This is the ultimate Easy Sweet Potato Casserole. With just 15 minutes of prep time and no boiling or roasting of any potatoes, this holiday side dish can be successfully made by anyone! Plus, it's great to assemble in advance.
This Easy Sweet Potato Casserole is going to be the most requested recipe during the holiday season. It's not a Thanksgiving meal without this dish on the table!
Our family's recipe has been passed down over multiple generations and is sweet, gooey, and crunchy in each bite. The rich and fluffy potato mixture is on the bottom and dolloped with marshmallow creme and a crunchy pecan streusel.
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We love using marshmallow creme since it's smooth and creamy to compliment the texture of the potatoes. With just 15 minutes of prep time and about 10 ingredients, this is a stress-free side dish that anyone can help out with while entertaining.
If you love a great side dish like we do, we have so many ideas. Try our Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Crockpot Cornbread Pudding, and Cranberry Fluff Salad.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Holiday Family Favorite. This is a must-have sweet potato side dish for your holiday table on Thanksgiving. We have it at multiple holidays a year, it's that delicious!
- Easy to Prep in 15 Minutes: With just a little bit of time, anyone can prep this dish quickly and it's also great to assemble ahead of time.
- Pantry Staple Ingredients: An ideal recipe for pantry staple ingredients that are easy to find and keep on hand throughout the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
For the Casserole:
- Canned sweet potatoes yams in syrup: The base of this casserole recipe, the syrup lightly sweetens the potatoes making them perfect for every bite. Fresh baked or boiled sweet potatoes can work as well.
- Large eggs: Binds the casserole together.
- Brown sugar: Adds additional molasses-like sweetness that's so good.
- Evaporated milk: Has a concentrated milk flavor to add richness to the base.
- Salted butter: The fat for the potato layer that also adds nice warm flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Gives a nice caramel, floral note to each bite.
- Cinnamon: The essential spice to pair with sweet potatoes, too delicious.
- Nutmeg, optional: Another warm holiday spice you can add if desired to your casserole.
- Marshmallow creme: We love to use the marshmallow creme rather than regular marshmallows because of it's whipped, air-like quality. It truly melts in your mouth!
For the Topping:
- Chopped pecans: Crunchy bits on top that add so much texture to each bite.
- Brown sugar: Makes the topping like a streusel, thanks to the sugar.
- All-purpose flour: Helps bind everything together.
- Salted butter: The fat to help flavor and make the topping extra delicious.
Tools You’ll Need
- 9”x9” Square Baking Dish (or 2 Quart Casserole dish)
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Hand Mixer
How to Make Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick spray or butter.
- In large mixing bowl, add drained sweet potato yams or fresh baked, peeled and slightly cooled sweet potatoes. Blend with an hand mixer until smooth.
- To the bowl, add brown sugar, evaporated milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using), and eggs. Mix until smooth and well blended.
- Pour the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, add the marshmallow fluff in 1 tablespoon dollops all over the sweet potato mixture. Spooning from below, cover the dollops with the sweet potato mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and melted butter. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- Sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over the sweet potato layer.
- Bake 40-50 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the casserole is heated through.
- Allow it to cool slightly before serving.
Expert Tips
- Swap marshmallow creme for regular marshmallows. If you prefer normal marshmallows, not a problem. Just add 1-2 cups 5 to 10 minutes before the casserole has finished baking.
- Change up the nuts. Walnuts or even hazelnuts would also be delicious in this casserole. You could also swap the nuts with whole oats.
- Layer the sweet potato bake correctly. This ensures that the top of the casserole is crunchy and streusel-like and not soggy.
- Use roasted or boiled sweet potatoes. We use the canned yams in syrup for easy and their slight sweetness in this recipe. You can use homemade sweet potatoes that have been roasted or boiled until tender. You’ll need about 4-5 medium sweet potatoes which should yield about 5-6 cups cubed.
- Boil Method: Peel and cut into cubes. Boil in salted water for about 20-30 minutes, or until they are tender then drain.
- Bake Method: Wash, rub with a light layer of oil, and pierce with a fork or knife all over. Bake on an aluminum foil liked baking dish at 400°F for about 60-90 minutes. Check for doneness/tenderness by carefully squeezing the potato with tongs or piercing with a fork or knife.
Storage and Freezing
This easy sweet potato casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to four days and reheated in the microwave or oven.
We don't recommend freezing this casserole since it can compromise the texture.
This bake can also be assembled in advance for easy party prep! Just combine all of the ingredients and layer them. Store in the fridge until ready to bake and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Depends on your personal preference. We used canned in this recipe but if you want to use homemade, roasting is ideal since it enhances the natural flavors of the potato.
Boil them peeled for easy for mashing in this recipe.
This helps to bind the filling and also helps the potato have a light and fluffy consistency.
Yes, just add them 5 to 10 minutes before the casserole is finished baking to melt and then serve.
Sweet potatoes and yams are different because they come from distinct plant families. Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are starchy root vegetables with smooth skin and a sweet flavor, while yams (Dioscorea species) are starchy tubers that have rough, scaly skin and are more neutral in taste.
More Holiday Recipes
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the Casserole
- 40 ounce can sweet potato yams in syrup drained
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- 1 cup marshmallow creme approximately 5 ounces
For the Topping
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick spray or butter.
- In large mixing bowl, add drained sweet potato yams or fresh baked, peeled and slightly cooled sweet potatoes. Blend with an hand mixer until smooth.
- To the bowl, add brown sugar, evaporated milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using), and eggs. Mix until smooth and well blended.
- Pour the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, add the marshmallow fluff in 1 tablespoon dollops all over the sweet potato mixture. Spooning from below, cover the dollops with the sweet potato mixture.
- In a small bowl, combine chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and melted butter. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- Sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over the sweet potato layer.
- Bake 40-50 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the casserole is heated through.
- Allow it to cool slightly before serving.
Video
Notes
Storage:
This easy sweet potato casserole can be stored in the fridge for up to four days and reheated in the microwave or oven. We don't recommend freezing this casserole since it can compromise the texture of the casserole. This bake can also be assembled in advance for easy party prep! Just combine all of the ingredients and layer them. Store in the fridge until ready to bake and serve.Expert Tips
- Swap marshmallow creme for regular marshmallows. If you prefer normal marshmallows, not a problem. Just add 1-2 cups 5 to 10 minutes before the casserole has finished baking.
- Change up the nuts. Walnuts or even hazelnuts would also be delicious in this casserole. You could also swap the nuts with whole oats.
- Layer the sweet potato bake correctly. This ensures that the top of the casserole is crunchy and streusel-like and not soggy.
- Use roasted or boiled sweet potatoes. We use the canned yams in syrup for easy and their slight sweetness in this recipe. You can use homemade sweet potatoes that have been roasted or boiled until tender. You'll need about 4-5 medium sweet potatoes which should yield about 5-6 cups cubed.
- Boil Method: Peel and cut into cubes. Boil in salted water for about 20-30 minutes, or until they are tender then drain.
- Bake Method: Wash, rub with a light layer of oil, and pierce with a fork or knife all over. Bake on an aluminum foil liked baking dish at 400°F for about 60-90 minutes. Check for doneness/tenderness by carefully squeezing the potato with tongs or piercing with a fork or knife.
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