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Simple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble Topping

I’ve had this secret recipe for years and am now passing it on to you! I hope this Simple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble Topping will be a hit with your family this Thanksgiving

Want to know a secret?

I love Thanksgiving. Not the pilgrims, parades, and football kind of Thanksgiving.

I love the Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner – complete with all the trimmings. So if you ever find me at a Cracker Barrel on a Thursday, I will order the daily special, which is always Turkey and Dressing.

I could eat this meal all the time, but the rest of my family – not so much.

So once the pumpkins and squash and sweet potatoes hit the produce section, this girl is a happy camper!

This simple sweet potato casserole with pecans is a recipe that comes with a quick story.

Years ago, long before Noting Grace was a thought, and way before my babies were in the picture, Trent and I packed up a moving van and headed out west to chase our dream of becoming musicians.

We didn’t have a home, a job, or plan, but we had our love and the adventure to drive us there!

While we lived there, I was able to get a few jobs working for celebrities. One Thanksgiving, we were graciously invited to join my employer’s family for their feast, which was beautifully grandiose and catered by a top chef.

The one thing the table couldn’t stop talking about was the sweet potato casserole.

It was rich, sweet and super decadent. A little bit goes a long way!

So my boss asked that I get the recipe from the chef for them and I have used this recipe year after year.

It is the best sweet potato casserole recipe I have tried and is always a huge hit!

And now, almost 15 years later, I’m sharing this recipe with you.

Simple Sweet Potato
Casserole with Pecans

First, you want to bake your sweet potatoes.

The best thing is to start with tender sweet potatoes.

Rinse and set them on a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper for easy clean up.

Bake them until they are fork tender when you poke them.

Baking them in my oven was super easy, but you could also use an air fryer or instant pot if you need to save time.

In the past, I have microwaved the potatoes and they worked fine for this recipe, so if that’s a better option for you – you’re good to go!

Simply cut them open once they are soft and scoop out the baked insides.

You will need three cups baked and mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe.

I used three large sweet potatoes and only used 2 1/2 to reach the three cups.

For this recipe you will need the following items from the grocery store:

3 cups cooked Sweet Potatoes cooled to room temperature
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
Pecan pieces – to your liking

The Sweet Potato Mix

For the creamy sweet potatoes you will need:

3 cups cooked Sweet Potatoes cooled to room temperature
2 eggs lightly whisked
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar

First mash the sweet potatoes using a potato masher.

You definitely want the texture to not be too smooth.

So I don’t recommend using a food processor or hand mixer.

Then mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl.

Pour the sweet potato mixture into your casserole dish.

The sweet potato base doesn’t tend to stick to the sides, but you could spray some cooking spray just in case!

I love how the color of the sweet potato layer pops!

Now it’s time to make your crumble topping – which is what makes this dish!

Crumble Pecan Topping

This is the best part of this easy recipe in my opinion!

For the topping ingredients you will need:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
Pecan pieces – to your liking

Combine the brown sugar, flour and softened butter in a separate bowl.

Mix the 3 ingredients together until they are fully incorporated.

Make sure you only use softened butter and not melted butter or the consistency will not be the same.

Add your pecan pieces.

My boys aren’t huge pecan fans, so I only add a little – maybe about 1/4 of a cup.

I prefer to use whole pecans that I break into larger pieces for a crunchy topping.

Mix together until blended.

Add the topping to your sweet potato mixture by crumbling it over the top.

You want to make sure you get the entire top covered.

There may be some mixture leftover, which is okay. It depends on the dish.

Place the dish in the oven and bake.

The bake time is 45 mins at 350 degrees.

I set the timer for 45 minutes.

Just keep an eye on it until the topping turns golden brown. You may need to adjust your oven temperature if the topping is browning before the sweet potato mixture is slightly bubbling.

And boy did the house smell so good!

While it was cooking in the top oven, I warmed up our spiral sliced ham in the lower oven.

And just look at this spread!

The pecan streusel topping is the star of this dish!

The boys came up for dinner and smelled their favorite sweet potato casserole and were instantly excited.

Even though I could eat turkey and dressing any day of the year, I only cook this recipe once the season changes.

Tips and Tricks for this Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe with Pecans

  • Choose the right potato: Whole sweet potatoes or real yams are definitely needed for this dish. Canned sweet potatoes are too smooth and may result in a runny mixture.
  • Skip the gooey marshmallows and maple syrup: Mini marshmallows are on lots of sweet potato recipes, but trust me – the brown sugar streusel is sweet enough!
  • Make-ahead tips: The best thing about this recipe is that you can prep most of it 1-2 days ahead of time. Just keep the creamy sweet potato filling and crumble topping separate in an airtight container then bring to room temperature before assembling and baking.
  • This the best recipe for delicious leftovers! I love reheating up leftovers the next day and this dish really does hold up well for a few days!
  • Don’t save this for just the holiday table or Thanksgiving day: This is such a great dish that would work well in your Sunday dinners rotation or any other special occasions. This would pair well with cooked salmon, roasted chicken, pork tenderloin or baked ham!
Simple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
Yield: 8 servings

Simple Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This recipe was passed on from a top chef to me and I'm so excited to be sharing this with you. It's certain to be a hit with your family!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • Chopped pecan pieces

Instructions

  1. Mix together the cooked sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
  2. Place in a 9 x 11 baking dish.
  3. Combing the brown sugar, flour, and butter until you have a crumbly topping. Stir in the pecan pieces.
  4. Crumble the pecan topping over the sweet potato mixture until it's fully covered.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

So, I hope you give this easy sweet potato casserole recipe a try!

And I hope that it’s a big hit and a family favorite for your thanksgiving table like it was the first time I tried it.

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11 Comments

  1. I’m so glad you found this, Kim! I hope your friends enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

    I don’t have a pumpkin roll recipe, unfortunately, but have worked with yeast. If I can do it, you can too!

    Enjoy your potluck and thanks for reaching out!
    Jen

  2. Thanks for this recipe, it was just what I was looking for. We were invited to a potluck on Dec 2 and this is perfect. Do you have any recipes for pumpkin rolls that dont use yeast? Working with yeast scares me.
    Blessed day Kim

  3. YAY!! This makes me smile! I’m so glad you tried and loved it! It’s our fav too, and I love how easy it is to make! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

  4. I hope she liked the recipe! Thanks for sharing this with your friend – I’m so honored! Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving meal!

  5. Made this dish for Thanksgiving. All I can say is WOW!!!!! Delicious and my new go to sweet potato casserole recipe. Thanks for sharing!

  6. This sounds and looks delicious. My girlfriend makes a version of this and brings it to our home for Thanksgiving. I am going to send this to her to see if she wants to switch hers up.

    Thanksgiving is my favorite food holiday hands down.

    Cindy