Are you looking for an amazing sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans? You’ve come to the right place! This incredible sweet potato casserole recipe is creamy, fluffy and topped with a pecan crumble and loads of marshmallows for the ultimate sweet side dish!
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Love a great casserole side dish for your holiday meal? Check out our Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole and our Sauteed Green Bean Casserole recipes.
Sweet potatoes have long been a must-have side dish for most people’s Thanksgiving or Holiday meal. While some people prefer their sweet potatoes roasted or mashed, the most popular way to serve sweet potatoes is as a casserole topped with a sweet pecan crumble and/or marshmallows.
In this post I’ll show you how to make the sweet potato casserole base, how to make the pecan crumble, the ingredients you’ll need and the best tools to make this dish amazing.
What do I need to make a sweet potato casserole recipe?
- Sweet Potatoes – I don’t recommend buying canned yams or sweet potatoes. Buy fresh sweet potatoes from the produce section. They will make a huge difference in the quality and texture of your potatoes.
- Brown Sugar – you can use light or brown dark sugar. If you’re looking to reduce the refined sugar content, I recommend using Swerve Brown Sugar alternative, which is great for baking!
- Half and Half – Half and half consists of half cream and half milk. This will make your potatoes wonderfully creamy.
- Butter – either unsalted or salted butter is helpful in creating creamy sweet potatoes.
- Egg – the egg will provide the necessary binding to help the potatoes hold their shape and not be runny when baked.
- Vanilla – good vanilla extract is great for the flavor of the potatoes.
- Salt – salt is essential for seasoning and bringing out the flavor of the potatoes.
What do I need to make the pecan crumble for sweet potato casserole?
- Chopped Pecans – you can purchase pre-chopped pecans or buy pecan halves.
- Flour – flour is a necessary ingredient to help everything stick together and maintain that crumble-like texture.
- Butter – for this crumble topping, melted butter is ideal to create the ideal gravel-like texture. I prefer salted butter, but you can also use unsalted.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon is an excellent addition to the pecan crumble topping flavor.
- Nutmeg – nutmeg is also great for the flavor of the topping.
- Mini marshmallows – feel free to use mini or full-sized marshmallows. I like using the mini marshmallows as they cover the surface of the casserole a little better than the full sized.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!
How do I make sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans?
Begin by peeling and cutting the sweet potatoes. I don’t recommend using canned yams, as they tend to be overly mushy and don’t provide any texture.
Add the cut sweet potatoes to a saucepan with water, and simmer them over medium heat until they are fork-tender. Drain the water, keeping the sweet potatoes in the pan.
To the cooked sweet potatoes, add in the brown sugar, butter, half and half, egg, vanilla and salt.
What’s the best tool for mashing sweet potatoes?
Using a manual potato masher, mash all of the ingredients together until nearly smooth. I don’t recommend using a hand mixer or food processor, as these tend to overprocess the potatoes. They will become overly gummy, or slightly watery and have no texture.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into a casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake the casserole without the topping for 35 – 40 minutes. The casserole does not need to be covered.
Ingredient Substitutions and Recommendations:
- Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute instead of regular brown sugar. If you’re looking to save a few calories and reduce the refined sugar in this dish, try swapping the brown sugar for the Swerve substitute. I’ve used Swerve brown in numerous dishes, and it’s a great product to bake with.
- Whole Milk or Cream instead of Half and Half – whole milk or cream can be substituted for the half and half, as it is not available in some areas.
- Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice – if you would like your sweet potato casserole to have a pumpkin pie-like flavor, add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the sweet potato puree.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the recipe at the bottom of the post. Thanks!
How do I make pecan topping for sweet potato casserole?
To make a brown sugar pecan crumble topping for sweet potato casserole, you’ll need brown sugar (or Swerve brown sugar), flour, chopped pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Mix all of these together in a bowl until the mixture becomes crumbly and gravel-like.
