Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

Is it acceptable to call this Sweet Potato Casserole with pecan topping my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal? To say I am in love with that combo of smooth cinnamon infused sweet potatoes topped with crunchy brown sugar pecan crusted crumbles is an understatement!

Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole a solid, classic side dish for the biggest eating day in America. It is so delicious, flavorful, and just melts in your mouth. The truth is, I probably like it so much because let’s face it…it tastes kinda like a dessert!

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!

sweet potato casserole with Pecan Topping

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 my go-to sweet potato casserole recipe for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. Tried and true and perfect.

Known as sweet potato crunch in some regions, there’s just something about topping sweet potato casserole with golden brown pecan crumbles. (Yes, much better than marshmallows in my humble opinion!) It’s a lovely combination of textures and flavors.

As the pecan topping bakes, the butter melts and blends with the sugar, forming a golden, candy-like coating over the nuts. The pecans toast in the oven, adding a nutty aroma and crisp bite that contrasts perfectly with the silky sweet potato layer underneath.

The result is a topping that’s sweet, crisp, nutty, and slightly buttery, with a texture somewhere between a streusel and a praline—basically dessert disguised as a side dish.

In addition, this pecan crusted sweet potato casserole recipe 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 bury 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.

Ingredients

For the sweet potato filling:

• Sweet potatoes – Use fresh (not canned) for best taste and texture. Peel, cube, then boil them to make it easier to mash them. Alternatively, prick the washed sweet potatoes all over with a fork, bake on a pan at 400°F for 45-60 minutes until fork tender, then mash. I find this method more time-consuming.
• Melted butter – Use unsalted to control the salt level. For a richer taste, opt for a European butter such as Kerrygold.
• Eggs – large size and at room temperature (especially if mixing them with hot sweet potatoes). They give a thickness and structure to the potatoes, essentially making them richer.
• Brown sugar – Use either dark or light brown sugar based on preference. The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses and therefore deeper flavor.
• Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract is always better tasting than artificial.
• Salt – A little goes a long way in helping the other ingredients stand out and opening up the flavors.

For the pecan topping:

• Brown sugar
• Flour – All-purpose flour works best for this recipe.
• Unsalted butter – used to bind the ingredients together.
• Chopped pecans – Not going to lie, THIS is my favorite part of the topping, giving the casserole a crunchy texture. Feel free to substitute the pecans for another nut if you prefer, such as almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts.

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

Step 1: Prepare Sweet Potatoes

Start by making the mashed sweet potatoes. Peel and slice them, then boil 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 stir in the rest of the sweet potato filling ingredients.

That’s it! The sweet potato mixture is ready.

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.

Step 2: Prepare Pecan Topping

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

In a medium bowl, combine together the crunchy sweet pecan topping ingredients.

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

Step 3: 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 at 400 ℉ in the oven.

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

The pecan topping will become golden brown and crunchy, and your kitchen will smell like Christmas and all things good.

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!

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

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

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. 🧡

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, remove from fridge, 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.

ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍

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

• Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Cheesy Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
• Pineapple Baked Ham
• Cheesy Garlic Rolls