Sweet Potato Casserole
Follow our complete, step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to make this Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. One of our favorite southern dishes, you’ll find this casserole served at church homecomings, family reunions and on Sunday dinner tables everywhere. Printable recipe included.
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Southern Sweet Potato Casserole recipe.
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This is truly one of the Souths most favorite side dishes. Attend any church dinner, family reunion, or Sunday dinner here in North Carolina and you’re more than likely going to enjoy the traditional Southern Sweet Potato Casserole. It’s just that good.
It’s also pretty quick and easy to make, so I hope you’ll consider giving our recipe a try.
Mama often served it around our house when I was growing up. That big oval table in the dining room would be loaded with food after church on Sundays as we waited for about 12-15 family members, and often the pastor and his family, to show up. Life was just good as we all sat around that table and enjoyed the labor of love that Mama so much enjoyed preparing.
Mama always baked her sweet potatoes, and I guess that’s why I always do. But, for this version, I made my first attempt at boiling the sweet potatoes.
I’d heard that boiling the potatoes, instead of baking them, would help them keep more of that bright orange color of the potato. I’m also using white granulated sugar instead of brown sugar.
I do think boiling improves the overall looks of the dish, but I didn’t seem to notice much of a difference in the taste, even in using white sugar over brown sugar. It’s just more of what Mama taught us to do than anything else I guess.
Still, this is one of my favorite side dish recipes. I love a good Sweet Potato Casserole, and it doesn’t matter if it has marshmallows, pecans, or both, I enjoy it either way.
I’m using a pecan topping on this particular dish, but I’ll also tell you how to add the miniature marshmallows if that’s what you’re looking for.
The sweet potato was officially designated the state vegetable of North Carolina in 1995. We are the number one state in sweet potato production, growing nearly half of the sweet potatoes consumed in the country.
I like mine baked, as candied yams, sometimes skillet fried, and of course, in a casserole. They’re very versatile and I think you’ll really enjoy this recipe should you decide to try it. Please let me know how it turns out for you.
Ready to enjoy some good old casserole? Alright then, let’s head to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking.
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Sweet Potato Casserole, you’ll need these ingredients.
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Let’s begin by peeling the sweet potatoes.
I used my vegetable peeler to do this, but a good sharp paring knife works very well.
Please Note: I’m going to boil these potatoes for this recipe. You could certainly used baked sweet potatoes if you prefer. Normally, I’d use baked sweet potatoes myself, but I’d heard that the potatoes would keep a bright orange color better if you boiled them. Just a matter of preference and whatever will be easiest for you to do. Smile.
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Slice the potatoes into about one inch thick rounds, then quarter each of the rounds.
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Place a large sauce pot with water on your stove top. Bring the water to a boil, then add the cubes of sweet potatoes. Let it come back up to a slight boil, then cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
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Boil the potatoes until a fork will pierce them easily. You do not want them to turn to mush, but you do want them to be fully cooked and tender.
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When they’re done, pour the sweet potatoes into a colander and drain off the water. Let them cool just a bit.
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Place the drained sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher, whichever you might have on hand.
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Add the room temperature butter.
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Add the sugar.
Some folks prefer to use brown sugar instead of just granulated sugar. It’s a matter of preference and taste of course. The brown sugar will darken the overall look of the casserole, but it sure does taste good with that hint of maple. Just saying.
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Add the milk.
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Add your vanilla flavoring/extract. I’m using a clear flavoring here.
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Add the cinnamon.
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Add the nutmeg.
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Finally, add just a dash or two of salt.
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Mix it all together. I used my hand mixer to do this part. It’s pretty quick and easy. Just start out on a low speed then slowly work your way up to about medium speed to make the potatoes light and fluffy.
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Taste it. Now’s the time to taste your mixture, before we add the eggs. You might prefer a bit more sugar, or perhaps a bit more cinnamon, so adjust the taste as desired.
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Add the eggs.
I always suggest that you crack the eggs into a separate cup or bowl so you can see if any pieces of egg shell fall into the eggs. It makes it easier to see and remove them before you place the eggs into the mixture.
