Easy Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecans
on Nov 04, 2019, Updated Nov 19, 2024
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Easy Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans is the perfect holiday side dish. Sweet and fluffy with a crumbly and crunchy streusel topping, my sister-in-law Beth’s famous sweet potato casserole is a must-make dish for holiday meals!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and while it means we get to spend a day with our family and loved ones, embracing the things that fill our hearts and make us most grateful, it’s also a massive food holiday. It can easily become a stressful day with pans and pots flying in every direction and a never-ending amount of oven and cleanup time.
But I’m all about simplifying Thanksgiving by making some dishes ahead of time and allowing myself a little space to relax and enjoy the day when it arrives, and this sweet potato casserole lets me do just that. You will love enjoying this warming, hearty, sweet, and comforting dish around your kitchen table with your family and friends.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Recipe FAQs
- Expert Tips
- How to Fix Runny Sweet Potato Casserole
- How to Reheat Sweet Potato Casserole
- Other Fabulous Sweet Potato Recipes
- More Thanksgiving Recipes to Consider
- Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- Versatile Classic: Sweet potato casserole is a classic, hearty, sweet holiday dish that pairs perfectly with savory meats and sides.
- Quick & Easy: It comes together quickly and easily, especially if you prep it ahead of time!
- Make Ahead: It’s a perfect make-ahead holiday dish that is satisfying in every way, from the fluffy sweet potato mash to the crumbly and sweet streusel topping.
🍠 I like to start with oven roasted sweet potatoes to make it this go-to holiday side dish even easier!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Butter
- Eggs
For the Streusel Topping:
- Pecans
- Brown Sugar
- Flour – all-purpose
- Cinnamon
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Bake potatoes until tender and skip skins off.
- Mix potatoes and add salt, sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs and place the sweet potato mixture in a baking dish.
- Add together the topping ingredients, sprinkle over sweet potatoes, and bake.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can freeze leftovers for a chilly day when you want something sweet and warming, make sure you let them cool completely, store them in an airtight container, and freeze them for up to three months.
To make this dish ahead of time, prepare through step 8 of the recipe instructions (get the sweet potato layer ready and put it in the pan). Make the streusel, and keep it separate. Store both parts of the dish covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake, up to 2 days in advance. Let the dish come to room temperature before baking, add the topping, and bake as directed.
Turkey, of course! But really, anything goes well with sweet potato casserole. It’s sweet yet pairs nicely with rich and savory meat, such as ham or chicken.
Expert Tips
- So Easy: Sweet potato casserole is seriously impossible to mess up—that’s the beauty of pretty much all casseroles! Bake 350 for about 35 minutes, until the streusel topping looks crispy.
- Reheating: To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake at 350 until heated, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Or Bake From Cold: You can bake the cold sweet potatoes for 15 minutes, add the topping, and bake for the rest of the 35 minutes.
How to Fix Runny Sweet Potato Casserole
If your casserole turned a bit on the runny side, it’s likely due to either a bit too much milk or not quite hitting the 4 pounds of sweet potatoes for the needed mash to soak up the liquid. But no worries, it’s easy to fix!
To fix a runny sweet potato casserole, I suggest adding a thickener. Any of these thickening tips should do the trick:
- Mix in 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour
- Stir in 1/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- Add more mashed sweet potatoes
You can also bake it a bit longer, about 10-15 minutes extra, leaving it uncovered. Letting it rest 10-15 minutes before serving will also give it time to finish setting up.
How to Reheat Sweet Potato Casserole
If you’ve made the casserole ahead of time, finish getting it ready for the table by letting the dish come to room temperature first. Then add the topping and bake it according to the recipe.
For leftover casserole, it can be reheated in the microwave or oven. It will only need to be heated until warmed through since it has already been cooked completely.
Other Fabulous Sweet Potato Recipes
This casserole may be my family’s favorite way to eat sweet potatoes, but of course I like to mix it up and serve them in other ways, too!
More Thanksgiving Recipes to Consider
Cornbread Recipes
Southern-Style Cornbread Dressing (With Make-Ahead Tips)
Appetizer Recipes
Fresh Cranberry Salsa Recipe | Sweet & Spicy Holiday Dish
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
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Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, about 4 medium
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
For the streusel topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup lightly chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup melted butter
Instructions
- Prepare the sweet potatoes by scrubbing them clean with water and a scrub brush.
- Trim 1/2 inch off both ends of each sweet potato, and place them on a wire rack set inside of a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes or until very tender. This step can be done 1 to 2 days in advance to save time on cooking day.
- Let the sweet potatoes cool enough to handle. Cut each in half and slip their skins off.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on high for 1 minute, stopping to scrap down the sides as needed.
- Add the salt, sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter, and beat until the mixture is very smooth.
- Add the eggs and beat until light, about 2 minutes.
- Place the sweet potato mixture in the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- To make the streusel topping, mix the brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter in a small bowl until it comes together like a loose dough.
- Sprinkle the topping over the whipped sweet potatoes in the pan, forming an even layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until the topping has gotten a bit crispy.
- Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- It’s a good thing my brother married Beth. She’s brought many great things to our family, including this recipe! We also love her Famous Glazed Yeast Donuts and the most amazing Soft Gingerbread Cookie Recipe. Plus, she’s awesome, as are her recipes. We love you, Auntie Beth.
- To make this dish ahead of time, prepare through step 8 (get the sweet potato layer ready and put it in the pan). Make the streusel, and keep it separate. Store both parts of the dish covered in the fridge until you are ready to bake, up to 2 days in advance. Let the dish come to room temperature before baking, add the topping, and bake as directed.
- You can also bake the cold sweet potatoes for 15 minutes and then add the topping and bake for the rest of the 35 minutes.
- If you’d like marshmallows on your sweet potato casserole, you can. When you make it, add 2 cups mini marshmallows to the topping and bake as directed.
2nd year making this and it is sooo good!
Great and easy recipe. I used canned Yams instead of fresh Sweet Potatoes due to my time constraints. It came out as delicious as my sister in law’s, who followed your instructions verbatum and passed your recipe onto me. Happy Thanksgiving Beth!
Smart! Thank you for the tip!
Have you ever tried to make this ahead of time and freeze it?
Yep, it works great!
I was given sweet potato casserole to bring to family Christmas dinner 2022( my sister usually brings but wanted to change it up)This was definitely a winner and now I get to bring next year!!😂 Absolutely delicious 😋
So good a new family favorite
Made this as our new dish for Thanksgiving and hands down 10/10 requested it as a regular menu item! Thanks Melissa!
I make these a couple times a year. Always a hit, except I boil my potatoes like I would for mashed…And Always make extra topping!
I feel so special. It really is an awesome dish. I personally feel like marshmallows make it pretty, but that’s just me. I love this family that I chose.
We love you Auntie Beth. Thank you for being my favorite sister in law!