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This Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping is creamy, crunchy, toasty, and so divine. So decadent it almost tastes like dessert.
The Perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish
This Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping is the best sweet potato casserole recipe I’ve ever tried! It’s a Thanksgiving favorite that always stands out on our holiday table. The creamy, whipped sweet potatoes are topped with a delicious pecan coconut crumble, making it so good it could pass as dessert. Plus, the topping is versatile – you can easily customize it to suit your guests’ preferences.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Casserole
Let’s start with the base of this dish – the sweet potato mixture. It’s easy, made with real ingredients, and absolutely delicious! Here’s what you need:
- Sweet potatoes – You can use canned sweet potatoes or about 3 ½ cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes. If you like it more chunky use a potato masher. Use an electric mixer for a creamier, whipped texture.
- Milk – Any type will work.
- Brown sugar – Dark or light brown works great
- Butter – Melted, I prefer unsalted butter.
- Egg – Slightly beaten (large to extra large eggs).
- Vanilla extract – A teaspoon will do.
- Salt – Half a teaspoon or to taste.
Sweet Potato Casserole Pecan Topping
The toasted coconut and pecan topping transforms this sweet potato casserole into a show-stopping dish. It’s easy to make and adds the perfect crunch, perfectly complementing the creamy sweet potatoes. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to marshmallows! The ingredients you’ll need for the topping include:
- Brown sugar
- Chopped pecans
- Shredded coconut
- Flour
- Melted butter
Frequently Asked Questions About Sweet Potato Casserole
Yes, canned candied yams sold in U.S. grocery stores are actually sweet potatoes. This is what we use in this recipe. True yams and sweet potatoes are different in color, taste, and texture. Fun fact: Over 50% of U.S. sweet potatoes grown are grown in North Carolina.
Yes! This is good news for those of you hosting Thanksgiving this year. Assemble your casserole ahead of time, chill in the refrigerator, then bake the day of. It will be delicious!
Refrigerate sweet potato casserole to keep it fresh. Store it in the fridge for up to five days. If the casserole sits out for more than a couple of hours, it should be discarded, so be sure to store the leftovers promptly!
Sweet Potato Casserole without the topping is gluten-free. To make this recipe with the crumbly topping gluten-free, substitute coconut flour, rice flour, or any other favorite gluten-free flour mixture in place of the white flour.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes Pairings
Sweet potato casserole is the perfect complement to your Thanksgiving turkey. Here are a few more sides to serve up with Thanksgiving dinner:
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Thanksgiving or not, sweet potatoes are always a delightful side dish, and a sweeter alternative to regular potatoes. Try a couple of these favorites:
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Fries
Baked Sweet Potato Halves
Sweet Potato Tacos
Rocky Road Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
Video
Ingredients
- 29 ounces sweet potatoes drained (or 3 ½ cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes)
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or mixer, combine sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla, and salt. Beat ingredients with a hand mixer (or in a mixer) until the sweet potatoes are light and fluffy.
- Transfer sweet potato mixture into a greased 9×9 inch baking pan.
- Stir all of the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Sweet potatoes or yams can be used in place of the canned sweet potatoes in this recipe. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then boil them until fork tender. Mash them with a little milk to reach your desired consistency, then follow the recipe instructions as written.
- We recommend using a hand or stand mixer when blending the sweet potato mixture to get a light, airy texture. Be sure to mix until it is completely blended – no chunks!
- This recipe can be double and cooked in a 9×13 baking pan to serve 12-15 people.
- To reheat this casserole, warm it in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through – about 20 minutes. If you put it in the microwave, the pecans will become soft and you won’t get that good crunch.
Great recipe! Topping really sets off this dish. It is one that will be the most requested.
My family absolutely loves this! I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and there is always an empty pan when all my guests leave. Very easy to make and super delicious 😋
Thank you, Carla! Happy Thanksgiving!
Yummy and delicious. This is a family favorite for the holidays.
I love sweet potatoe casserole but not with marshmallows. This recipe meets my hunger for it. Thanks for a great and tasty recipe
I have always wanted to try and make sweet potato casserole but thought you had to use fresh sweet potatoes. I will try making this year using canned sweet potatoes, thank you!
Not a huge fan of sweet potato casserole but this sounds really good
Our 7 month old loves sweet potatoes. This was a great recipe to introduce him too.
My family requests this recipe every year. Delish!
What can I say but it’s a side dish that tastes like an awesome dessert!!!! People who would usually pass on this want more when they taste it then you wished you made more! No leftovers on this dish!!!
My mom first requested did I make this particular recipe and I thought wow, sweet potatoes cannot get any better than this! It is now a staple every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I reduced the sugar in half and really enjoy the flavor. Mom says she is in heaven every time she eats it! Enjoy!
Yummy, my very favorite cant wait for my family to try this
Made this for my wife and she loved it, I’m not a fan of sweet potatoes and coconut. This is the rating she would give it.
This by far is my family’s favorite dish! My husband could eat the whole pan of it, I tell him to save some for the rest of us..
This was a hit last Thanksgiving! I’ll be making it again this year. Delish!
This looks so delicious! I think I’ll give it a try.
This is a favorite of mine, I often serve it to guests and they love it. If I don’t have sweet potatoes, I will use butternut squash with the same results.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
delicious, great recipe to make a favorite dish,
Soooooo good! I had fresh sweet potatoes so I mashed them. Everybody loved it! (Except my nephew who doesn’t like anything). Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Gerry!
IT IS DELICIOUS AND JSUT THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF CRUNCH. SIMPLY DIVINE
Thank you, Margaret!
Have been looking for a sweet potato casserole without marshmallows. This recipe really caught my eye. With the crunchy topping , that will put this casserole right over the top. Will definitely be serving this for Thanksgiving.