This Thanksgiving classic, Sweet Potato Casserole topped with pecans and marshmallows, is really good any time of year.

Are Yams And Sweet Potatoes The Same Thing?

True yams are a totally different root vegetable and you don’t want to use them in this dish. That being said, the yams that come in a can are often actually sweet potatoes, so that can be confusing.

You can read about the differences between yams and sweet potatoes here.

How To Prepare The Potatoes

Some recipes call for boiling the sweet potatoes or using canned potatoes. We chose a different method because it makes all the difference in the flavor of your potatoes. 

We roasted them! Cooking them this ways ensures none of the flavor cooks out so you keep all the sweet potato goodness in the dish where it belongs. Bake the potatoes whole, then when they are perfectly fork-tender, you can scoop out the insides and mash them. Super easy.

Do You Need To Add Sugar?

There isn’t a ton of sugar in here because the sweet potatoes are already pretty sweet. If you like it on the sweeter side, you can double the sugar. Or, if you want it a little less sweet, you can cut the sugar down or totally skip it. My recipe calls for white sugar, but you could use brown sugar instead.

The best thing to do is to make the sweet potato mixture adding everything except the eggs. Then give it a taste and decide if you want more sugar or not. I think you’ll find that it’s just about right with the amount listed.

Why Is There Egg In This Casserole?

Egg is an important binder to help the casserole hold together. If you need to skip the eggs, you can, but know that the casserole won’t stick together well and will be more like baked mashed sweet potatoes with toppings instead. It will still taste good though!

Sweet Potato Casserole Topping

Now, some people have strong opinions on what should go on top of a sweet potato casserole. Some like tons of marshmallows, others prefer crunchy pecans, I think the best sweet potato casseroles have some of both. 

If you strongly prefer one or the other, you can make adjustments. Another option is to turn the nuts into a sort of pecan crumble topping by chopping them finer and mixing them with some butter, sugar, and cinnamon. 

Make It Ahead

There are two options for preparing the sweet potato casserole ahead of time. The first option is that you can pre-bake the potatoes and refrigerate them until you’re ready to make and serve the dish.

The second option is to pre-make the whole casserole, then cover with foil and reheat in an oven that’s been preheated to 300°F for 20-30 minutes, until heated through. You want to keep it covered while reheating so you don’t burn the marshmallow and pecan topping.

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting us know how you liked it or how you changed it up (we totally know you’re gonna do that!).

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This post originally appeared in January 2021 and was revised and republished in August 2024.