Sweet Potato Casserole

I introduce to you, the star of the show for Thanksgiving dinner! This Homemade Sweet Potato Casserole recipe perfectly combines sweet potatoes, brown sugar, roasted pecans, and mini marshmallows to create a yummy dessert-like side that is sure to be a family favorite for every holiday. My kids go crazy for this casserole and it is easily one of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes: For this recipe, I used 5 medium-sized sweet potatoes. There are lots of different types of sweet potatoes and thankfully any of them work well in this dish! Orange and white sweet potatoes work best in my opinion.

Mini marshmallows: Added for obvious reasons. They’re amazing. 

Brown sugar and cinnamon: Adds a cozy sweetness to this recipe! Light or dark brown sugar both work fine. I used light brown sugar in this recipe.

Roasted pecans: My favorite part of the recipe! They add a really nice crunch to the soft sweet potatoes and marshmallows. 

Butter: I used unsalted butter but you can choose to use salted butter if you prefer a saltier flavor!

Picking Sweet Potatoes

You will likely see a variety of different fresh sweet potatoes at your grocery store, so how do you know which ones to pick? The good news is you can’t go wrong with any variety. I went with a white sweet potato for this recipe because that is what was available at the time, but you’ll also see red or orange variations at your store. They can also be labeled as “yams”, which will work just as well also! For the best results, you’ll want to find similar-sized sweet potatoes so they all roast at the same speed. Please avoid the thick, fat ones as they will not cook consistently.

Roasting Sweet Potatoes

I strongly recommend roasting your sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. It does take slightly longer to roast them, but boiled potatoes get very soggy and we want to add as much texture and flavor as we can. Roasting accomplishes both of these goals for us. It’s important to poke holes into the sweet potato before roasting them. I take a fork and poke a few times on each side. This will release steam for proper cooking. We will roast them in the oven uncovered for about 45 min. To check if they are fully cooked, you can poke the sweet potatoes with a fork. You want to make sure they are soft all the way through and that there is no resistance when poking into the sweet potato. Let them cool for a couple of minutes before handling them. If you try to pick them up too quickly, you will be reminded of the song “hot potato” (not speaking from experience or anything here).

Mashing Sweet Potato Mixture

If the sweet potatoes are cooked all the way through, the skin will fall off very easily. Just make a slit down the middle and let the flesh fall off of the skin into a large bowl. It’s okay if it doesn’t all come off, you can take a spoon and scoop out the remaining flesh. We are trying to avoid any skin in the mixture, though. With a potato masher, mash the cooked sweet potatoes into a smooth consistency and add in the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and egg along with the mashed sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. 

Roasting Pecans

Don’t skip this. Roasting and adding crunchy pecans add so much flavor and texture. This is really my favorite part of the dish. Chop the pecans into small pieces and spread them into an even layer on a baking sheet. I roast mine in the oven at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes and toss them halfway through. Make sure you keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn!

Toasting Marshmallows

WARNING! DO NOT BURN YOUR MASHMALLOWS. We want a nice golden brown gooey marshmallow topping. They go from golden brown to burnt very quickly! Keep a close eye on them. They only need about 2-4 min in the oven. Also, keep in mind that the marshmallows will expand in the oven, so the top of the casserole dish does not need to be completely covered. But feel free to dump as much as you want on top, there is no judgment here.

Is Sweet Potato Casserole a Dessert?

If we are getting technical then yes I’d consider this a dessert… EXCEPT on Thanksgiving. We always serve this with our main meal and goes great as a classic Thanksgiving side dish with turkey, stuffing, and green bean casserole. 

Storing Sweet Potato Casserole

This easy sweet potato casserole recipe is great the next day and stores really well in the refrigerator. Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can enjoy it cold or reheat in the microwave or oven if you prefer it warm!

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes

If you need to bring something else to your Thanksgiving meal take a look at these sides also! Thanksgiving Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, or Green Beans

How To Make It

1. Roast the sweet potatoes: Place your room temperature whole sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and use a fork to poke holes on both sides. Roast in the oven for 45 min at 400 degrees or until tender when a fork is inserted. Let cool for 10 min.

2. Roast the pecans: Chop the whole pecans into small pieces and place on a baking sheet. Roast them in the oven for 6-8 min at 350 degrees and toss halfway through. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

3. Mash the sweet potatoes: Cut a slit the length of the sweet potato and dump the flesh into a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash until no large chunks are remaining. Mix in the brown sugar, eggs, half of the roasted pecans, cinnamon, and melted butter until evenly combined. Transfer sweet potato filling into a 9 x13-inch baking dish. 

4. Baking: Bake the sweet potato layer in the oven for 15 min at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and top with mini sweet marshmallows and the remaining chopped pecans. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden brown.

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