Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with this luxurious, creamy Sweet Potato Casserole. Infused with the delicate tang of buttermilk and a hint of warm cinnamon spice, it’s a dessert-like side dish that perfectly balances sweetness. Crown your casserole with your choice of golden, toasted marshmallows or a delightful, crunchy pecan streusel for an unforgettable culinary experience.
Welcome, Pinterest visitors! This timeless recipe first graced our pages on November 24, 2013, marking Striped Spatula’s very first post. It received a loving update in 2019, featuring refreshed photos and enhanced commentary to bring you the best possible guide to this beloved dish.
Every year, as the aroma of fall spices fills the air, my mind drifts to the day after Thanksgiving. It’s a confession I happily make: my cherished morning ritual involves savoring leftover Sweet Potato Casserole for breakfast. This delicious habit, whose origins are lost to time, has become a personal tradition, a sweet rebellion against the conventional post-holiday scramble. While many eagerly embrace the Black Friday shopping frenzy, I find my joy in a warm bowl of this comforting casserole.
This particular Sweet Potato Casserole recipe isn’t just a dish; it’s a cornerstone of my family’s Thanksgiving feast, a constant presence for as long as I can recall. As a child, the sheer thrill of having marshmallows on my dinner plate felt like hitting the jackpot – a memory that still brings a smile to my face. Now, as an adult, I eagerly plunge my fork into this Southern-inspired delicacy year after year, appreciating its nuanced flavors and exquisite texture far beyond just the sugary topping.
What sets this recipe apart is its incredible balance. The sweet potatoes are whipped to an ethereal creaminess, gently spiced with cinnamon, creating a comforting base. The star ingredient, buttermilk, introduces a subtle tang that beautifully cuts through the sweetness, preventing it from being overly rich. This thoughtful combination ensures a dish that delights palates of all ages, making it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for any holiday gathering.
The Origins of a Southern Classic: Buttermilk Sweet Potato Casserole
The foundation of this beloved recipe can be traced back to my mother’s adaptation of “Holiday Sweet Potatoes” by Mrs. Jim Hendrick. This gem was originally featured in the Junior League of Jackson’s quintessential 1978 cookbook, Southern Sideboards. For me, this cookbook isn’t just a collection of recipes; it’s a portal to the heart of classic, gracious Southern cooking, holding a special place on my mother’s kitchen shelf.
While Mrs. Hendrick’s original, wonderful recipe calls for a marshmallow topping and suggests folding pecans into the potatoes, my mother introduced a delightful twist during my teenage years: the pecan streusel crust. This innovative addition elevates the casserole, giving it a texture and flavor profile akin to the sophisticated sweet potato dishes found on fine steakhouse menus. The crunchy, buttery streusel provides a welcome contrast to the smooth, creamy potatoes, making it a truly exceptional dish.
Over the years, this evolution has only deepened our family’s love for the casserole, embodying the spirit of Southern cooking – tradition blended with thoughtful adaptation. Whether you opt for the nostalgic marshmallow crown or the elegant pecan streusel, this recipe promises a taste of home and hospitality.
Essential Ingredients for Your Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Crafting this incredible sweet potato casserole with its signature pecan streusel topping requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving its rich flavor and delightful texture. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need, and why each component is important:
- Cooked Sweet Potatoes: The star of the show! Five pounds of sweet potatoes will yield approximately 8.5 cups of mashed potatoes, providing a substantial base for this hearty casserole. Fresh, tender sweet potatoes are key to the dish’s flavor and creamy consistency.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: A blend of sugars ensures a balanced sweetness. Granulated sugar contributes a clean sweetness, while brown sugar adds depth with its molasses notes, particularly enhancing the streusel topping.
- Baking Powder: This might seem unusual for a casserole, but baking powder is the secret to achieving that wonderfully light and fluffy, almost souffle-like texture in the whipped sweet potatoes. It creates tiny air pockets, ensuring the casserole isn’t overly dense.
