Sweet Potato and Pecan Streusel Casserole
Sweet Potato and Pecan Streusel Casserole combines all the delicious sweet potato filling and melty marshmallows of the classic casserole dish with a sweet and crunchy pecan streusel topping for a sweet potato casserole that blows everyone away.
We’re big fans of the classics. Those traditional recipes are stand-bys for a reason, after all. However, sometimes, it’s fun to mix things up. That’s exactly what we did with this casserole. It’s a classic sweet potato casserole with a crunchy twist!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only takes a few simple ingredients to make.
- It’s rich, sweet, and full of classic sweet potato casserole flavor.
- The crunchy, sweet pecan streusel topping is a great counterpoint to the rich sweet potato filling.
- It’s the perfect dish for any Thanksgiving or Christmas event.
🛒Ingredients
This recipe only uses simple ingredients that you can find quickly and easily in your kitchen and at your local grocery store. You might only need to shop for the sweet potatoes and the pecans!
All the ingredients needed for the recipe are here, but be sure to check the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact amounts.
For the Casserole
- Large sweet potatoes – washed, peeled, and cubed
- Butter – melted
- Milk
- Brown sugar – packed
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
For the Topping
- Butter – softened
- Brown sugar – packed
- All-purpose flour
- Pecans – chopped
- Mini marshmallows
🔪 How to Make Sweet Potato and Pecan Streusel Casserole
Making this casserole is an easy, straightforward process. Both the casserole and the topping come together quickly and only require basic knowledge of cooking. You’ll be all done in no time!
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the Sweet Potatoes
Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water until fork-tender – about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Step 3: Whip and Spread
Add the melted butter, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to the sweet potatoes and whip with an electric mixer on medium until smooth. Then, spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
Step 4: Make the Streusel
Cut the butter into the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until crumbly. Then, mix in the chopped pecans. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes.
Step 5: Bake
Bake the casserole for 12 minutes until hot. Then, remove it from the oven and sprinkle it with mini marshmallows. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown. Enjoy!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Chopped walnuts work well in this recipe.
- For a nut-free version, make the streusel without the nuts. It’s still delicious!
- You can use half and half or heavy cream in place of the milk for a richer sweet potato casserole.
- Light or dark brown sugar can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
If you love sweet potato desserts, then check out our delicious sweet potato cheesecake!
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 9×13 baking dish
- Pot
- Electric mixer
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate this sweet potato casserole in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the casserole in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Be aware that the topping will get soggy, though.
💭 Tips
- Make your sweet potato cubes small so they boil and whip easily.
- Be sure your sweet potatoes are nice and soft before trying to whip them.
- Keep an eye on the marshmallows while baking. They can go from golden to burnt quickly.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Sweet potato casserole is a dessert casserole made with mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon and usually topped with toasted marshmallows.
The earliest recorded recipe for sweet potato casserole was in a 1796 cookbook, American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons. It was called potato pudding, but most historians suspect that the potatoes used were sweet potatoes.
No, they’re not. While many people use the names interchangeably, these two tubers are different in every way, from their flavor to their texture.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy casseroles? Then try these delicious recipes:
📌 PIN IT!!
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Sweet Potato and Pecan Streusel Casserole
Equipment
- large pot or dutch oven
- large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer
- small bowl
- casserole dish
Ingredients
- 6 large sweet potatoes washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup milk half-and-half, or heavy cream
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup pecans chopped
- 1-2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the cubed sweet potatoes. Boil until fork-tender (make sure they’re very soft so they will whip easily), about 15-20 minutes. Drain the water and transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl.
- Add the melted butter, milk/cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whip the sweet potatoes with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- Spread the whipped sweet potatoes into the prepared baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cut the butter into the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until crumbly. Mix in the chopped pecans. Sprinkle the mixture all over the top of the whipped sweet potatoes.
- Bake the sweet potato casserole at 375F for 12 minutes until hot. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the mini marshmallows around the edges of the casserole. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown (watch closely so the marshmallows don’t burn!).
- Serve the casserole hot.
