This Thanksgiving classic, Sweet Potato Casserole topped with pecans and marshmallows, is really good any time of year.
This easy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is a classic on Thanksgiving menus, but it’s pretty perfect for Christmas, Easter, or any family meal that you want to feel a little more special. My recipe uses both pecans and marshmallows in the topping so that everyone is happy. The sweet potato part is really amazing because of the way we prepare the potatoes.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
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!).
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Get our delicious recipe for a classic sweet potato casserole. It’s loaded with toasted marshmallows and chopped pecans.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 medium sweet potatoes with peels on
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Put the sweet potatoes whole on a baking sheet. Bake until very tender when pierced with a fork, 1 to 1 and ¼ hours. Remove from oven. Let them cool a bit until you can handle them or wear oven mitts to handle them. Turn oven down to 325°F.
- Cut each sweet potato in half and scoop insides into a large bowl.
- Add the butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Mash it all together and then stir until smooth. Stir in the eggs.
- Transfer sweet potato mixture to a 9×13″ baking dish. Sprinkle with the pecans and marshmallows.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Keep your eye on it. If the marshmallows start to get too dark, cover with foil.
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This post originally appeared in January 2021 and was revised and republished in August 2024.
That is so bad for you! Why would you add SUGAR and Marshmallows to delicious sweet potatoes, so wrong to give this dish to children.
Perfection. HOW am I supposed to wait until Thursday for all of the sweet potato goodness!? Maybe just one test run wont hurt….