You're going to love this easy sweet potato casserole with streusel topping. Instead of marshmallows, your topping will be a simple yet delicious pecan, brown sugar, and butter topping everyone will obsess over.
Why You'll Love this Streusel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole!
If you're wondering if there's another way to enjoy this classic comfort food without the usual marshmallow overload, that answer would definitely be yes! Our decades-old family favorite recipe replaces the traditional marshmallow layer with a buttery, nutty, and downright delicious pecan streusel topping.
- That crunchy streusel topping? It's a game-changer.
- Family Favorite even kids love. This "almost" tastes like pie!
- Easy to cut the recipe in half and use a 9x9 pan.
- The ideal side dish for your holiday meal that can be assembled ahead of time and baked the day of the festivities.
- Diet-Friendly: Gluten-free since there's no flour in the streusel, and it can be easily adapted for vegetarian, dairy-free, or sugar-free guests!
I can personally attest that this is literally the BEST sweet potato casserole with streusel out there. I've personally been making it for 20 years as the designated Thanksgiving hostess to my entire family.
Truth be told, it's always a toss-up if THIS recipe is the best on the table or our stuffing with sausage. We'll let you decide but, truly, if you make both of these dishes you'll be signed up for life to bring them to all future Thanksgiving dinners!
Ingredient notes
brown sugar - the sweetener in the delicious topping
raw pecans - get raw nuts and not roasted since they're going to bake in the oven. Otherwise, the nuts will get too dark. Walnuts can be used instead.
butter - for the streusel. This can easily be swapped with margarine or even coconut oil.
garnet yams - we highly recommend these, they are the red-skinned sweet potatoes and not the lighter-skinned sweet potatoes. They truly have much more flavor and make this dish stand out!
large eggs
maple syrup - the real deal and not artificial
vanilla extract
fresh lemon juice - fresh is always best and has the brightest flavor.
salt - we use fine sea salt
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking dish
- Food processor, blender, or mixer - to get the cooked sweet potatoes a silky smooth texture
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
Step 2: Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, mix the sugar, pecans, and butter until crumbled, you can use either a fork or a pastry cutter. Chill the mix in the fridge until you're ready to use it in the recipe.
Step 3: Cook the sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, which takes about 12 minutes. Or you can follow our easy Instant Pot cubed sweet potatoes recipe if you have a pressure cooker. Drain, and let the hot potatoes cool in a colander for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Puree the cooked sweet potatoes in a food processor or blender until they're smooth.
Step 5: Beat the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the pureed sweet potatoes.
Step 6: Transfer the sweet potato casserole ingredients to the 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the pecan mix over the top.
Step 7: Bake until the casserole is set and the top is bubbling, which takes about 1 hour.
Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite holiday sides and enjoy!
Dietary Substitutions
As written, the casserole is gluten-free, and it's easy to make some swaps if you have any guests with dietary considerations.
- Vegetarian: Replace butter with vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Dairy free: Substitute the butter for plant based margarin
- Sugar-free: Replace the brown sugar with a low carb 1:1 sweetener like golden monkfruit. Likewise, replace the maple syrup for a sugar-free substitute as well.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure your sweet potatoes are well-cooked before mashing for a smooth texture. You don't want lumpy potatoes. We honestly think an Instant Pot does a fantastic job at this if you have one!
- This is an easy recipe to cut in half if you want to serve a smaller group. Just use a 9x9 or 8x8 baking pan instead.
- Feel free to add cinnamon, nutmeg, or a little pumpkin pie spice for warmth.
- Any nuts or seeds can be used here if you don't want to use pecans, walnuts or pumpkin seeds would be a good alternative. Or you can skip the pecans entirely and just make a topping with the butter and brown sugar!
Storing and Reheating
Storing: Keep the leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze it for up to a month after baking it in a freezer safe container.
Reheating: Warm in the oven at 350°F until heated through, which could take up to 40-60 minutes depending on how much you're reheating. If you have an individual serving, you can just microwave it.
Can I use canned sweet potatoes instead of fresh?
While fresh sweet potatoes offer the best texture and flavor, canned sweet potatoes can be used in a pinch. Just be aware that the texture and sweetness might vary.
Canned sweet potatoes will add extra moisture to the dish so it's possible it'll need to cook a little longer for the liquid to evaporate. Be sure to cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent the pecan streusel topping from burning.
Streusel Sweet Potato Casserole
Seriously the BEST sweet potato casserole you'll ever have! Sweetened with maple syrup, brown sugar, and topped with sweetened pecans, this is a delicious sweet potato recipe with streusel topping that gets baked in the oven.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup chopped raw pecans (2 oz)
- ¼ cup butter, cut into ¼" pieces (4 oz)
- 5 lb garnet yams (the red skinned sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 ½" pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar, pecans, and butter until crumbled. Chill it in the fridge until you're ready to use it in the recipe.
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- Cook the sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, which takes about 12 minutes. Drain, let the hot potatoes cool in a colander for 15 minutes. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
- Beat the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the pureed sweet potatoes. Transfer the sweet potato casserole ingredients to the 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the pecan mix over the top.
- Bake the sweet potatoes with pecans and maple syrup until the casserole is set and the top is bubbling, which takes about 1 hour.
- Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
The red skinned sweet potatoes, also called garnet yams, will give you the best flavor. The light-skinned sweet potatoes don't have as much flavor and are milder.
Cut the recipe in half and use an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish if you need a smaller amount.
Honey can be substituted for maple syrup.
To make a sugar free version without brown sugar, you can swap coconut sugar, erythritol, or monk fruit.
The recipe is a variation from the November 1998 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 386Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 72mgSodium 462mgCarbohydrates 71gFiber 8gSugar 19gProtein 5g
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Sweet potato casserole with canned sweet potatoes and marshmallows
- Easy corn casserole
- Baked turkey in the oven
- Drying bread in oven (for stuffing)
- Green bean casserole
- Sweet potato streusel casserole
- Broccoli Bacon salad
- Creamy baked mac and cheese
- Cranberry sauce
- Make ahead gravy
- Pumpkin pie
- Easy apple crisp
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