Sweet Potato Casserole

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Sweet Potato Casserole

This easy Sweet Potato Casserole has a smooth, creamy filling with a simple, sweet pecan crumble topping. It comes together in minutes and can easily be prepared in advance to save time and stress on Thanksgiving day!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy Thanksgiving side dishes, sweet potato casserole with canned yams, sweet potato casserole with pecans

Servings: servings

Ingredients

For the Filling

2 cans (29 ounces each) sweet potatoes or yams , fully drained
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup butter , melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream

For the topping

1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
1/3 cup honey Graham cracker crumbs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 3 quart (or 9x13) baking dish.
Dump the drained sweet potatoes into a large bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Add in all the other filling ingredients. Then beat with a hand held electric mixer for about 45 seconds until the mixture is really smooth.
Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer.
In a medium bowl, combine the topping ingredients with your fingers (or a wooden spoon), until the consistency is like coarse crumbs; sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture in a smooth, even layer so it covers the entire casserole.
Transfer to the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, until filling is hot and topping is crisp and lightly browned. (Keep an eye on it and tent with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.)
Remove from the oven and let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving, so it can solidify and set as it cools.
NOTE: See notes below to cook your own sweet potatoes instead of using canned, or to use a marshmallow topping instead of the pecan crumble. For other variations, tips, and storage, please refer to the full article.

Notes

Cook your own sweet potatoes instead of using canned: To keep this quick and easy on Thanksgiving, I make this recipe with canned sweet potatoes. However, you can also microwave, boil, or make baked sweet potatoes. Roasting them will give you the best flavor. You'll need about 5 to 6 medium-sized sweet potatoes for this recipe and be sure to purchase sweet potatoes that are uniform in size so they cook evenly.

Use a marshmallow topping: If you prefer a marshmallow topping instead of the pecan topping, simply omit the pecan topping ingredients and add a layer of miniature marshmallows when there's 15 to 20 minutes of baking time left, until they're puffy and browned.

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