This Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish with creamy sweet potatoes and a crunchy brown sugar pecan praline topping. Everyone will be coming back for seconds.
Sweet Potato Casserole was never a dish on my Thanksgiving table growing up, but my husband won’t have Thanksgiving dinner without it. (We are classic green bean casserole people.) This recipe is a variation of the family recipe that his mom uses, and it is now one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes as well. (He says it is *GASP* better than the original!)
The original recipe called for canned yams and sugar in the filling – this recipe uses cooked whole sweet potatoes, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and a little less white sugar. (It’s basically a pie.) I make the sweet potatoes in my Instant Pot.
You can adjust the amount of sweetened condensed milk added if you want to make it sweeter – we have found that ⅓ cup is sweet enough with a bite of the crunchy streusel topping. If you use ½ cup of condensed milk, it makes this even more of a dessert-like side dish.
This casserole is unlike the traditional sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping – it has an incredible crunchy topping made with brown sugar, butter, oats, and pecans. The filling is sweet, creamy, light, and delicious, but the topping is the best part.
Your taste buds won’t know what hit them when you get a bite of the filling mixed with the crunchy pecan topping!
Ingredients in this Sweet Potato Crunch Recipe
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make this recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Sweet Potato Filling
- Salted Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter, but I like the flavor that the little bit of salt in salted butter adds.
- Cooked & Mashed, Whole Sweet Potatoes – You will need 5 cups or approximately 4 – 5 cooked sweet potatoes. – I like to cook the potatoes in my Instant Pot, then drain them in a strainer to get any excess moisture out.
- Eggs
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – We have found that ⅓ of a cup makes this casserole sweet enough with a bite of topping. If you use ½ a cup of condensed milk, it makes this more like a dessert.
- White Sugar
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
Crunchy Pecan Praline Topping
- Salted Butter – You can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Light Brown Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Oats
- Pecans, roughly chopped – This is technically optional, but it is so good – I wouldn’t skip the pecans unless you have an allergy. (If you are working around a nut allergy, you can use extra oats for extra crunchy deliciousness.)
🍽 Equipment Needed
- A Large pot
- A Small Saucepan
- A Baking Dish, Small Casserole Dish, or Pie Pan
- Optional, a blender, food processor, electric mixer, hand mixer, or immersion blender to puree the potatoes. I think an immersion blender is the easiest option, but you can use what you have.
How to Make Sweet Potato Crunch
Best Way to Cook Sweet Potatoes
Start by cooking sweet potatoes however you prefer. I like to make them in an Instant Pot – I pressure cook them on high pressure for about 30 minutes unless they are huge potatoes – then I will do 45 minutes. (If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can bake the sweet potatoes or microwave them until they are tender.)
Let the sweet potatoes cool before attempting to peel them. Once peeled, mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher or a fork. If you make them in an Instant Pot, let them drain in a fine mesh strainer to drain out excess moisture. You can do this step a day or two ahead of time.
Make the Casserole
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Start with the Sweet Potato Filling
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter for the sweet potatoes (¼ cup) over medium/low heat. (Picture 1)
- Mix the mashed sweet potatoes with the melted butter and stir until the butter is fully incorporated and the potatoes are heated all the way through. Remove from heat. (Picture 2)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla extract, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, sugar, and honey. Mix this into the potatoes and stir until the puree is well combined. (Pictures 3-5)
Recipe Tip: For Creamy Potatoes
If you notice that your potatoes are a little stringy/fibrous, you can puree the mixture with an immersion blender. I like to do this to get the potatoes velvety smooth – just don’t over-mix it, or the potatoes can get gummy. (You can’t get the same creamy texture using just a potato masher or a fork, so I think this is important if you are using fresh sweet potatoes.)
- Then, pour the mixture into a large baking dish or pie pan and smooth out the top. It should be nice and smooth and look similar to a pumpkin pie. Below are two versions – one in a pie pan and one in a baking dish.
Make the Pecan Praline Topping
- While the sweet potato mixture cools a little, make the praline topping in a small saucepan. Melt the butter, then mix in brown sugar, flour, oats, and pecans. Stir over heat until the texture is similar to stiff wet sand. (Pictures 6-10)
- Spread the pecan crunch topping evenly over the top of the sweet potato mixture, trying to get every nook and cranny of the entire casserole covered.
- Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 35 minutes until the topping is golden brown and smells toasty and nutty. It will be so delicious.
Allow the casserole to cool a bit before serving. The sweet potato layer will be like sweet potato lava when it first comes out of the oven.
Recipe Yield
This recipe makes about 8-12 servings. If people want seconds, you may end up with fewer servings.
Can You Double this Casserole Recipe?
Yes! Just double the recipe – all of the ingredients – and use a larger casserole dish, like a lasagna pan.
Make-Ahead Recipe
You can make this casserole ahead of time – make only the sweet potato layer and leave off the topping. You can freeze the sweet potatoes up to three months in advance. (I just freeze them in an airtight container, so I don’t have unruly casserole dishes in the freezer.)
