I have always loved Mom’s sweet potato casserole. It is so delicious, it tastes like you are eating a dessert, before you even get to dessert. This easy sweet potato casserole recipe is made with simple ingredients to make the sweet potato filling, and has the most amazing pecan crumble to make a classic sweet potato casserole, all in one casserole dish.
This easy sweet potato recipe is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish recipe. You can make it for your next get together and will be sure to bring a dish everyone will love. This will become a new family favorite for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our sweet potato casserole, you need the following ingredients:
- Sweet potatoes
- Sugar
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Butter
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Pecans
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Saucepan (Large)
- Baking Dish (9 x 13)
- Mixer (Hand)
- Spatula
- Mixing Bowl (Small)
- Mixing Bowl (Large)
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Peeler
How to Make Our Sweet Potato Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil.
- Peel and chop the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Once the water is boiling put your potatoes in for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Place potatoes in a large bowl; add sugar, sweet and condensed milk, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and vanilla.
- Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well
- Pour potato mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.
- To prepare topping, combine flour, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; stir with a whisk. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter.
- Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over potato mixture; arrange pecans evenly over top.
- Bake at 350℉ for 25 minutes or just until golden.
- Preheat broiler (remove casserole from oven).
- Broil casserole 45 seconds or until topping is bubbly. Let stand a little bit before serving.
Recipe Notes
If you are making this casserole ahead of time, keep the brown sugar topping separate and sprinkle it on top just before baking. Cover and refrigerate the mashed sweet potato mixture and brown sugar topping separately in the fridge. The casserole will reheat best if you remove it from the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since the sweet potatoes need to be cooked for the sweet potato layer, you can swap out the fresh sweet potatoes for canned.
Yes you can. The texture of fresh sweet potatoes and butternut squash are similar once cooked. Sweet potatoes are a bit sweeter, but you could always add in a little maple syrup to help with that, or just leave it as it.
When it comes to choosing between toppings for this dish, it depends on personal preference. Some people love the rich and nutty flavor of the pecan praline topping, considering it their favorite.
However, others are equally fond of the classic mini marshmallows for the topping, which adds a sweet and fluffy touch to the dish. If you can’t decide, there’s always the option to have the best of both worlds by combining the two.
Yes! You can most definitely double this recipe, in fact, we recommend it. We do recommend using two separate 9×13 inch pans because one pan would be too small if you doubled it.
Enjoy More Delicious Side Dishes
Need the perfect compliment to your main dish? You’ll want to try these delicious side dishes. Browse our comprehensive collection of simple side dish recipes.
- Candied Yams
- Coconut Pecan Sweet Potatoes
- Cranberry Pecan Sweet Potato Bake
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
- Mashed Sweet Potato
- Mom’s Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Honey Cinnamon Butternut Squash
- Roasted Parmesan Sweet Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 Tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil.
- Peel and chop the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Once the water is boiling put your potatoes in for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Place potatoes in a large bowl; add sugar, sweet and condensed milk, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and vanilla.
- Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well
- Pour potato mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.
- To prepare topping, combine flour, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; stir with a whisk. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter.
- Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over potato mixture; arrange pecans evenly over top.
- Bake at 350℉ for 25 minutes or just until golden.
- Preheat broiler (remove casserole from oven).
- Broil casserole 45 seconds or until topping is bubbly. Let stand a little bit before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Nice and simple. Thank you.
This looks so good! Can’t wait to make it! I love sweet potatoes!
This looks great! Would this recipe be ok if made a day or two in advance?
I’ve been doing this recipe for years it is an all time family favorite, i usually add a cup of coconut to the topping and orange zest to the sweet potato mixture… Pretty darn good. 🙂
It would be fine a day or two. Just keep it covered well and then heat up when ready!
Making this today for Thanksgiving! Sounds yummy!
Thanksgiving Eve I needed a recipe for a Sweet Potato casserole, went on Pinterest & was so confused as to which one recipe to use. I selected this recipe, which the only difference was I added some cinnamon, & it was absolutely delicious. Now I didn’t mention that I have never dared for or made a Sweet Potato casserole, however I couldn’t eat enough of it as well as my family. The consensus was it was the best Sweet Potato casserole everyone had ever eaten. Thank You for an excellent recipe & I will now start following your site. FIVE STAR RECIPE !!!
I made this for Thanksgiving and LOVED it. I’ve always been so skeptical about making sweet potatoes sweeter in casseroles like this and the marshmallows always scared me away. I think that sweet potatoes are just so good as is! But this was AWESOME. Loved it and I will totally be making it again. It was like a little bit of pre-dessert dessert on my Thanksgiving plate :). Thanks for sharing!
