Sweet potatoes are a staple for the holidays, and man oh man, is Sweet Potato Casserole an absolute must for the holiday menu. This classic holiday favorite begins with roasted sweet potatoes and ends with a buttery brown sugar pecan topping.

Sweet Potato Casserole practically screams Thanksgiving, alongside the turkey and gravy, of course. It’s a staple on every Thanksgiving dinner table (and Christmas too!), it fits in great next to a cornucopia and is downright delicious! Plus, Sweet Potato Casserole is an easy peasy side dish recipe, and a great vegetarian option if do happen to have a couple of herbivores at your table.

This Sweet Potato Casserole recipe version is topped with crunchy candied pecans. Oh my word, the topping is phenomenal and hard to resist, so best to keep an eye out for those sneaky pecan pickers before dinnertime.

Sweet Potato Casserole is a super easy recipe and can prepped ahead of time by a day or two, then baked before serving. If prepping ahead of time, I would keep the pecan topping separate, then add it just before baking.

As I said, prep is a cinch. This recipe starts with roasting the sweet potatoes. It’s quick and easy and so much better than canned sweet potatoes that have syrup added.

Begin by preheating the oven to 400-degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Baking parchment is something we use all the time. Seriously, there is hardly a day I don’t use it. I wouldn’t bake without it!

First comes the roasting of the sweet potatoes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half, coat with olive oil and place cut side down on the lined baking sheet. Roast at 400-degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until fork tender. Once they’re out of the oven, carefully remove the skins. Careful, they are hot potatoes! Place the peeled sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash. Set aside and move on to the rest of the casserole mixture. 

First, reduce the oven to 375-degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar and eggs. Next, beat in the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Add the mashed potatoes and mix it all up! Spread this mixture evenly in the buttered casserole dish. Combine the topping ingredients in a separate bowl and spread this mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes at 375-degrees F, serve warm, and enjoy! I know you will.

I’m telling you, even if you’re not a sweet potato fan, I think this Sweet Potato Casserole may just win you over. Try it and let me know.

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe with Pecan Topping

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This classic holiday favorite begins with roasted sweet potatoes and ends with a buttery brown sugar pecan topping.

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Ingredients

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 oz (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the topping:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened slightly
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half. Coat with olive oil. Place cut side down on lined baking sheet. Roast in at 400-degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven. Carefully remove skins. Place peeled sweet potatoes in a large bowl and mash until smooth. Set aside.
3. Reduce oven to 375-degrees F.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar and eggs. Beat in the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Spread mixture evenly in buttered casserole dish.
6. For the topping: In a mixing bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans until combined. Spread evenly over sweet potato mixture.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 375-degrees F or until heated through. Serve warm.