Once defrosted, add the potatoes to your baking dish, make & add the topping, and bake as directed!
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Theoretically, you shouldn’t. The texture of a yam is different than a sweet potato and they aren’t as sweet – yams are starchy and more dry. It will be more stringy and they will have to cook for a lot longer. You will not get the desired, velvety filling using yams. Here’s a link to NC Sweet Potatoes with some more information on the difference between the two.
Yes, traditionally, this recipe is made with Bruce’s Canned Yams. Since those have an added sugary syrup, I would decrease the amount of sweetened condensed milk in this recipe. (Bruce’s Yams are made with the sweet center of a yam – leaving the dry, starchy parts out. I prefer to use the whole, regular sweet potato instead.) However, to make it less complicated, you can just follow this recipe as written and skip the canned yams!
The topping in this recipe is the best part of the recipe. The crunchy pecans and oats get toasty and make a streusel-like topping that is so delicious. If you don’t like pecans or have an allergy, you can leave them out and substitute almonds or walnuts or use extra oats. Some people use cups of mini marshmallows as their topping, but that isn’t our favorite.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Casserole
The easy sweet potato casserole recipe is a Thanksgiving staple, but we honestly love to have it any time of the year – it’s a family favorite.
We like to serve it alongside Bourbon Glazed Ham, Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, Crockpot BBQ Chicken, Crockpot Turkey Breast, Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, & Crockpot Turkey Tenderloins.
Sweet Potato Casserole goes great with other tasty sides as well: Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Corn Maque Choux, Southern Cornbread, Instant Pot Creamed Corn, Southern Style Collard Greens, Pepperidge Farm Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Zucchini Cornbread, and Classic Green Bean Casserole.
Storage
How to Store Leftover Casserole
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days. We usually just cover the casserole with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and reheat it as needed. There usually isn’t much left, so we eat it pretty quickly. Leftovers can also be stored in an airtight container.
You can also freeze leftover casserole.
How to Reheat Leftovers
To reheat, the casserole can be microwaved or placed in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. I usually cover it in the oven for the first 10, then finish it uncovered so the topping can get crispy again. (Just keep an eye out for the topping so that it doesn’t burn.)
Recipe Tips
- Drain your potatoes before baking to get out any excess liquid.
- The oats and pecans in the topping are optional, but the crunch is so good – I highly recommend adding both.
- If you need to make this recipe ahead of time, I would suggest making the filling and topping separately, then assembling it and baking the casserole right before you plan on serving it. The topping will be best when freshly baked. (It can absorb liquid from the potatoes if it sits too long.)
- If you notice that your potatoes are a little stringy and fibrous, you can puree the sweet potato mixture with an immersion blender or a food processor. I like to do this to get the potatoes velvety smooth.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Filling
- 5 cups sweet potatoes cooked & mashed, this is approximately 4 – 5 sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ – ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan Praline Topping
- 6 tablespoons salted butter this is ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar this is ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecan halves chopped, optional
- 4 tablespoons oats
Instructions
- Prepare potatoes as desired. I liked to cook them in my Instant Pot. Let cool, then peel and mash the potaotes.5 cups sweet potatoes
Sweet Potato Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, melt butter over low heat.¼ cup salted butter
- Mix in the sweet potatoes and continue heating until the butter is incorporated and the potatoes are heated all the way through. Remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the
vanilla extract, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, honey, and sugar. 2 eggs, ⅓ – ½ cup sweetened condensed milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup honey, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract - Stir this into the potatoes, then pour the mixture into a large baking dish or pie pan. Smooth out the top.
Pecan Praline Topping
- While this cools a little, make the praline topping in a small saucepan. Melt the butter, then mix in brown sugar, flour, and pecans.6 tablespoons salted butter, 6 tablespoons light brown sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup pecan halves, 4 tablespoons oats
- Spread the topping over the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake uncovered for 35 minutes until golden brow.
Notes
How to Store Sweet Potato Casserole
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to five days. We usually just cover the casserole with foil or plastic wrap and reheat as needed. There usually isn’t much leftover so we eat it pretty quickly. Leftovers can also be stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze leftover casserole. To reheat, the casserole can be microwaved or placed in the oven at 350°F for 10 – 15 minutes – I usually cover it for the first 10, then finish it uncovered so the topping can get crispy again. (Just keep an eye out for the topping, so it doesn’t burn.)Helpful Tips
- The oats and pecans in the topping are optional, but the crunch is so good – I highly recommend adding both.
- If you need to make this recipe ahead of time, make the filling and topping separately, then assemble and bake the casserole right before you plan on serving it. The topping will remain crunchy when reheated if baked or toasted, but it will be at its best when freshly baked.
- If your potatoes are a little stringy/fibrous, you can puree the sweet potato mixture with an immersion blender or a food processor. I like to do this to get the potatoes velvety smooth – just don’t over-mix it, or the potatoes can get gummy.
Special Equipment Needeed
- a large pot
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
This. Was. Amazing. I will be making it again. (And again, and again, and again. )
Thank you so much! We tested it so many times to it would be perfect – I’m so glad it was 🙂