Table of Contents
- A super easy sweet potato casserole recipe you'll love.
- Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Here’s how to make this recipe.
- These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
- You'll love these other Thanksgiving recipes.
- Watch how to make this recipe.
- Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
- Easy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
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Sweet potato casserole is a classic recipe when it comes to Thanksgiving. With chunks of big sweet potato, a pecan streusel topping, and a quick caramel sauce, it’s a combination of both sweet and savory. Even for those who don’t love the traditional casserole, this will be a winner!
A super easy sweet potato casserole recipe you’ll love.
I grew up eating and enjoying sweet potatoes. Often, Mom would bake them, and we would eat them with butter, maybe brown sugar, and nothing else. A sweet potato does not need many ingredients added to be delicious. Sweet potatoes are, yes, sweet but also have a depth of flavor that is not always there with regular white potatoes. Once in a while, we indulge in making sweet potatoes into a casserole. The trick is to make sure the sugar added does not overpower the sweet potatoes, and the spice adds just enough warmth but allows the flavor of the potatoes to come through. This casserole is simple. Potatoes are cooked in pieces and added directly to a casserole dish. No mashing is required. Brown sugar, maple syrup, flour, and butter are sprinkled over the potatoes. Heavy cream is poured over the top, and a quick pecan streusel. No mixing, mashing, or combining is needed. After baking, a caramel-like sauce coats the potatoes, and the streusel becomes crisp. A perfect casserole.
Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Sweet potatoes are easy to find, and while there are often questions about yams versus sweet potatoes, yams are to find in the United States. They are drier and have less flavor. Choose orange sweet potatoes for the best flavor and sweetness.
- Brown sugar adds a depth of flavor with a hint of molasses and helps create a caramel-like sauce.
- All-purpose flour will help thicken the sauce and give some structure.
- Maple syrup balances the sweetness and adds flavor. All granulated sugar can be too sweet.
- Heavy cream gives the base to rich caramel sauce. The heavy cream can take the hot oven without curdling and will bind with the other ingredients to form a cohesive sauce.
Here’s how to make this recipe.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes, slice off the ends and discard, and slice into ½-inch thick pieces. Take each resulting slice and cut it again into four additional pieces. Place all of the sliced sweet potatoes in a large stockpot, and add water until the potatoes are completely covered. Add the salt and place the stockpot over medium heat on the stove. Once fully cooked and a knife inserted meets only slight resistance, drain the sweet potatoes.
- Prepare the glaze. Add the drained sweet potatoes to a 9×13 baking dish. Spread them out into an even layer. Separately, in a bowl, add the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and salt. Mix these three ingredients together to break up the brown sugar. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in the baking dish. Also, pour on the maple syrup and heavy cream, making sure to evenly distribute each sauce over the potatoes.
- Prepare the streusel topping. Chop the roasted pecans into small pieces. Once chopped, add the pecans to a bowl and add the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix all of the ingredients together. Cut the butter into small chunks and add it to the pecan mixture, working it together with thumb and forefinger until the mixture holds together when made into a fist. Then sprinkle the mixture on top of the sweet potatoes in the baking dish.
- Bake the sweet potato casserole. Place the sweet potato casserole in the 350°F oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Once it is baked and browned, remove it from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- When cooking the sweet potatoes, start with cold water in the stockpot. This will ensure that the sweet potatoes cook evenly. If you start with hot water, even heating does not occur.
- Since the sweet potatoes will be cooked in the oven once they’re added to the baking dish, you do not need to cook them as long as you would for mashed potatoes. When a knife meets only slight resistance when inserted in the middle of the sweet potato, the sweet potatoes are ready to be removed from the heat and drained.
- While you do not need to be particular when adding the flour mixture, maple syrup, and heavy cream, do make sure to be somewhat even with the distribution. While the casserole is baking, the glaze will form and move around the bottom of the baking dish, but it’s always a good idea to start out with an even mixture.
Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
Yes, I love to leave peels on. This is a personal preference and will not affect the casserole or flavor, it will impact the texture.
Yes, this casserole can be assembled the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Before serving, bake as the recipe states adding 10-15 minutes for the cold temperature of the casserole.
This is a sweet-style casserole, not as sweet as marshmallow-topped casseroles. To reduce the sweetness, brown sugar can be omitted using only maple syrup.
You’ll love these other Thanksgiving recipes.
- Apple and sausage cornbread stuffing
- Stuffed acorn squash casserole
- Easy slow cooker stuffing
- Corn spoon bread
- Grandma Alice’s mashed potatoes
- Roasted carrots with dates and pistachios
- Spiced butternut squash with tahini sauce
- Herb and cheese popovers
- The best buttermilk biscuits
- Honey oat dinner rolls
- Butterhorns
Watch how to make this recipe.
More Thanksgiving recipes
Leftover Turkey Soup
Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust
Pecan, Apple & Sweet Potato Salad
Cowboy Butter Turkey
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
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Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 5 lb sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the pecan streusel
- 1 ½ cups chopped toasted pecans
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
Instructions
- Place the peeled and chopped potatoes in a large stockpot and fill with cold water and 1 tbsp salt, covering the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, reduce it to a simmer, and cover. Cook the potatoes until they are tender but not mushy, 15-20 minutes. You want a slight texture since they will cook in the oven.5 lb sweet potatoes
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the potatoes with brown sugar, flour, and salt. Pour over the maple syrup and heavy cream.3 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ cup maple syrup, 1 cup heavy cream
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix to combine. Work the pieces of the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle the streusel over the prepared potatoes.1 ½ cups chopped toasted pecans, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ cup light brown sugar, ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Bake in the preheated oven until the liquid is bubbling throughout the center and the streusel is browned, 55-60 minutes.
