Sweet Potato Casserole

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This easy Sweet Potato Casserole features creamy, lightly spiced sweet potatoes topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crust. Made with canned sweet potatoes, it's a simple Southern side dish perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Sunday dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Side Dish, Sides

Cuisine: American, Comfort Food, Soul Food, Southern, Southern Comfort

Servings: Servings

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Jeremy Klae

Equipment

1 9" x 9" Baking Dish

Ingredients

For the Base

40 oz Can Sweet Potatoes - Drained
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ Cup Butter
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

For the Topping

¼ Cup Butter
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
3 tablespoon Flour
¼ Cup Chopped Pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Drain the canned sweet potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Stir in ¼ cup melted butter, whisked eggs, kosher salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
Chop the pecans.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and chopped pecans until a moist, cohesive mixture forms.
Butter the inside of a 9x9-inch baking dish and spread the sweet potato mixture evenly inside.
Spread the brown sugar pecan crust mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes.
Bake uncovered for approximately 50 minutes, until the center is set and reaches 160°F and the pecan crust is golden brown.
Allow to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Drain the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Canned sweet potatoes can contain quite a bit of liquid, especially when packed in syrup. Removing that excess moisture helps prevent a watery casserole.

Let the melted butter cool slightly. You don't want the butter to be piping hot when you mix it with the eggs. Letting it cool for a minute or two will help everything combine smoothly.

Mash the potatoes to your preferred consistency. I like a fairly smooth filling, but leaving a few small pieces of sweet potato is perfectly fine if you prefer more texture.

Spread the pecan crust evenly. Unlike a traditional streusel, this topping uses melted butter to create a cohesive, caramelized crust. Distributing it evenly helps ensure every serving gets some of that buttery brown sugar and pecan flavor.

Keep an eye on the crust. Oven temperatures can vary. If the pecans begin browning too quickly before the center is set, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Double it for a crowd. If you're feeding a larger group, double all the ingredients and use a 9x13-inch baking dish. Start checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark, but allow additional baking time if the center hasn't set.

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