- Unsalted Butter: Generous amounts of softened unsalted butter are essential for richness and flavor in the sweet potato mixture, and melted butter binds the streusel topping beautifully. Always use unsalted butter to control the overall sodium content.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch of pure vanilla extract enhances the natural sweetness of the potatoes and complements the cinnamon, adding a warm, aromatic note that elevates the entire dish.
- Ground Cinnamon: This classic spice pairs perfectly with sweet potatoes, lending a comforting warmth and traditional holiday flavor. Its gentle spice notes are crucial for the casserole’s inviting aroma and taste.
- Buttermilk: The distinguishing ingredient of this particular recipe. Buttermilk provides a subtle tanginess that beautifully balances the sweetness of the potatoes, adding complexity and a delightful, slightly zesty counterpoint. While whole buttermilk offers the richest flavor, low-fat varieties work well too.
- Eggs: Large eggs act as a binder, helping to set the casserole and contribute to its creamy texture, preventing it from becoming too loose or watery. They also aid in the light, fluffy consistency when whipped.
- All-Purpose Flour: Essential for the pecan streusel topping, flour helps create a crumbly, crisp texture when combined with sugars and butter.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans are integral to the streusel, providing a delightful crunch and nutty flavor that contrasts wonderfully with the smooth sweet potatoes. They toast beautifully, enhancing their aroma and taste during baking.
Each ingredient is carefully selected to ensure a harmonious blend of flavors and textures, resulting in a sweet potato casserole that is truly outstanding.
Expert Tips and Techniques for the Ultimate Sweet Potato Casserole
Creating this delightful sweet potato casserole is surprisingly straightforward, making it an ideal dish even amidst the hustle of holiday meal preparation. The key to its success lies in a few simple yet effective techniques, ensuring a perfectly creamy and flavorful result every time.
Perfectly Cooked Sweet Potatoes: The Foundation
The casserole begins with tender, cooked sweet potatoes. The method you choose for cooking them is flexible, allowing you to select what works best for your schedule and kitchen setup. Popular options include boiling, microwaving, or baking. For optimal flavor and texture, I often gravitate towards baking them in the oven, similar to how I prepare my Brown Butter Whipped Sweet Potatoes. This method coaxes out their natural sweetness and results in a drier, more concentrated potato flavor.
Alternatively, utilizing an electric pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, is a game-changer, especially during holidays when oven and stove-top space are at a premium. It significantly cuts down cooking time and frees up other appliances for your main course and other side dishes.
Pro Tip for Instant Pot Cooking: For quick and easy sweet potato preparation, peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into uniform 1-inch cubes. Place them in the Instant Pot insert with just 1 cup of water. Secure the lid and cook on High Pressure for 8-10 minutes (depending on the density of your cubes). Once cooked, perform a quick release of the steam, then drain the potatoes exceptionally well before proceeding with the casserole. This ensures they’re not waterlogged.
Regardless of your chosen cooking method, the most crucial step, particularly if using a water-based method like boiling or pressure cooking, is to drain the cooked sweet potatoes thoroughly. Excess moisture will lead to a watery, unappetizing casserole. After draining, you might even consider returning them to the hot pot for a minute or two over low heat to evaporate any remaining surface moisture.
Achieving the Perfect Creamy Texture
Once your sweet potatoes are cooked and drained, the process is little more than a simple “Mix-Bake-Eat” routine. This simplicity means you’ll have ample time and energy left to perfect your turkey and other holiday dishes. For that signature creamy, airy, and fluffy texture, the right tools make all the difference:
- Stand Mixer: Equipped with the paddle attachment, a stand mixer is ideal for mashing and whipping the sweet potatoes. It incorporates air beautifully, resulting in a light and smooth consistency.
- Electric Hand Mixer: A versatile alternative, an electric hand mixer also does an excellent job of breaking down the potatoes and whipping them to perfection.
- Food Processor: If you desire an exceptionally smooth, almost puréed texture, a food processor can be used. Be careful not to over-process, as it can sometimes make potatoes gummy if overworked. Pulse until smooth.
The goal is a consistently smooth mixture, free of lumps, ready to absorb the rich flavors of butter, sugar, spices, and that distinctive buttermilk tang. With these simple tips, your sweet potato casserole will be a standout dish on any table.