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Use the mixer once again and mix the eggs into the sweet potato mixture.
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Butter up your baking dish.
I’m using about an 8inch x 8.5inch x 3inch baking dish here, but you can use whatever you have available, as long as it will hold all the mixture and the topping.
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Spread the mixture out evenly in your baking dish. Set this aside so we can prepare the ingredients for the topping.
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Place the melted butter in a medium sized mixing bowl.
You’ll want to use fully melted butter. I just placed mine in the mixing bowl then microwaved it in about ten second increments until the butter was fully melted.
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Add the brown sugar.
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Add the flour.
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Add the chopped pecans.
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Grab a spoon and stir everything together until it’s fully combined.
If the pecans are lumping together too much, add a little more flour to the mixture and stir again.
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Spread the topping mixture over the sweet potatoes. I did this by hand so I could spread the pecans out more evenly.
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Place the casserole dish in a oven preheated to 350F degrees. Let it bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until the pecans are lightly browned.
Also, some folks like to add miniature marshmallows to the topping. If you’d like to do this, add them just about at the 30 minute point in the baking cycle. Let them slightly melt with a few browned spots, but don’t let them burn.
You’ll just need to look at it and keep a close eye on it as it bakes.
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When the topping is lightly browned, remove the dish from the oven, place it on a folded towel and let it cool a bit before serving.
The sweet potato casserole is best slightly warm in my opinion, or even at room temperature. It will keep for several days if you cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
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Enjoy!
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Sweet Potato Casserole
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow our complete, step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to make this Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. One of our favorite southern dishes, you’ll find this casserole served at church homecomings, family reunions and on Sunday dinner tables everywhere.
Ingredients
- 6 medium Sweet Potatoes, baked
- ½ cup Butter (1 stick) softened to room temperature
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Milk
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- Pinch of Salt
Topping
- ½ cup Pecans, chopped
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Butter (1/2 stick) melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Rinse, peel and cut potatoes into large cubes.
- Place potatoes in boiling water, cook until tender. Drain when done.
- Mash with fork or potato masher.
- Add butter.
- Add sugar
- Add vanilla extract.
- Add milk.
- Add ground cinnamon.
- Add nutmeg. Use a spoon or electric mixer and mix until smooth.
- Taste. Add more sugar or spices as desired.
- Add eggs.
- Use a spoon or electric mixer and mix until smooth.
- Lightly butter your baking dish.
- Pour mixture into greased baking dish, set aside.
Prepare the topping.
- Place melted butter in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add brown sugar.
- Add flour.
- Add chopped pecans. Stir ingredients together until fully combined.
- Spread topping evenly over sweet potato mixture.
- Bake in 350F oven for 30-45 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Enjoy!
Notes
You may use baked sweet potatoes instead of boiling your potatoes if preferred. If you would like to add some marshmallows, add them to the top of the mixture about ten minutes before the end of the baking cycle. Let them slightly melt and brown, but don’t let them burn.
Keywords: sweet potato casserole, southern, pecans, made from scratch, easy
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Your Comments: Have you ever made a Sweet Potato Casserole? I’d love to hear your thoughts on our recipe. It will only take a minute or two for you to leave your comments in the section below.
Just remember, all comments are moderated. That just means that I personally read each and everyone before they are approved for viewing on our family friendly website. Thank you in advance for sharing.
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Be Blessed!!!
Steve
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Category: Side Dishes
Thanks for so many good recipes.
Hi Marie, It’s always my pleasure to share the recipes. I’m glad you like them. I do appreciate your visit and I hope you’ll visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Where is the recipe for the marshmellos? Making both for family reunion.
I saw it! If I don’t want pecans at all, do I still fix it the same without the pecans and just put the marshmallows on top of the mix?
