Many would say Thanksgiving is not complete without Sweet Potato Casserole. This lightened-up version is IT (in my humble opinion). I love how simple it is to make, yet it stays budget-friendly. The sweet potatoes are light and fluffy, and the pecan streusel adds a satisfying crunch and a nutty, buttery flavor. The combination of sweet and savory, with just a hint of cinnamon and vanilla, makes every bite irresistible. Although this is a perfect recipe to include in your holiday feasts, it’s easy enough to enjoy any night of the week!
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Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
Sweet potato casserole is a classic Southern dish that usually makes an appearance around the holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special occasion where comfort food is a must. It’s similar to twice baked sweet potatoes, but in a casserole form, and is incredibly simple to make.
My recipe for sweet potato casserole starts with a base of mashed sweet potatoes mixed with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, then gets topped with a homemade pecan streusel. I also use milk and eggs to add creaminess without making it too heavy. It might sound like a dessert, but it’s traditionally served as a side dish with dinner!
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Are you team marshmallow or streusel topping? Personally, I’m team streusel all the way. But if you love that gooey, toasted marshmallow layer, you can sprinkle ½ cup of mini marshmallows on top during the last 5 minutes of baking. Or, if you’re firmly in camp marshmallow, swap the streusel for a full layer of marshmallows and bake until golden and bubbly.
- Add citrus. Try stirring in ¼ cup of orange juice or some zest to the mashed sweet potatoes for a bright citrus note!
- Swap the nuts. Feel free to swap the pecans for walnuts or almonds if that’s what you’ve got.
- Make ahead. Save yourself some time on Thanksgiving Day by prepping this mashed sweet potato casserole up to 48 hours in advance. Store the sweet potato layer and streusel topping separately in the fridge, then assemble and bake when you’re ready. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time since it’ll be cold.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cost $7.47 Recipe / $0.94 Serving
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed, (about 2 lbs.,) $3.39)
- ½ cup salted butter (divided, (113g) $0.92)
- ¼ cup whole milk (2 fl oz., $0.06)
- 2 eggs (beaten, $0.39)
- ½ cup brown sugar (divided, (100g) $0.25)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon ($0.02)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.04)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.67)
- ½ cup chopped pecans (55g, $1.69)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g, $0.04)
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Boil cubed sweet potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, about 12-15 minutes. Drain.
- Mash sweet potatoes until smooth.*
- Add in 4 Tbsp (¼ cup) butter, milk, eggs, ¼ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the pecans, flour, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar. Pour in the remaining ¼ cup melted butter, and stir until a sandy, crumbly consistency forms.
- Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the sweet potato layer.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the casserole is set.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole Step-by-Step Photos
Gather all of your ingredients. Grease a 9×9 baking dish and preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C).
Boil the sweet potatoes: Add 3 large peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a saucepan of salted water and boil for about 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain the sweet potatoes and return them to the saucepan.
Mash the sweet potatoes: Use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes until smooth. Or for the smoothest, creamiest consistency, use a hand mixer instead of a potato masher.
Make the casserole filling: Add 4 Tbsp (¼ cup) butter, ¼ cup milk, 2 beaten eggs, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp vanilla to the mashed sweet potatoes and combine.
Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in the prepped baking dish.
Make the streusel topping: Mix ½ cup chopped pecans, ¼ cup flour, and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar in a small bowl. Now, melt the remaining ¼ cup of butter and pour it in. Stir until the mixture appears sandy and crumbly.
Assemble the casserole: Top the sweet potato mixture with the pecan topping.
Bake: Add the baking dish to the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling is set. Let your sweet potato pecan casserole cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
If you’re serving this easy sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, you can’t go wrong with the classic pairing of roast turkey and sausage stuffing. The sweet, buttery potatoes taste amazing next to all those savory sides (trust me!!). I sometimes add extra toasted pecans or a sprinkle of cinnamon on top before serving for even more texture and flavor. It’s also delicious any time of year with roasted chicken or pork chops. Or if you really want to indulge, top it with a drizzle of maple syrup or a dollop of whipped cream—your call!
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftover pecan sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. To reheat, pop it in the oven at 325°F for 10–15 minutes to keep the topping crisp. If you’re planning ahead, you can also freeze the whole casserole (covered with foil) for up to 2 months. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it in the oven before serving.
Our Sweet Potato Casserole recipe was originally published 11/21/22. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 11/5/25.
