Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

Is it acceptable to call this Sweet Potato Casserole with pecans my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal? That smooth cinnamon infused sweet potatoes topped with crunchy brown sugar pecan crusted crumbles is beyond delicious and simply melts in the mouth.

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole a solid, classic side dish for the biggest eating day in America, but I probably like it so much because let’s face it…it tastes kinda like dessert.

Confession: I’m one of those people who would eat all the Thanksgiving sides (and desserts, of course) and can do without the turkey or ham.

Yep. I said it. Controversial, I know. And all you meat-loving folks are just confused.

Fear not. I do love the turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce (yes, gravy and cranberry sauce. I need both!). All I’m saying is if I had to pick one, this sweet potato casserole with pecans wins hands down!

Preparing your Thanksgiving feast? We got you covered! Check out Herb Butter Turkey Breast, Apple Stuffing, Gravy From Scratch, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Honey Butter Rolls, and Pumpkin Pie to round up your menu!

Pecan crusted sweet potato casserole

There are a million and one sweet potato casserole recipes out there, but I wanted to share my sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble topping that is easy, requires only a few ingredients, and highlights the true star of the dish (sweet potatoes duh) without adding too much fillers to it.

Sweet potato casserole with pecans is go-to sweet potato casserole recipe. Tried and true and perfect.

Known as sweet potato crunch in some regions, there’s just something about topping sweet potato casserole with pecan crumbles. (Yes, much better than marshmallows in my humble opinion!)

The crunchy pecan pairs beautifully with the creamy cinnamon infused mashed sweet potatoes. It’s a lovely combination of textures and flavors.

In addition, this pecan crusted sweet potato casserole is fairly light, not overly sweet and heavy, and the sweet potatoes remain a prominent part of the flavor and textures.

I added just enough flavors and spices to enhance mashed sweet potatoes, but am super careful to not burry it in a lot of dairy and flavoring.

If you love a variety of textures in your foods, and like a fairly light and flavorful sweet potato casserole, you will surely love this sweet potato casserole with pecans.

How to make sweet potato casserole

There are two parts to our sweet potato casserole with pecans recipe:

• Mashed sweet potato filling
• Pecan crumble topping

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Start by making the mashed sweet potatoes. Boil sweet potatoes in water for 20 minutes, drain when they are done, and mash them using a potato masher or electric hand mixer.

Let mashed sweet potatoes cool (because we will be adding eggs) and then combine it with the following ingredients:

• Eggs
• Brown sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract

These are pantry-friendly and straight-forward ingredients.

The goal is to make this Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans non-complicated and take somewhat of a minimalist approach because these ingredients are there to enhance the sweet potatoes, not overpower it.

Pecans Topping

Now let’s making the crumbles for our pecan crusted sweet potato casserole.

On a separate bowl, combine the ingredients below to make the crunchy sweet pecan topping:

• Pecans
• All-purpose flour
• Brown sugar
• Unsalted butter

Mix it all together until it is crumbly and in small little pieces.

Assemble

To assemble sweet potato casserole with pecans, grab a 9″x13″ rectangular casserole dish or a 12″ oval dish (picture below).

Spread the mashed sweet potatoes evenly at the bottom of the casserole dish, and then topped it with the pecan crumbles.

Whether you use a 12″ or 13″ rectangular or oval dish, bake time should be about the same.

Because oval dish is smaller than the rectangular dish, it’ll yield a slightly thicker sweet potato casserole with pecans.

Once you’ve assembled your sweet potato casserole with the pecans topping, send it to the oven to bake!

It bakes for about 40 minutes 400 ℉ in the oven.

Before you know it, your warm, smooth, creamy (but not heavy) sweet potato casserole with pecans is ready!

What you can expect: amazing flavors and textures in every single bite.

It’s the sweet potato casserole we all dream about stuffing our mouths and stomachs with on Thanksgiving day before going down for a nice, long nap.

It is only appropriate for all Thanksgiving meals to be followed by a nap.

And the best part is, this sweet potato casserole with pecans is super easy to make, and just as easy to make ahead!

Make Ahead Instructions

Making ahead your sweet potato casserole with pecans? There are a few ways you can go about this:

1. Finish baking and store cooked casserole sealed (by covering with a lid or use aluminum foil or saran wrap if the dish doesn’t come with a cover) in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to serve, cover with aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 300℉ for 20-25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are warm.
2. Assemble casserole but do not bake. Store casserole sealed (by covering with a lid or use aluminum foil or saran wrap if the dish doesn’t come with a cover), in the refrigerator for a day. Let it sit in room temperature for about an hour so that it is no longer cold, then bake according to recipe instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Thanksgiving must!

Ahh sweet potato casserole with pecans. The star of the Thanksgiving table.

So gooey. So crunchy. So perfect for my sweet-potato-loving soul.

As the weather gets colder, the leaves turn red, and Starbucks starts serving Pumpkin Spice Latte…you know you need some of this pecan crusted sweet potato casserole back in your life to kick off all things Fall. 🧡

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍

Other Sweet Potato Recipes

• Brown Sugar Pecan Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato and Kielbasa Hash
• Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Cinnamon Brown Sugar Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Taco Bowl (by My Kitchen Love)
• Easy Sweet Potato Hash Brown (by Pinch and Swirl)

Other Delicious Holiday Dishes

• Gravy
• Cranberry Sauce
• Dutch Oven Herb Butter Turkey Breast
• Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
• Pineapple Baked Ham
• Cheesy Garlic Rolls