This is the best sweet potato casserole, topped with crunchy candied pecans and mini marshmallows. It’s the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner!

I’ll be honest, I was never a huge fan of sweet potatoes. It was always that side dish at Thanksgiving dinner that I would skip, or just take a teeny bit of, because I felt guilty. That is, until I found this sweet potato casserole recipe.

This is similar to other sweet potato casseroles, with the same flavor tones – but my favorite part is the caramelized pecan topping! The crunchy candied pecans add so much to the casserole, giving these more texture and flavor than other recipes. Add the gooey marshmallows on top and it’s all perfection.

It’s all sweet, and delicious, and the crunchy pecans on top! It’s perfection. Even my two year old likes them, and it’s a win when we can get him to eat any vegetables at all!

I’ve made this sweet potato casserole every Thanksgiving I can, since I first made it 5 years ago, and you had better believe I’ll be making it again this year too. It’s perfect paired with your roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls and jello salad. What else do you have to have at your Thanksgiving dinner?

Ingredients to make the best Sweet Potato Casserole:

sweet potatoes
egg
salt
vanilla
brown sugar
granulated sugar
butter
milk
flour
pecans
mini marshmallows

How to make Sweet Potato Casserole?

Start by cooking your sweet potatoes. You’ll want them to be peeled and cut into cubes so they can cook faster, then add them to some boiling water and let them cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until you can pierce through the pieces with a fork. Drain out the water.

Mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher, or some forks, or whatever you have, until you have your desired consistency (you’ll mix them more when adding the other ingredients, so make sure not to over mash them).

Then add in the egg, salt, vanilla, sugars, and butter, and stir it all together.

Scoop the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan.

In another bowl you’re going to make your candied pecan topping. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, butter and chopped pecans until it’s nice and crumbly.

Then sprinkle the mixture over the top of the sweet potato casserole.

Bake until the pecans are nice and caramelized.

Then sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the top and bake for another few minutes until they are puffy and golden.

Serve up and enjoy!

Can you make Sweet Potato Casserole ahead of time?

You can make this sweet potato casserole ahead of time, mash the potatoes, add them to the pan, and cover the pan to store them in the fridge overnight, or up to 3 days.

You can also make your pecans ahead of time, but I store them separately, just in an airtight container, or ziptop bag, until I’m ready to bake the dish to keep the mixture from going soft at all – then sprinkle it on top when you’re ready to bake.

You can also freeze the sweet potato casserole before baking for up to 3 months. Cover it with plastic wrap and foil, to store. Then thaw it overnight in the fridge before baking.

How to store leftover Sweet Potato Casserole?

If you end up with any sweet potato casserole leftovers you can store it covered in the fridge with plastic wrap, or a lid. Store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to enjoy the leftovers you can eat them cold, or heat it up in the microwave, until warm.

Tips for making Sweet Potato Casserole:

While I 100% recommend adding the pecans on top, I know some people are allergic, or don’t like them. If you want to skip them make the streusel without them and sprinkle it on top just like that. But don’t skip the streusel!
You can use canned sweet potatoes if you want to skip boiling and mashing your own, but I can’t guarantee they’ll taste as fresh, and make sure to drain out any liquid from the can.
If you prefer your sweet potato casserole without marshmallows, you can totally skip adding those on top too.

This sweet potato casserole is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s perfect with Thanksgiving dinner, or all year long. It’s sweet, has the perfect crunchy topping, and it’s so delicious!

More sweet potato recipes:

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This sweet potato casserole was first posted on November 7, 2016. The photos and text were updated for clarity on November 11, 2021.

Sweet Potato Casserole