Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar and Pecan Topping
This Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar and Pecan Topping is a delicious fall side dish and a perfect Thanksgiving staple. Made with a creamy and spiced sweet potato filling and topped with a buttery streusel made with brown sugar and pecans, this dish will steal the show at your Thanksgiving dinner. It’s also a make-ahead dish to save you time during the holidays!
- Prep Time: 60
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing pan
Sweet Potatoes
- 7 pounds sweet potatoes (6-8 medium)
Streusel
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pecans
Filling
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half
Instructions
Roasting Sweet Potatoes:
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 400°F.
- Poke sweet potatoes several times with a knife and space evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake potatoes, turning them once, until they are very tender and can be squeezed easily with tongs, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut in half lengthwise to let steam escape; cool at least 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
Sweet Potato Filling:
- Butter a 13x9-inch baking dish.
- After the sweet potatoes are roasted and have cooled slightly, use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a large bowl.
- Add the melted butter, kosher salt, nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, lemon juice, brown sugar and eggs.
- Beat with a hand mixer until ingredients are smooth. You could also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to beat ingredients together, or a potato masher to combine ingredients. (I like to have a little texture to my casserole, so I leave some potatoes a little chunky.)
- Next pour in half-and-half and mix until blended.
- Pour the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer with a spatula.
Pecan Streusel:
- Pulse flour, brown sugar and kosher salt in a food processor until blended.
- Sprinkle butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until coarse crumbs form.
- Sprinkle nuts over the flour mixture and pulse until combined, but some large pecan pieces remain.
To Assemble & Bake Casserole:
- Sprinkle the pecan streusel over the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the topping gets crispy.
- Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
To make ahead, assemble casserole and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bake as directed, increasing the cooking time to about 50-6o minutes if baking dish directly from the refrigerator.
Keywords: Sweet Potato, Casserole, Thanksgiving