Notes
- When cooking the sweet potatoes, start with cold water in the stockpot. This will ensure that the sweet potatoes cook evenly. If you start with hot water, even heating does not occur.
- Since the sweet potatoes will be cooked in the oven once they’re added to the baking dish, you do not need to cook them as long as you would for mashed potatoes. When a knife meets only slight resistance when inserted in the middle of the sweet potato, the sweet potatoes are ready to be removed from the heat and drained.
- While you do not need to be particular when adding the flour mixture, maple syrup, and heavy cream, do make sure to be somewhat even with the distribution. While the casserole is baking, the glaze will form and move around the bottom of the baking dish, but it’s always a good idea to start out with an even mixture.
Hi Kaleb, I love following you for all your garden tips and recipe suggestions. It is a pleasure to try some of your recipes. I plan to try this sweet potato one for my Thanksgiving Family Feast. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.
Your awesome. I love your enthusiasm and joy. You brought back my love of cooking.
I was going to make your recipe for sweet potatoes with the adobo pepper rub but now I just saw your streusel with pecans and I think I’ll do that one and save the other for Xmas.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Victoria
Question…can this recipe be cut in half. I don’t need a casserole for 12. Can I just cut each ingredient in half? Thanks for the recipe and your inspiration.😀
Hi Kaleb,
I love watching you cook – especially the episodes with your mom and grandma. I recently lost both parents, and seeing you interact with them makes me happy that you cherish your relationship with your family as well. Your posts are very inspirational and make me want to make something in the kitchen. I’m in charge of the sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving, and I appreciate your recipe/video demonstration. Have a wonderful holiday!
Can not wait to try it.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was so delicious yet easy to make! I am always looking for new ways to make an old favorite pop. Loved it! 🍁🦃🍽 Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! 🫶🏼
Hands down the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever made!!! Our new Thanksgiving recipe! Thank you!!!
Loved this recipe. Because it’s so sweet a small amount s all you can put on your plate which is fine as it will be good for leftovers (no microwave as that will make it mushy).
Loved this recipe. Because it’s so sweet a small amount s all you can put on your plate which is fine as it will be good for leftovers (no microwave as that will make it mushy).
I’m not a fan of sweet potatoes but this dish was delicious! I will be adding it to my thanksgiving dinners from now on. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe.
I’m not a fan of sweet potatoes but this dish was delicious! I will be adding it to my thanksgiving dinners from now on. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe.
My son is allergic to all nuts, can I still make streausal topping not using pecans? Any other suggestions for a substitute if not?
I took this delicious dish to my daughter’s for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! The crunchy topping over caramel coated sweet potatoes—almost a dessert!
This was so good! We loved it! Thanks, Kaleb!
Caleb, thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it for the first time yesterday. I was looking for a sweet potato casserole with a chunky, non-mashed texture and there was your video! Actually, yours was the only recipe I found that used fresh sweet potatoes and didn’t mash them up, and it sounded good. Turns out, it’s as good as it sounds. Better, even. Delicious. Everybody loved it. Yum, yum, yum. Love your show and your recipes and your kitchen!
Delicious! This was a huge hit at our thanksgiving dinner this year. Thank you!!
Thanksgiving guests loved these sweet potatoes. And they went well with Italian and Indian dishes, including roasted chicken breasts stuffed with asparagus/provolone/prosciutto.
What substitute could be best for heavy cream? Hubby is lactose intolerant. Would coconut milk work?
Hello!
Can this be prepared then frozen?
Thank you
WOW. This is so delicious!! I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit. I enjoyed the leftovers so much and were sad when they were gone. This will be my go-to sweet potato recipe from now on! Thanks Kaleb!
I want to try your recipe this Thanksgiving. It sounds great! I think most of my grandchildren are programmed for the marshmallow dish and will pass over the dish with the pecans…or any nuts. Is there a modification I could try?
making sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving with pecan streusel. thank you for recipe 🙂
Great recipe! Just sweet enough to be nice side dish 🙂
Your recipe was the big hit of my dinner! Thank you fir sharing!
I made this sweet potato casserole and turned several haters into lovers! Thank you! Oh P.S. I also made spat cocked cowboy Turkey and it will now be our turkey recipe for ever!
Made this for Thanksgiving dinner. It had rave reviews! I added marshmallows to the top last and just put under the broiler for 2 minutes. (learned the hard way that marshmallows will catch on fire if broiled too long! lol!) I’m giving this a four star because its REALLY sweet and not so much savory. There weren’t noted instructions on how to toast the pecans, but i just put them in a dry pan on the stove for a couple minutes until fragrant. I have another opportunity to make this for my “friendsgiving” next week so I’m going to tweak it to see if I can balance out the sweetness a bit. Maybe half the maple syrup and/or brown sugar? It was super easy to put together and stayed warm really well in a 13×9 with lid and travel case. I’ll definitely make it again next year!
I made this today and it the best sweet potato casserole I have ever made. I’ve made various recipes over the years but I will be making this one going forward. The flavour and the ease of making it; perfection! Thank you