Yum – thank you.
Do you mean sweetened condensed milk?
This recipe is A LOT like the one my step-mom makes (and I’ve since adopted) and if they taste anything like her, these are probably amazing! I can’t tell you how many people (including my husband) I’ve converted to Sweet Potatoes through these bad boys!
I don’t think hers uses sweetened condensed milk, so these might take the cake. I’ll have to try it out.
Is this possible to freeze and reheat?
Never tried sweet potatoes this way but I can’t wait too! Thanks for sharing!
I have made one similar to this with roasted bananas instead of the sugar. Very tastie!
Is it OK to use yams instead of sweet potato?
When the two pounds of sweet potatoes are mashed, about how many cups will it equal?
Hello! I try to cook vegan and I am curious if the eggs in this are absolutely necessary? I feel like it would hold together pretty well without them, but you’re the expert!
Thank you!
Made this for a family reunion and came home with an empty pan. So delicious! My husband doesn’t care for sweet potatoes and he had 2 servings. Making it again today for Thanksgiving.
Made this dish for thanksgiving and it was everyone’s favorite dish. I was so glad because I’ve never made anything like it before. Thanks for a great, easy recipe!! I have tried several recipes from this site and so far they have all been delicious.
Yams will work too!
Similar to my sweet potato casserole. I use orange juice instead of sweetened condensed milk. I also use ground up gingersnaps in the topping instead of flour. The hint of spice is amazing! So yummy. I make it every year for a Thanksgiving event with 40-50 people. It’s always a hit.
That sounds amazing! I’m for sure trying the gingersnaps on top! YUM!! Thanks Kristin!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! For sure I’m making this casserole for Thanksgiving. I`ll let you how everyone liked it. thanks again. yum yum. Tony Lovan
I can’t wait to try this!! Is there something that I could substitute for the pecans or could I just omit them? We have a nut allergy in our family.
my daughter can’t wait to make this on Thanksgiving! We are vegans as well..hope she knows what to replace the eggs with?? Love the pecan topping. I want to try it with crushed gingers naps too. Maybe together? Thanks.
We are trying this to bring yams for Thanksgiving!
Just had this today with out thanksgiving dinner. It was great!!!
I made this for our family Thanksgiving feast. It was a huge hit. I am not a sweet potato/yam fan, but this was delicious! I added crumbled ginger snap cookies on top as well. Incredible!!
Hi, Can you used canned sweet potatoes? Do you think it would change the taste of the casserole?
You can use canned sweet potatoes, but they are already cooked. So you would skip those steps in the recipe.
Good morning. Can I make this dish today, refrigerate and bake tomorrow. Thank you,
Pam
I do that every year, then just cook it the next day a little longer!
Pam, I think we are a little late – but yes you can!!
Hi there, can I freeze this dish after it’s cooked? And heat when it’s time to eat?
Btw I’ve made it twice before and it’s an absolute hit! So delicious. Thank you!
We have never tried freezing this casserole before.
Made this tonight. Was really good. Will making this again..
Can this recipe be made in the crockpot? Trying to free up space in the oven on Thanksgiving.
I’m sure you could make these sweet potatoes and then let them cook in the slow cooker for a few hours. We also have a candied sweet potato recipe that is yummy and done in the slow cooker. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/slow-cooker-candied-sweet-potatoes-recipe/ Your best option might be to play around with the recipe ahead of time before Thanksgiving.
I followed the directions exactly and this casserole was DELICIOUS!! My family raved about it. I will be making this at every Thanksgiving from now on. Thank you !!
Hi Jessica. You made our day with your sweet comment on the Sweet Potato Casserole. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
This is what I grew up eating for Thanksgiving! Some like marshmallows, I prefer the brown sugar pecan topping. Love your recipes! Got one for grandmas chicken n dressing (not stuffing)?
My family loves this recipe. I have even bought the yams in the can and used them to help save time.
This is delicious, my favorite!
Can this be refrigerated after step 5 to bake the next day?
Really after step 8. Just prepare up until the time you would stick it in the oven, but then cover and place in the fridge until ready to bake.
This is sooooo good. I could eat the entire dish in one go, if I didn’t refrain myself!
I have a family member that can not eat any dairy including butter. Is there a substitute
You can try substituting margarine for the butter
This recipe is requested by my family every Thanksgiving. They also request i make a double batch so they can take leftovers home.