Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

Close-up of a baked pecan and peach dessert in a metal dish, with a fork and pecans on a wooden surface.

5 from 1 vote

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

A rich and creamy sweet potato casserole that can be made ahead and frozen for later. It’s an easy, reliable holiday side dish that bakes up perfectly every time.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Sweet Potato Cook Time45

Total Time2

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas, crowd-pleaser, freezer-friendly, from the garden, holiday, homemade, make-ahead, meal-prep, Thanksgiving

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Angela Judd

Equipment

Potato Masher

Ingredients

Casserole Ingredients:

3 cups mashed, cooked sweet potato (about 2–2½ pounds raw) See baking and peeling instructions
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk not skim
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Topping Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Makes: 9 x 9inch rectangle

Instructions

Bake and Peel Your Sweet Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place your sweet potatoes directly on the oven rack with a sheet of foil underneath to catch drips.
Bake sweet potatoes at 350°F until very soft (30–60 min).
Let them cool on a cookie sheet. Once cool, the skins slip right off.

Casserole Instructions:

Keep oven at 350°F. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes until smooth (a potato masher works great).
Add sugar, eggs, milk, salt, and vanilla. Mix until well combined but not too liquidy.
Spread this mixture into a 9×9 baking pan.

Topping Instructions:

Combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until it looks crumbly. Mix in pecans.
Sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato mixture.

Baking Instructions:

Bake casserole 35–45 minutes, until center is set (no longer jiggly) and topping is golden brown. A knife inserted near the center should come out mostly clean.

Notes

Double the recipe for a 9x13-inch pan

Freezer Instructions:

Follow the recipe, but don’t bake it yet.
Pour mixture into foil pans. Add topping. Wrap tightly (plastic wrap + foil, or foil lid + foil wrap). Label with the date.
Pop them in the freezer. Best quality within 3 months, still fine longer. I’ve kept them frozen for up to a year, and they still taste great when finally baked.
Allow to thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days and cook from thawed if possible. If cooking from frozen, it will take longer, so add cook time and watch carefully. Thawing helps it cook much more quickly and evenly.

Nutrition