Once the sweet potato casserole has baked for the initial 35-40 minutes, remove from the oven. Top the casserole with half of the pecan crumble, then mini marshmallows. Top with the remainder of the pecan crumble.
Alternating the toppings allows for the pecan crumble and marshmallows to evenly cover the casserole.
Bake the casserole for another 10-15 minutes, allowing the pecans to toast and the marshmallows to lightly brown.
Frequently asked questions about making sweet potato casserole with marshmallows:
Both. This is a hotly contested question. Ingredients for sweet potato pie and sweet potato casserole are identical. One is considered a side and the other a dessert. Both pie and casserole contain quite a bit of sugar and sweetness, therefore making it a reasonable contender for a dessert.
Sweet potato casserole can be made in advance. For best results, make the sweet potato mash and add to the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Make the pecan crumble and store in a separate container. This will ensure the crumble topping doesn’t become mushy. Refrigerate. Before your meal, add the topping to the casserole, cover with foil and bake as directed.
Sweet potatoes will have a reddish skin and bright orange flesh. Yams have a dark brown skin and have a lighter beige colored flesh. Yams will also grow much larger in size than a sweet potato. With this being said, sweet potatoes and yams are often sold as the same thing in many grocery stores.
Yes, sweet potato casserole can be frozen. This is a great way to save some time when cooking your holiday meals. Create the sweet potato casserole and assemble in a baking dish or pan. Without baking, wrap tightly with well-sealing plastic wrap (I like press-and-seal wrap). Freeze for up to a month in advance.
When ready to bake before your dinner, allow time for thawing. Take out of the freezer the night before to ensure the casserole is thawed. Bake as directed before your dinner.
If you’re reheating the entire casserole from being refrigerated, do it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and cover loosely with foil. Reheat in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until heated through completely. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes to crisp up the top crust.
If you’re reheating an individual serving of sweet potato casserole, I recommend simply reheating in the microwave. Heat on 30 second increments until heated through completely.
Need some other great Thanksgiving and holiday dinner side dish recipes? Here are some of our favorites:
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- Everything Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole
- Cranberry Citrus Salad with Pecans
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Apricots and Orange
- Cranberry Apple Salad
- Sauteed Carrots
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Need some ideas for your holiday Turkey? Here are our top turkey recipes perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas:
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Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Pecans
Equipment
- Potato Masher A manual potato masher is ideal for this recipe.
- Sauce Pan This Circulon A1 Series non stick saucepan includes a glass straining lid. A great piece of cookware!
- Glass Mixing Bowls Ideal for cooking and baking, and great for anything that needs to go into a microwave.
- Oval Baking Dish This Staub 9" Oval baking dish is perfect for cobblers, crumbles, casseroles and more!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 3/4 cup brown sugar or Swerve Brown sugar alternative
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 oz. mini marshmallows about 1/2 of the 5 oz. package
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium baking dish, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. (An oval or rectangular baking dish is ideal (about 9 – 10").
- Wash, peel, and but the sweet potatoes into 1" pieces. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook until fork-tender. (Depending on how large or small they are cut, this takes 14-18 minutes.) To test the potatoes for doneness, pierce with a fork or knife. If the potato piece breaks apart easily, they are done.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a mixing bowl or keep in the original saucepan. Add the brown sugar, half and half, butter, egg, vanilla and salt. Using a potato masher, combine the ingredients and mash until mostly smooth. Small lumps are okay. Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared baking dish. Smooth out evenly. Bake the casserole uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Pecan Topping:
- While the casserole bakes, prepare the pecan topping. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together to combine. Pour the melted butter into the brown sugar mixture, and stir until crumbly.
- Once the casserole has baked for the 35 minutes, remove from oven. Top the casserole with half of the pecan crumble. Then add the mini marshmallows over the top of the pecan crumble. Finish with the remainder of the pecan crumble. (Layering the pecan crumble and marshmallows allow both toppings to cover the casserole evenly and will allow the pecans to toast and the marshmallows to lightly brown.)
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees to allow the pecans to toast and the marshmallows to lightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the casserole cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
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