Skip to content
HAM COOKING

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

Roasted sweet potatoes whipped with butter, brown sugar, vanilla and a little orange, baked under a crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel.

AI illustration of Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
AI-generated recipe illustration, not a photograph of a cooked batch.

Ingredients

Ingredients for 10 servings

Original recipe serves 10. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.

Filling

  • 4 lb sweet potatoes, about 5 medium
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp orange zest, optional
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Pecan topping

  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Gear

  • Sheet pan
  • 9x13 baking dish
  • Hand mixer or potato masher

Some gear links may be affiliate links. Disclosure.

Steps

  1. Step 1: Heat the oven to 400°F. Poke the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork, set them on a foil-lined sheet pan and roast 50 to 60 minutes until very soft and leaking syrup.

  2. Step 2: When cool enough to handle, peel and scoop the flesh into a big bowl. You need about 5 cups.

  3. Step 3: Turn the oven down to 350°F and butter a 9x13 baking dish.

  4. Step 4: Mash or beat the sweet potatoes with the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, milk, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Spread in the dish.

  5. Step 5: TOPPING: Stir the pecans, brown sugar, flour, melted butter and salt together until crumbly. Scatter evenly over the sweet potatoes.

  6. Step 6: Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the edges bubble and the topping is golden and set.

  7. Step 7: Let it rest 10 minutes before serving.

All recipes

Game plan

For a 4:00 PM Thanksgiving dinner:

  • 1 to 2 days ahead: Roast and mash the sweet potatoes. Mix the filling and spread it in the dish. Cover and refrigerate. Make the topping and store it separately.
  • 2:00 PM: Take the dish out of the fridge.
  • 3:15 PM: Turkey resting, oven’s free. Scatter topping and bake at 350°F (about 40 minutes if it went in cold).
  • 3:55 PM: Out of the oven.
  • 4:00 PM: Serve.

Swaps

  • Marshmallows: Skip the pecan topping and cover with mini marshmallows for the last 10 minutes. Or do both: pecans, then marshmallows.
  • Canned: Use two 40-oz cans of yams in syrup, drained well, and cut the brown sugar in the filling to 2 tablespoons.
  • Spice: Add a pinch of cayenne for a little warmth.

Tips

  • Roasted sweet potatoes are sweeter and drier than boiled, which means a richer casserole.
  • Pecans burn fast; if the topping browns before the filling’s hot, tent it with foil.

The story

HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.

Sweet potato casserole is the dessert that snuck onto the dinner plate, and nobody’s ever called the cops. It has brown sugar, butter and a candied nut topping. It is absolutely dessert. I’m not complaining.

Roasting the sweet potatoes whole is the move here. In the oven, their natural sugars caramelize and the moisture cooks off, so the flavor gets deep and almost syrupy. Boiling does the opposite: it waterlogs them and dilutes the taste. The eggs give the filling a light, soufflé-like lift, and a little orange zest and vanilla brighten it up so it doesn’t taste heavy.

The marshmallow versus pecan debate has split many families. I went pecan streusel because it’s crunchy, buttery and doesn’t turn into a sticky volcano. But I’m a peacekeeper, so check the swaps for how to do both.

HAM out.

Related recipes

Cooked this? Tell us how it went.

Loading reviews…

Leave a review
Your rating
Pick up to five tags (optional)

Your email stays private. Guest reviews require email confirmation. Reviews and photos appear after approval, including honest critical feedback. Privacy · Terms