Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel
Sweet potato casserole with a smooth brown sugar filling and a buttery pecan streusel baked golden at 350°F. The classic holiday side dish.
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Sweet potato casserole is the dish that quietly disappears first at every holiday table. This one skips the marshmallows in favor of a brown sugar pecan streusel that bakes up crunchy over a smooth, custardy filling. Two eggs give the sweet potatoes enough structure to hold a clean scoop instead of sliding around the pan.
Boiling the sweet potatoes is faster than roasting and gets you a smoother mash. But you have to drain them properly. Wet sweet potatoes thin out the filling and it never fully sets, so let them steam dry in the colander for five minutes before anything else goes in.
The streusel is where most of the flavor lives, so don’t go light on it. Flour, brown sugar, melted butter and a full cup of pecans bake into a topping that goes crisp and sandy, which is the contrast the whole dish is built on.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- A streusel instead of marshmallows. Brown sugar, butter, flour and pecans bake into a crisp, sandy topping that isn’t as sugary as a marshmallow lid.
- The filling actually sets. Two eggs turn the mash into a soft custard, so it scoops in neat spoonfuls rather than running across the plate.
- You can build it a day early. Assemble the whole dish, hold the streusel in a separate bag, and scatter it on right before the pan goes in the oven.
- Kids eat it without negotiating. It tastes like pie filling with a crunchy top, which is an easy sell next to a plate of green vegetables.
Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients
Use orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, the ones labeled garnet or jewel and often sold as yams. White-fleshed sweet potatoes are drier and starchier, so the filling comes out pasty instead of creamy.
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 large)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, for the streusel
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, for the streusel
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted, for the streusel
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Recipe Variations
- Add the marshmallows if that’s how your family expects it. Scatter 2 cups of mini marshmallows over half the pan for the last 8 minutes of baking and leave the streusel on the other half.
- Roast the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. Prick 4 large ones all over and bake at 400°F for 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides through easily, then scoop the flesh out. It takes longer but the flavor is deeper and sweeter.
- Swap the pecans for walnuts, or leave the nuts out entirely and stir 1 cup of old-fashioned oats into the streusel for a nut-free crunchy topping.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
- Boil the sweet potatoes: Put the cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover them with cold water by an inch, and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until a fork slides into a cube with no resistance.
- Drain and steam dry: Drain the sweet potatoes in a colander and let them sit 5 minutes so the surface water evaporates. Skipping this is the main reason a sweet potato casserole comes out loose and never sets.
- Mash and mix the filling: Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Mash the sweet potatoes smooth in a large bowl, then let them cool about 10 minutes so they won’t scramble the eggs. Stir in the melted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, beaten eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt until the mixture is even.
- Spread it in the dish: Scrape the filling into the greased dish and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Make the streusel: Stir the 3/4 cup brown sugar, flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl, then pour in the melted butter and mix with a fork until it looks like damp sand. Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Top and bake: Scatter the streusel evenly over the filling and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the topping is deep golden, the edges bubble, and the center is set with no wobble when you nudge the dish. If you’d rather check with a thermometer, an egg-based casserole is done at 160°F in the middle.
- Rest before serving: Let the casserole sit 10 minutes before scooping so the custard firms up and the streusel stays on top instead of sliding off.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Make Sweet Potato Casserole Ahead of Time?
Yes. Assemble the filling in the dish, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 days. Keep the streusel in a zip-top bag at room temperature and sprinkle it on right before baking. Add about 10 minutes to the bake time since the dish goes in cold.
Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes?
You can. Use three 29-ounce cans, drained very well and patted dry, and cut the brown sugar in the filling to 1/3 cup, since canned sweet potatoes are usually packed in syrup.
Why Is My Sweet Potato Casserole Runny?
Almost always water. Either the potatoes went in wet after boiling or the pan came out of the oven before the center set. Let them steam dry for 5 minutes and bake until the middle doesn’t jiggle.
Do I Have to Use Eggs?
No, but the texture changes. Without eggs you get a soft mashed sweet potato side dish that stays loose. With them you get the sliceable, custardy casserole most people picture.
Marshmallows or Pecan Streusel?
Streusel gives you crunch and a less sugary top, which balances a heavy holiday plate better. Marshmallows are the nostalgic pick. Splitting the pan down the middle keeps everyone happy and is easier than it sounds.
Cooking Tips
- Cool the mashed sweet potatoes about 10 minutes before the eggs go in. Hot mash cooks the eggs on contact and you’ll find little cooked bits through the filling.
- Mix the streusel with a fork instead of your hands. Warm hands melt the butter into the sugar and the topping bakes into a hard sheet rather than loose crumbs.
- Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for 4 to 5 minutes before they go in the streusel. Their flavor roughly doubles and it costs you almost nothing.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. The streusel softens overnight, which is unavoidable.
To freeze: Freeze the assembled unbaked casserole without the streusel for up to 3 months, wrapped in plastic and then foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge, add fresh streusel, and bake as directed plus about 10 minutes. Baked leftovers freeze poorly, since the custard weeps as it thaws.
To reheat: Warm uncovered at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through to 165°F. Uncovered is the point, because a foil lid steams the streusel soft.
How to Serve Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole goes next to roast turkey, baked ham or a plain roast chicken, and it shares a plate happily with mashed potatoes, stuffing and our Homemade Green Bean Casserole. It’s sweet enough that some families put it out with dessert instead, which is a completely fair call. Leftovers are excellent warmed for breakfast with a spoonful of plain yogurt.
Loved This Recipe?
Sweet potato casserole is the one side dish people scrape the pan for, and the pecan streusel is the reason why.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel
Equipment
- Instant-Read Thermometer Take it to 160°F in the middle. The edges get there long before the center does.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, about 4 large
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar for the streusel
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon for the streusel
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted, for the streusel
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Boil the sweet potatoes: Put the cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover them with cold water by an inch, and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until a fork slides into a cube with no resistance.
- Drain and steam dry: Drain the sweet potatoes in a colander and let them sit 5 minutes so the surface water evaporates. Skipping this is the main reason a sweet potato casserole comes out loose and never sets.
- Mash and mix the filling: Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Mash the sweet potatoes smooth in a large bowl, then let them cool about 10 minutes so they won’t scramble the eggs. Stir in the melted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, beaten eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt until the mixture is even.
- Spread it in the dish: Scrape the filling into the greased dish and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Make the streusel: Stir the 3/4 cup brown sugar, flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl, then pour in the melted butter and mix with a fork until it looks like damp sand. Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Top and bake: Scatter the streusel evenly over the filling and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the topping is deep golden, the edges bubble, and the center is set with no wobble when you nudge the dish. If you’d rather check with a thermometer, an egg-based casserole is done at 160°F in the middle.
- Rest before serving: Let the casserole sit 10 minutes before scooping so the custard firms up and the streusel stays on top instead of sliding off.
Notes
If you made this, leave a star rating down in the comments. It takes about ten seconds, and it’s how other cooks decide whether a recipe is worth trying.
