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A spoon scooping a portion of sweet potato casserole from a baking dish.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

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This simple recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans is crowd-pleasing favorite and can even be made ahead of time!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 627
Author Dorothy Bigelow

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1” cubes (3-4 large, or about 7 ½ - 9 cups cubed)
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter softened
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¾ - 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs beaten

Pecan Topping:

  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free baking mix
  • 5 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and lightly grease a 9X13” (23x33cm) baking dish.
  • Fill a large pot with 6-8 cups of water and add the sweet potato cubes.
    A pot filled with water and sweet potato cubes.
  • Bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
  • Boil for 10-14 minutes, or until the sweet potato cubes are easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat.
  • Drain the cooked sweet potato in a colander over the sink.
  • Return the sweet potatoes to the pot, and place it over the residual heat of the stovetop. Allow the steam to release for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add 6 tablespoons of softened butter, and mash it into the sweet potatoes with a masher.
    A pot filled with cooked sweet potatoes and a few pats of butter.
  • Add the heavy cream (or milk), sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir very well to combine.
    A pot of mashed sweet potatoes with sugar, cinnamon, and cream added.
  • Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then pour into the sweet potato mixture. Stir until smooth and well incorporated.
  • Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth it into an even layer. Set aside.
    Spreading sweet potato casserole into a baking dish.
  • To make the topping combine ¾ cup of packed brown sugar and ½ cup of all-purpose flour in a medium bowl.
  • Add the butter and cut it in with two forks or a pastry cutter until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.
    A small bowl of flour and brown sugar with butter added.
  • Pour in the chopped pecans and stir well.
    A streusel with pecans on the side.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar and pecan mixture on top of the sweet potato casserole, spreading it into an even layer.
    A baking dish filled with an unbaked sweet potato casserole with a pecan crumble.
  • Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are brown, the center set, and the pecans lightly toasted.
    Sweet potato casserole in a large white baking dish, topped with pecans.
  • Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Gluten-free: This recipe is easily made by substituting the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking mix that measures 1 to 1 with flour (we like Bob’s Red Mill). This recipe has been tested using the gluten-free substitute with great success.
Using unsalted butter: I recommend using salted butter in this recipe, but if you only have unsalted butter on hand you can add ½ teaspoon of salt to the sweet potato mixture, plus ½ teaspoon to the topping mixture.
Without eggs: This recipe has been tested without eggs and it turns out well, but is slightly runny.
With mini marshmallows: Bake the sweet potato layer for 20 minutes, then add the marshmallows and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Nutrition

Calories: 627kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 471mg | Potassium: 711mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 24889IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 2mg