Hi Jeanne, There’s not really a recipe for adding the marshmallows. I mentioned it just under the photo for the baking time and temperature. You would add them in the last 10 minutes of so of the cooking time. You just want to let them have enough time to slightly melt and brown a bit on the top. And, if you don’t want the pecans, you can just leave them out, but they do make up a large part of the dish in my opinion. I hope your’s turn out well. Enjoy time with your family at the reunion. Smile. I do appreciate your visit and hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Sweet potato casserole is the best! Your recipe is very similar to the one I have used for the last forty years. For some reason, I only make it for holidays and I always save it on my plate until I finish everything else and eat it like dessert. I love it so much and that is probably why I don’t make it often. I can’t leave it alone! Since it is sometimes just my husband and I, it makes so much that I freeze some in a Pyrex dish that is freezer and oven safe, take it out another time and it is delicious. I have also used canned sweet potatoes ( I know fresh is best) and they are still delicious. This recipe always turns out great. Thanks for sharing yours!
Happy casserole month,
Sandra
My daughter doesn’t like nuts so when I make this family favorite, I use pecan topping on 2/3rds of the casserole and marshmallows on the remaining part.
Hi Steve, I like the grocery shopping you talked about, wish we had that here in Alabama. My mother always boiled her potatoes whole, without peeling them first.(I have baked them and boiled them like my mother I did not notice any difference in taste either. Mother always used pure lemon extract it makes the potatoes a brighter color, also she never used any spice {the lemon extract gave it it’s flavor} also used white sugar and evaporated milk. Maybe you might try it this way sometime. I always look forward to your newsletters and recipes. Thanks for sharing, and do not change a thing in your newsletters, you just write them as long as you feel like it. Well I’ve rambled enough for now. Have a good week.
Hi Doris, Thank you for the tip about the lemon extract. I will indeed have to give that a try. Thank you for your comments regarding the Newsletters. I’m thankful that you have subscribed and I truly appreciate your support and visits. I hope you’ll stop by often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve,
I love sweet potatoes. I bought a church cookbook in the early seventies with
a similar recipe and have been making it every fall since. My recipe does not
call for cinnamon and nutmeg. I will have to try it with the spices. I always
boil my potatoes in the skin, cool, peel and mash with a potato masher.
I always look forward to reading your newsletter every Monday.
Stay warm this cold and rainy week. Maybe Spring will be back next week!
God Bless!
Carolyn
I’ve been making this casserole for many, many years. I don’t remember where I found it but it’s copied down in my little old three-ringed cookbook I’ve had for about 50 years (long before Internet recipes came along). My kids loved it and now they’re married with kids, and ask me to bring it to Thanksgiving and Christmas at their house. I used to peel the potatoes and boil them because that’s what my recipe called for. Once I had a really bad backache when I needed to make it and I just S rubbed potatoes and baked them on a foil lined cookie sheet. After baking them and slightly cooling, I sat at my kitchen table with the pan on one side and my mixing bowl on other side. They peel easily because I did what Mama did. I dampened a paper towel and laid it across them. Of course, she used a damp dish towel because she didn’t have paper towels. This seems to separate the skin from the potato and makes them so easy to peel. As I peel each one, I just put it in the bowl and put the peeling back on foil and when I’m finished, just wrap the whole thing up to throw away. I used to use a mixer but don’t any more. If you bake them until they’re reassured soft, they are easy to mash with my potato masher. I never noticed any difference in taste nor color between boiling or baking them. And baking is so much easier. I always make the casserole the day before and cover with plastic wrap in fridge overnight. Then put topping on next day.
My sweet potato casserole is always the biggest hit at Christmas. So sweet. Like you, I mix the white sugar with the sweet potatoes and brown sugar with the pecans. However, I’ve never used eggs in my casserole. What do they do for it anyway? And it’s great even without the nutmeg and cinnamon. For the topping I use a whole stick of butter with 2 cups of pecans and 2 cups of brown sugar. BIG SMILE!
Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for sharing your comments about our Sweet Potato Casserole. As for adding the eggs, we’ve always used them. The eggs serve as a binder and keeps the casserole on the lighter side. It just seems to work, but you want to add them into your potatoes once they have properly cooled so they don’t start to cook. Maybe you’ll give it a try and see if you can tell the difference, but I’m sure yours are very good. I appreciate the visit and hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve