Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

This creamy sweet potato casserole, topped with crunchy cinnamon-sugar pecans, offers the perfect balance of sweet and savory. It’s a family favorite Thanksgiving side dish!

Reader Irene says: “Thank you for sharing this recipe, it was delicious!” ★★★★★

I’ve been making this sweet potato casserole for years now as part of our Thanksgiving spread, and it’s always a highly requested dish. I know marshmallows are a popular topping for sweet potato casserole, but I prefer using cinnamon sugar pecans instead. It’s less sweet, and I love the extra crunch they provide.

Ingredients needed

You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make this sweet potato casserole.

• Cooked Sweet Potatoes– I’ve tested cooking the potatoes 3 different ways. Baking them whole for an hour. Peeling the potatoes, slicing them into chunks, then boiling them for about 15 minutes. Lastly, cooking them in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes. Honestly, there wasn’t a significant difference in taste between the different methods, so cook them whichever way works best for you. In the image above, I cooked the sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, then scooped out the flesh from the skin.
• Milk– I used whole milk; however, I’ve also tested it with almond milk for a non-dairy version, and both work. Just be sure to heat the milk before adding it to the sweet potatoes.
• Butter– I used salted butter; if using unsalted, add extra salt to season the potatoes.
• Pecans– Chopped pecans provide the best coverage and mix well with the cinnamon and sugar.
• Brown Sugar– I’ve used both brown sugar and coconut sugar in this recipe. Both provide a rich, sweet taste with a hint of molasses.

How to Make

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, add the flesh from the cooked sweet potatoes. See above on the different methods of cooking them. Measure out the milk and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it slightly.

Add warmed milk, butter, brown sugar, and an egg to the bowl with the sweet potato. Use either a masher or a hand mixer to mix everything until the potatoes are fluffy and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish and spread it out evenly.

In a small bowl, add the chopped pecans, melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Give it a good mix, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. At this point, you can refrigerate the casserole overnight and bake it the next day.

To bake it now, cover the dish with foil and bake it for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, then reheated in the microwave.

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