Sweet Potato Casserole

from kristineskitchenblog.com

Sweet Potato Casserole is a favorite side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas or even Sunday dinner. With warm spices, creamy sweet potatoes and a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping, this is the best easy sweet potato casserole recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 40

Total Time2

Servings: servings

Calories: 291kcal

Ingredients

For the sweet potatoes:

2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes about 4 medium
3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
¼ cup honey or pure maple syrup or brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup milk warmed, whole milk is best
1 large egg

For the topping:

¾ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 425° F.* Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub sweet potatoes and pat them dry. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the top of each sweet potato.
Bake sweet potatoes in the preheated oven until very soft when pierced with a fork: 50-65 minutes for medium sweet potatoes, 40-50 minutes for small sweet potatoes, or 65+ minutes for large sweet potatoes. Allow potatoes to cool slightly, until cool enough to handle.
Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.
Slice potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl. Discard the skins.
Add the cubes of butter to the bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes.
Add the honey, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and vanilla. Use a hand mixer or spoon to mix until very well combined.
Mix in the warmed milk and egg until just combined.
Transfer the sweet potato mixture to an 8x8-inch baking dish.
To make the topping, in a small bowl, stir together the pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
Cover with foil and bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 20-25 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and casserole is at least 160° F in the center. Let sweet potato casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

This casserole is best made with baked sweet potatoes because baking the sweet potatoes brings out their natural sweetness and gives them a rich, caramelized flavor. If you prefer, you can steam the sweet potatoes. Peel and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Place in a steamer basket over a pot of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes steam for 15-20 minutes, until they are very tender when pierced with a fork.
To Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole, keeping the topping in a separate airtight container. Refrigerate casserole for up to one day. When you are ready to bake the casserole, sprinkle on the topping. I recommend letting the casserole sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before baking to take the chill off. You may need to add 15-20 minutes to the covered bake time if baking a chilled casserole.
Recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
To make a streusel topping instead of the pecan topping, stir together 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Then stir in 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Stir in the 3/4 cup of chopped pecans (or omit them if you prefer) and scatter the topping over the casserole.
To make sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, scatter mini marshmallows over the top of the casserole when you remove the foil and then continue baking for 20-25 more minutes. You can add mini marshmallows on top of the pecan topping or omit the pecan topping and use marshmallows instead.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.