This Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic made with roasted sweet potatoes, butter, sweetened with brown sugar, and topped with marshmallows and pecans.
Are you a sweet potato casserole fan? My kids are not but they do love this version. It’s simple and straight forward with a few surprise ingredients that make this casserole extra tasty!
Reasons why you will fall in love with this classic holiday side dish again:
- It is made with roasted sweet potatoes instead of watery and bland boiled potatoes.
- Since it’s made with roasted potatoes you won’t need as much sugar to sweeten!
- It can be made in advance and it’s freezer friendly!
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole:
For this classic side dish the ingredients are pretty straight forward with a few subtle but really tasty surprise ingredients. I am using sweet potatoes, brown sugar (just a little), butter, eggs, half and half to make it decadent, marshmallows, and pecans.
The secret ingredients to make this casserole a little extra special are molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Just trust me on this, mkay.
The How-To:
ROASTING THE SWEET POTATOES: I think this is a very important step!! Roasting brings out the sugars naturally so you don’t have to use so much sugar and makes the potatoes so flavorful. It does take a little longer but it is worth it.
COMBINE: Combine the mashed sweet potato pulp with the remaining ingredients and mix to your desired smoothness. You can even use a hand mixer if you want your potatoes to be extra smooth. As you can see from the photos I prefer mine a little on the chunky side.
BAKE: Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes or until it’s heated through. Remove and top with marshmallows and pecans. Bake for 5 minutes or until the marshmallows are lightly toasted.
FAQs
Yes! You can assemble the casserole but don’t put on the topping. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking and proceed as normal. May need to add a little extra baking time.
Once cooled store in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
They are indeed two different root vegetables that look and taste different from each other. A yam is drier, starchier, and have a tree bark like skin. While a sweet potato has a wetter interior with a higher sugar content. They also have a smooth skin. Both can have different colored flesh.
Yes! Prepare the casserole according to the directions but do not bake and be sure to leave off any toppings as they don’t hold up well after freezing. Line your baking dish with heavy foil allowing extra for overhang. Spread sweet potato filling in prepared baking dish. Fold foil overhand over the filling and freeze for 24 hours or until solid. Remove from the baking dish and wrap once more in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before baking and bake as directed.
And just in case you are not a marshmallow topped sweet potato fan I do have this Sweet Potato Casserole with Streusel Topping or these Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Glaze.
Looking for some more holiday recipes?
- Apple Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Creamy Turkey and Dumpling Soup
- Chocolate Meringue Pie
- Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
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This Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic made with roasted sweet potatoes, butter, sweetened with brown sugar, and topped with marshmallows and pecans.
- 4 pounds (1890g) sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup (45g) packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup half and half
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- salt to taste
- 2 cups (110g) miniature marshmallows
- ⅓ cup (35g) chopped pecans
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce potatoes several times and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1-1½ hours or until very soft. Remove from oven and slice each potato open. Cool until cool enough to handle then scoop out the pulp. Mash to desired consistency.
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Add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for marshmallows and pecans. Mix well a spoon into a greased deep dish pie pan, 10" cast iron skillet, or 9×9 baking dish. Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with marshmallows and pecans and bake 5 minutes or until marshmallow are lightly toasted.
- MAKE AHEAD: You can assemble the casserole but don’t put on the topping. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking and proceed as normal. May need to add a little extra baking time.
- FREEZER FRIENDLY: Prepare the casserole according to the directions but do not bake and be sure to leave off any toppings as they don’t hold up well after freezing. Line your baking dish with heavy foil allowing extra for overhang. Spread sweet potato filling in prepared baking dish. Fold foil overhand over the filling and freeze for 24 hours or until solid. Remove from the baking dish and wrap once more in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before baking and bake as directed.
Perfect in the cast iron! Crispy on top and gooey in the center. Yum!
So glad you liked it!
A new recipe that is being added to our favorites list!
Thank you!
We love a good sweet potato casserole and this one did not disappoint!
Thank you very much!
This was the perfect sweet potato recipe! Perfect for Thanksgiving, everyone will love it!
Thank you!