Wow 😍 This looks absolutely delicious! The sweet potato casserole is such a perfect holiday side — love how beautifully you present every recipe! 💛
I always enjoy watching your videos on Facebook and YouTube — they’re truly inspiring and full of flavor! 🌟
I’ve also sent you a quick message in your inbox — please take a moment to check it when you can. Wishing you continued success and all the best in your amazing journey! 🙌✨
I make this recipe every Thanksgiving. It’s become a family tradition. Everyone requests it!
Trying this sweet potato casserole for Sunday pot luck dinner
This is my arsenal of holiday meals now. This was SOO good. I pressure cooked the potatoes for 8 mins with 3 cups of water (could probably used 2 in my 8 quart instant pot). And just poured the marshmallows instead of measuring. But it was super quick and easy.
Marshmallows do melt if you reheat it multiple times which made it beautifully sweet.
I was able to bring it to a potluck Thanksgiving by freshly making it before I left wrapped in towels in a laundry basket using a disposable foil travel dish.
Can you mix in some of the marshmallows would that cook properly?
Yes, you could do that, although they will completely melt while baking, which might make the casserole a weird texture.
I boil sweet potatoes then peal them. Then I roll them in granulated sugar. I put butter in a frying pan and once it melts I add the sugar coated sweet potatoes. Once the sweet potatoes are caramelized I put them in a 9×13 pan that has a thin layer of butter greased the pan. Mash the potatoes then add pecans top with marshmallows bake 350 until marshmallows are brown.
Hello! The recipe looks wonderful, but I want to give a fair warning to some newer vegetarians that marshmallows are not vegetarian as they are made with gelatin. If you leave off the marshmallows or substitute them, the recipe looks fantastic.
Thanks for catching that! We’ve updated the tags. :)
Love your website but FYI – marshmallows are not vegetarian!! They are (almost always) made with gelatin.
You can either use vegetarian marshmallows for this recipe or push for a vegetarian alternative such as whipped cream or your pecan preparation (which, TBH, I prefer anyway).
Please consider this for this and other vegetarian recipes going forward, thank you!
Please see the note on vegetarian options. Thank you.
This was really delicious and easy to make. It was my first time making sweet potato casserole and my whole family loved it!
Awesome! So glad your family liked it! xoxo -Monti
This was delicious but I noticed one thing.. The photo comments say to incorporate caramel into the mash, while the written instructions do not.
Good looking out! It’s been updated. Thank you.
So easy. I’m definitely the best judge of that because I don’t cook. My husband is a chef. Tasted amazing and loved by everyone they ate it.
I’m glad that it was a hit! Hi to the hubs. Chef life during the holiday season is NO JOKE. XOXO -Monti
My daughter asked me to make sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. I had never eaten it or made it so I was a little hesitant, but found this recipe and decided to make it. Everyone in my house absolutely loved it! So tasty and it was very easy to make. Thank you for the amazing recipe
Thanks for making it!
Curious European here: at what point of the meal is this served? As dessert? As a side dish?
In Finland we make similar vegetable casseroles for Christmas, but without any sweet toppings and all that sugar (so they are definitely more savoury, although with a faint hint of sweetness). Carrot & rice, potato and swede are all popular choices, though nowadays sweet potato has made an entrance as well (often seasoned with chili) :).
Typically this is served as a side dish at Thanksgiving, though I personally find it extremely over the top sweet. I much prefer more savory sweet potato dishes, such as the Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes recipe here on this site. That is my go-to holiday sweet potato dish.
This casserole can be served as a dessert or as a side dish. I have lowered the amount of sugar in it so it isn’t as cloyingly sweet as it can be. If you prefer a savory version, you can skip the sugar, brown the butter, and then brown fresh sage leaves in it. Mix it into the potatoes for a more savory dish. XOXO -Monti
Thanks for that savory option–which I would top with those crunchy fried onions so popular this time of year (we’ve lightened up on the green beans, too, serving them steamed instead of in a casserole). Although I find the caramel an appealing addition to the traditional sweet potato casseroles, we no longer eat those over the top sweet versions, even my favorite with no sugar added to the potatoes themselves but light amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg plus lots of butter whipped into the potatoes and a pecan streusel topping. By the way–this is not only traditional for southerners, as I grew up with mashed sweet potato casseroles in the upper midwest. I expect you will find one on Thanksgiving tables all over this country.
That sounds delish! Happy holidays! XOXO -Monti
I’m an American, but I was inspired by your comment to serve this recipe as a dessert. It was a total hit! Especially with my two small kids, who were ecstatic to be served something with marshmallows on it. I am so grateful to you for your post!