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!
Can milk be substituted for the condensed milk?
Hi Traci. This link tells you what you need to do when substituting regular milk for evaporated milk: http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/substitute-evaporated-milk
My favorite dish anytime. Not just at Thanksgiving. However, if you really want to make it even better, buy some Mississippi sweet potatoes in the produce dept. They are the best. Bake in the oven and mash up just like you do the canned ones. Yum, yum.
Hi Cindy. Thank you for the 5 star recipe rating! I love it year round too – yum, yum, yum! Wonder how I find out where the sweet potatoes in my store are from? They never say. 🙁
I am in Georgia, and I usually ask the head of the produce dept. Our local Piggly Wiggly carries the Mississippi sweet potatoes almost year round. They are wonderful baked and eaten straight out of the oven. Very sweet.
Hi Suzy, the canned sweet potatoes are those the diced ones in syrup? If so, do you rinse off the syrup or just drain the liquid? Thank you making this for Thanksgiving this year!
Hi Raegan. The canned ones are more like larger chunks instead of small diced ones, but either one would work. And yes, I do drain the liquid away, but I don’t rinse them. Let me know how you like it!
Hi! Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Thank you!
I use salted butter. 😀
How many cups of cooked sweet potatoes should I use for this recipe? I tried the measurement but it seems to be a lot of cups in 3-20 ounces cans. I want to use a fresh sweet potatoes. Thank you.
I’m sorry, but I’ve only ever made this with the canned sweet potatoes and don’t know exactly how many cups that is. I’ll be making the casserole again this Wednesday in prep for Thanksgiving and will try to remember to measure it then, if you want to check back with me. 😀
If you want to refrigerate overnight do you put topping on too?
Yes, I go ahead and put the topping on. I’m making mine tomorrow, but won’t bake it until Thursday. 😀
Thank you for your prompt reply. Excited to make this tomorrow.
I can only find canned sweet potatoes in the 15.5 ounce or a 40oz. Size. I used 2 of the 40oz size will that work?
Instead of using two 40 oz, I would use four 15 oz. That would give you the same number of total ounces that the recipe calls for. But if you’ve already purchased the two 40 oz cans, I think it will work, but I would slightly increase the other ingredients so that it isn’t too dry. You’ll probably want to bake it a little longer too.
This recipe is delicious!! The key to the amazing flavor is using real sweet potatoes!
So happy that you love it, Kristen! I would be honored if you’d give the recipe a 5 star rating! You can do that right below the bottom of the comments. Happy Thanksgiving!
I was introduced to this recipe the first Thanksgiving with my now DH 40 years go. The topping is my favorite part for sure. I use fresh sweet potatoes rather than canned, it really does put them over the top.
Same rules about Thanksgiving menu at our house – no changes only additions.
I just popped this in the oven!! Cant wait to try! I made the potatoe part last night and forgot to take it out 30-45 min before putting it in the oven like you suggested, hopefully it comes out ok..
One more question.. I made it and it came out delicious! Thank you soo much for the recipe, my sweet potatoes came out mushy, should I have cooked it longer??
So glad you liked the casserole! Mushy potatoes are fine. 😀 That’s typically how it is when it comes out of the oven or is reheated. The reason my photo looks like the potatoes are firm is because I took the photograph of a serving that had been in the refrigerator. The mushy potatoes didn’t look very appealing in a photograph. lol
Thank you soo much! My family and I loved the recipe, this will be a new favorite! Yummy???
Finally, I’ve found the best sweet potato casserole recipe for myself. Thank you so much!
Enjoy! We think it’s absolutely delicious!
I’m on the Clean Eating diet, so I’ll give up on sugar because the sugar of the sweet potato is pretty good. This recipe is not too hard to make, I will try making it for my family at weekend lunch. Thanks so much.
You’re right – sweet potatoes are so sweet just on their own. We eat baked ones all the time with nothing at all on them. I’d love to hear how you like it without the added sugar!
This was a HIT with family last Thanksgiving in KY! Truly the BEST sweet potato casserole ever!!
Sadly, we are staying home this year (2020) with the pandemic but I still want to make it. With only three of us to enjoy – could I make it and freeze the half for Christmas? If so, would you recommend freezing before or after baking?
My apologies for not replying sooner! I’m having a technical difficulty that’s been preventing from being notified of new comments. It has eggs in it, so I’m not sure if it would freeze well or not. I hope you were still able to enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Is two tsps. of salt the correct amount?
I’m looking forward to making this recipe, but I’m confused on the amount of sweet potatoes to use. You cite 20 oz cans but I can only find 29 oz cans or 15 oz cans at the store. Just wondering if that was a typo or if there’s a brand you like that comes in 20 oz size cans. Thanks for your help!
Oops!, I read thru to the end of the comments and see this has already been addressed. I’ll just use 60 oz total. Thanks!
Glad you found the answer. Happy Thanksgiving!