Savor every spoonful of pure comfort with our mouthwatering Sweet Potato Casserole. With its golden, vegetarian marshmallow-kissed topping and a velvety, cinnamon-infused sweet potato base with crunchy pecans, this classic dish is the epitome of cozy indulgence, bringing warmth and nostalgia to your table in every bite.
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Let’s face it, space on your Thanksgiving table is limited, and you want only the best for your special occasion; the good news is that you’ve just stumbled across the best sweet potato casserole recipe ever, and here’s why.
Why you’ll love making sweet potato casserole
- This sweet potato casserole recipe is so simple! Make the filling, top it, and bake. That’s all there is to it!
- Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is a dessert-like side dish. With a pecan, brown sugar, and melted butter topping, it’s hard to believe this sits on your dinner plate right next to green beans. Dessert for dinner? Yes, please!
- Everyone loves sweet potato casserole, especially with gooey marshmallow topping; it’s a real family favorite. This recipe is perfect for vegetarian diets as well, by using vegetarian marshmallows. You can’t even tell they’re vegetarian!
- Perfect for meal prep, make sweet potato casserole ahead of Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. You can either refrigerate it or freeze it.
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to make sweet potato casserole with step-by-step instructions
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
For the Topping
In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, white sugar, all-purpose flour, and optional cinnamon.
Add cold salted butter cubes and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the sugar-flour mixture until it becomes a coarse mixture.
Pro Tip: If the butter melts and becomes soft, pop the bowl back in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden it back up.
For the Filling
Either bake or boil your fresh sweet potatoes as you prefer until fork tender.
Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C and grease a medium baking dish.
Place the cooked sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl (separate bowl from the topping), along with the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and butter.
Using a handheld electric mixer, food processor, or potato masher, beat or mash until the sweet potato filling is smooth and fluffy, then fold in half the pecans.
Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the baking dish in an even layer, scatter the streusel topping evenly, and add the remaining chopped pecans over the potato mixture.
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For extra sweetness, add vegetarian mini marshmallows, place the baking dish on a baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes until the marshmallows begin to turn golden brown.
Remove the casserole dish from the oven, serve, and enjoy.
Recipe notes and expert tips
- Sweet potatoes: Baked or boiled will both work well; however, they may taste different. Baked sweet potatoes will taste even sweeter than boiled as the sugars caramelize in the oven. On the other hand, boiled sweet potatoes cook a little quicker than baking. Ensure the large sweet potatoes are diced into small pieces to help them cook quicker.
- Leftover mash: If you have leftover mashed sweet potatoes, this is a great way to use them! You may need to add an extra sweet potato or two, depending on how much mash you have.
- Canned sweet potatoes: You can easily use canned yams or sweet potatoes instead of fresh ones. We recommend using 3-4 cans.
- Too sweet: If you find sweet potato casserole overly sweet, skip the marshmallows. The pecan topping tastes delicious on its own!
- Maple: Replace the sugar in the filling with maple syrup to make a maple pecan version. It’s really tasty!
- Marshmallows: If you can’t find mini marshmallows, regular-sized marshmallows work perfectly as well! Make sure to spread them evenly so that they melt over the whole casserole.
How to store leftover sweet potato casserole
It makes delicious leftovers the next day!
Store sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat the sweet potato casserole in the microwave or oven until piping hot.
You can also freeze sweet potato casserole! This is a great option for preparing Thanksgiving dinner early.
Store the casserole, either baked or just assembled, in an airtight container, covered in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, for up to 3 months.
Allow it to thaw overnight before baking as per the recipe.
What to serve with sweet potato casserole
This is the perfect side dish for the holiday season! With its warm spices and brown sugar pecan streusel topping, It’s such a cozy side dish.
At Thanksgiving or Christmas, we love to serve this with a few more sides like mashed potatoes, chestnut stuffing, brussels sprouts, and honey-roasted carrots.
For the main dish, we have a few veggie options! Our Nut Roast is a reader favorite, as well as our lentil loaf. Our Christmas special is Vegan Ham which can also be made in an air fryer!
For dessert, we love making sweet pies for the holidays. Try our Cinnamon Pie, Apple Pie, or Reese’s Pie, and if you can’t get enough sweet potato recipes, our Sweet Potato Pie is heavenly!
More easy vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes for you to try
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Potato Casserole
- Yellow Squash Casserole
- Mushroom Wellington
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe (With Streusel & Marshmallow)
Utensils
Ingredients
For the Topping
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon optional
- ¼ cup Butter cubed and cold
For the Filling
- 4 large Sweet potatoes baked or boiled
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Butter melted
- 1 cup Pecans roughly chopped, divided
- Mini marshmallows (vegetarian) optional – 2 cups
Instructions
For the Topping
- In a large bowl, stir together granulated sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and optional cinnamon. Add cold butter cubes and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the sugar-flour mixture until it becomes a coarse mixture.½ cup Granulated sugar, ½ cup Brown sugar, ½ cup All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Cinnamon, ¼ cup Butter
For the Filling
- Either bake or boil your sweet potatoes as preferred.4 large Sweet potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C and grease an 8"x 8" baking dish.
- Place the cooked sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl, along with the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Using a handheld electric mixer or a potato masher, beat or mash until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, then fold in half the pecans.½ cup Sugar, 2 large Eggs, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, ½ cup Butter, 1 cup Pecans
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish in an even layer, scatter the topping evenly, add the remaining pecans over the potato mixture (for extra sweetness, add mini marshmallows), and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, serve, and enjoy.1 cup Pecans, Mini marshmallows (vegetarian)
Notes
- Sweet potatoes: Baked or boiled will both work well, however, they may taste different. Baked sweet potatoes will taste even sweeter than boiled as the sugars caramelize in the oven. On the other hand, boiled sweet potatoes cook a little quicker than baking. Ensure the large sweet potatoes are diced into small pieces to help them cook quicker.
- Canned sweet potatoes: You can easily use canned yams or sweet potatoes instead of fresh ones. We recommend using 3-4 cans.
- Leftover mash: If you have leftover mashed sweet potatoes, this is a great way to use them! You may need to add an extra sweet potato or two depending on how much mash you have.
- Too sweet: If you find sweet potato casserole overly sweet, skip the marshmallows. The pecan topping tastes delicious on its own!
- Maple: Replace the sugar in the filling with maple syrup to make a maple pecan version. It’s really tasty!
- Marshmallows: If you can’t find mini marshmallows, regular-sized marshmallows work perfectly as well! Make sure to spread them evenly so that they melt over the whole casserole.
- Leftovers: Store sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze sweet potato casserole! This is a great option for preparing Thanksgiving dinner early. Store the casserole either baked or just assembled in an airtight container or covered in aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight before baking as per the recipe.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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