer your question!
I top my sweet potatoes with crushed up ginger snaps, mixed with butter.Sprinkle it on top of the cassarole or just on top of a. Baked sweet potatoes.Really good, and different.
This sounds more like a luscious pie! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner Link up!
I see that you are calling for a 1/2 stick of butter. Are you saying a 1/4 cup of butter or 1/2 cup of butter?
Hi Mary. It’s 1/2 STICK of butter. Have a great Thanksgiving!
I’m from Australia & we don’t have sticks of butter over here. I Googled it and 1/2 stick of butter is apparently equivalent to 1/4 cup of butter or 56.7 grams.
Considering boiled and cooled sweet potatoes are full of resistant starch which feeds your good gut bacteria, then this recipe is actually something quite good for you, except for the sugar part. I’m going to try making it using pure Stevia to sweeten it and see how it goes. 🙂
Julie, did you try the recipe with Stevia yet? I’m recovering from SIBO and think that’s an excellent idea.
I to love sweet potatoes any way. I usually fix them every Holiday. Yours does have a few ingredients I have not tried. Think I will try your recipe this year. Sounds delish. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve seen several recipes that used brown sugar in the main part yours used white have you ever had it with brown sugar? Just wondering what if it would be ok to substitute?
Hi Monique. I Googled substituting brown sugar for white sugar and found this (as it applies to making the substitution in cookies): White sugar in an equal amount will work fine, but your cookies will be a little crisper than if they had been made with brown sugar. Or, if you have molasses on hand, add 2 tablespoons molasses to every cup of substituted white sugar and you will not be able to tell the difference.
I don’t think you could ruin sweet potatoes if you tired! Delicious recipe! Happy Thanksgiving.
I made this a few days ago for my family Thanksgiving and everyone was going on and on about how delicious it was! I will definitely be making this again!!
My topping is not anything that I can “sprinkle” on. It,s gooey and I had to spread it over sweet potatoes. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Janie. Maybe sprinkled is the wrong word for me to use. The topping isn’t like dry sugar that can be sprinkled on. The melted butter makes the sugar clump together, so I sprinkle the clumps over the casserole and then use a fork to spread it out. Hope this helps!
I love sweet potatoes – this looks delicious!
This is very similar to a dish my Great Aunt Nina used to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I miss it!! I tried to duplicate but it just wasn’t the same. This may be one, or perhaps a new one!!! Kelly
OMG, can’t wait to make this one! YUM YUM YUM. Thanks for sharing.
I have decided to give this Receipe a try this Thanksgiving for my family. I love sweet potatoes, always did! I volunteered the Sweet Potato Casserole!!!!!!!
I do wonder if that 1 cup of white sugar will make it too sweet!!!????? Please comment . Thx Barbara O
Hi Barbara. This is a sweet casserole, but I make this exact recipe every year, including the 1 cup of white sugar, and I don’t think it’s too sweet. You could always cut back a bit on the sugar if you’re concerned about that though.
I have a similar recipe from many years ago. It is delicious!
have always add a little orange juice to my sweet potato casserole but it is basically the same as yours.
Whoops! I thought I was to bake it ahead of time
And reheat but I see I was supposed to refrigerate unbaked. Should I start over or will it be just as good heated up in the oven tomorrow?
It’s just as good reheated. Just be sure to cover it with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out while reheating. Enjoy!
Thanksgiving happiness & peace to you. Great recipe and we’ll have a bite tomorrow!
My son Is allergic to eggs what can I substitute it with?
Hi Gary. I would try using either applesauce or orange juice.
It’s says do not double.. that was my plan ? if I have a bigger pan, can I still double it?
Hi Tammie. I don’t recommend doubling the recipe. I’ve tried it and it doesn’t bake evenly.