This Sweet potato casserole is as iconic a holiday dish that you could ask for! I think of it as sweet potato pie, without the crust. The topping is a buttery streusel with chopped pecans and brown sugar. I don’t miss the marshmallows, as this recipe is plenty sweet. Heck, serve it as a dessert if you wish!
Is this sweet potato recipe a side dish or dessert? You be the judge! Either way, it’s delicious!
I love sweet potatoes! Sweet potato casserole is an iconic side dish/dessert that I’ve seen in many cookbooks. I zeroed in on this sweet potato casserole for two reasons– it looked simple, and I had lots of pecans (do you say PEE-CANS or PE-KAHNS?). I wondered if my family would miss my Candied Yams This year, I wanted to be different. Let me show you how I did it:
Technically, these are Garnet Yams. Wash ’em and I like to poke a few holes in the top. In the meantime, let’s make the topping.
Chop the pecans– fine, but not too fine (hence, I didn’t use the food processor).
You need 3/4 of a stick of butter, and 1/2 cup of flour. You know the drill– a pastry cutter, two knives, your fingers…whatever works for you. Mix it, till crumbly. Set it aside, or you can even make this a day ahead.
Roast these babies at 375F for 30-35 minutes, or until fork tender.
These are perfectly roasted. Let them cool long enough so you don’t burn your hands.
Cut them in half and scoop out the “meat”. I like to use an ice cream scoop. A spoon works fine, too.
I was “fasting” for dinner, but I ate some of the skins and pulp. Yams are good for you– and it’s guilt-free. Well, in this state it is– I’m about to go down the road of sugary indulgence.
You need two eggs, whisked. Kosher salt. Vanilla. I decided to add just a teensie bit of pumpkin pie spice– less than 1/2 teaspoon.
Now, for the white sugar. 1 cup of it. NOTE: The next time I make this (and I shall), I will use half the white sugar, but it’s up to you.
Now, let’s talk about texture. I don’t like my yams to be like baby food puree’. I like it a little chunky. I’m also quick to take good shortcuts. Instead of a masher, I used a hand mixer. I broke it down just enough to be slightly chunky. Add the eggs and the milk…
I decided to make these as individual ramekins. With the leftover yams, I poured it into a larger dish…just in case I needed it.
I found these ramekins online, in my favorite color (green).
Sprinkle the sweet potatoes/yams with the topping…
I made these in the morning, to I put them in the refrigerator until dinnertime.
When you’re ready, bake these at 400F for about 30 minutes.
These smell incredibly good. I wish I could describe it other than “yummy”!
A hush came over the dinner table when this was tasted. Eyes lit up. Who needs marshmallows?!
TASTING NOTES: This is one of those side dishes that you want to devour all at once. The consensus was that this very sweet– almost a dessert. I think the white sugar could easily be decreased, without sacrificing good flavor. But, you decide yourself. Is this a side dish or dessert?
The Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
TOPPING:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 stick butter
For the sweet potatoes:
- 4 whole medium sweet potatoes baked and cooled
- 1/4 cup sugar up to 1 cup, but I reduced the amount
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup milk I used 2% and it worked out fine
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice optional
Instructions
- Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes, poke a few holes with a fork and place on a foil covered sheetpan. Bake them in a 375°F oven until fork tender, about 30 to 35 minutes (test with a fork to make sure that they are baked). When they are finished cooling slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar (regular granulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt and pumpkin spice, if using.
- With a potato masher, mash them up just enough, you don’t want it to be perfectly smooth.
- Note: I used a hand mixer, on low speed, in spurts, so as not to puree the sweet potatoes too much.
- In a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), 1/2 cup flour, and 3/4 stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.
- Note: You can easily make this a day or two ahead.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.
- Note: I used individual ramekins.
- Bake in a 400°F oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
I love sweet potato cassarole and this one looks terrific.
Definitely a Dessert!
I love the pic of the roasted potato dripping with syrup! Yum!
MMMM! I would definitely say a dessert because anything that is sweet and not savory is a dessert to me. That looks absolutely delicious, but what I can't get over are those cute little ramekins. I have never eaten a sweet potato before. I know, being from the south that is like blasphemy, right? Before you blind fold me and line me up on the firing range, I promise, next time I am at the farmers market and my favorite produce guy is selling sweet taters, I will buy one and try this recipe. I gotta get me some of those ramekins or it just won't turn out right. Hehe.
I wonder if you could take a flame to the top and get some nummy darkened bits?
Whatever it is, it looks delicious!
Debby… Thanks for the nod! My mom will be so happy that you are passing on her sweet potato recipe on to your readers.
And to answer your question; I have to say, "Casserole or Dessert Crisp ~ it doesn't matter how these recipes are made, the end results is just plan good!"
These ramekins are too cute. I have a couple things on my list from Kohls and I might have to add these to them!
Yummy is a great adjective to describe these sweet potatoes. They look wonderful!
Oh it looks wonderful and I am so trying this for one of my next holiday meals.
Debbie, The "PW"s sweet potato/yam dish looks wonderful. I have 2 favorite recipes that are sorta similar, but this one will be baked the next time. Then I'll have 3 winning recipes for Sweet potatoes. Did you see the article about the PW in Southern Living in November. I'd read so much about her that I went to her web-site and now I'm smitten! I'll check out your new blog ! All the best, Roz
Personally, I'm pretty sure I would eat this for dessert, dinner, breakfast, and lunch. That is just how much I love sweet potatoes! I am a chunky girl myself as well.
Thanks for coming up with this excellent idea for a blog event!
Also, the ramekins are definitely a good idea. Otherwise I could see myself eating the whole pan.
This is really good, but c'mon. Basically, what it is a southern sweet potatoe pie without the crust. Add milk, a little nutmeg & cinnamon, a good crust and you'll have a downhome, southern Sweet Potatoe Pie. Enjoy!
I agree. It's a crustless pie, really. That's why I called it a dessert crisp, Chef. I'm not a big fan of pie crust, so I love this as a dessert, or a side dish, or for breakfast… all good!
You never mentioned how many lbs of sweet potatoes which made it hard to judge amounts of other ingredients
Sorry but I didn’t weigh them
I used four medium sized and the casserole turned out perfectly. It’s pretty foolproof.