Sweet Potato Casserole Topping Options: Marshmallow vs. Pecan Streusel
One of the most delightful decisions when preparing sweet potato casserole is choosing its crown: classic toasted marshmallows or a crunchy pecan streusel (sometimes known as pecan praline topping). Both are iconic choices, each offering a distinct flavor and texture profile that complements the creamy sweet potato base. The ultimate choice often boils down to personal preference and family tradition – in our home, we often alternate between the two depending on the year or even make both to satisfy everyone!
The Nostalgic Charm of Toasted Marshmallows
For many, a blanket of golden, toasted marshmallows is synonymous with sweet potato casserole. This topping instantly transports you back to childhood, evoking a sense of warmth and nostalgia. Marshmallows melt down to a gooey, sweet confection, creating a soft, caramelized layer that adds an extra dimension of sweetness to the dish. They provide a beautifully pillowy texture that contrasts with the whipped potatoes, resulting in a truly decadent experience. If you lean towards a sweeter, more overtly dessert-like finish, marshmallows are the perfect choice.
The Sophistication of Pecan Streusel (Pecan Praline)
The pecan streusel, or pecan praline topping, offers a more refined and textural contrast. Composed of finely chopped pecans, flour, brown sugars, and melted butter, it bakes into a crisp, buttery, and slightly toffee-like crust. This crunchy layer provides a sophisticated counterpoint to the smooth, creamy sweet potatoes underneath. It introduces a delightful nutty flavor and a satisfying texture that elevates the casserole, making it feel more substantial and less overtly sweet than its marshmallow-topped counterpart. If you enjoy a harmonious blend of textures and a rich, nutty depth, the pecan streusel is an excellent option.
Topping Application Tip: It might appear as though you’re sprinkling a generous amount of streusel over your gratin dish, but trust the process! This proportion is carefully balanced to create a substantial, perfectly crunchy crust that beautifully complements the sweet potatoes, reminiscent of the elevated side dishes found in classic steakhouses. Don’t skimp!
The detailed instructions for both the marshmallow and pecan streusel toppings are conveniently included in the recipe card below, allowing you and your family to effortlessly choose and prepare your favorite for the ultimate holiday side dish.
Sweet Potato Casserole FAQs and Make-Ahead Tips
Preparing for a holiday meal often involves juggling multiple dishes, so having clear answers and make-ahead strategies can be incredibly helpful. Here are some frequently asked questions and useful tips for your sweet potato casserole:
Yes, you absolutely can use canned yams as a convenient substitute. For this recipe, two 40-ounce cans of cut yams (ensure they are plain, not already candied or in syrup) can be used. However, it’s crucial to drain them exceptionally well to avoid a watery casserole. Canned yams tend to be sweeter than fresh sweet potatoes, so you might need to adjust the sugar content. Start with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in the sweet potato mixture and taste before adding the eggs. If you desire additional sweetness, you can then incorporate the remaining 1/4 cup. Gently warm the drained yams before mixing them to help them whip up smoothly and incorporate better with the other ingredients.
While the recipe does contain baking powder, which is most effective when baked fresh, you can certainly undertake some crucial make-ahead steps. I typically prefer to mix and bake the casserole on the same day for the best fluffy texture. However, to streamline your holiday cooking, you can cook and mash the sweet potatoes a day or two in advance. Additionally, the pecan streusel topping can be prepared entirely ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you’re using chilled, pre-cooked sweet potatoes, gently warm them slightly before whipping with the other ingredients. This will help them become smoother and incorporate more easily, yielding the best creamy texture for your casserole.
For this recipe, I highly recommend using a 3 to 3-1/2 quart gratin dish. The ideal pan is one that offers a sufficiently large surface area. This is important because it allows for a perfect ratio of topping to sweet potatoes in each serving, ensuring that every bite delivers both the creamy potato and the delightful crunch of the streusel (or gooeyness of marshmallows). If you opt for a deep, round baking dish, for instance, you’ll end up with a thicker layer of sweet potatoes and a disproportionately smaller area for the topping, which might alter the desired textural balance.
Storage and Reheating
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (and who isn’t, after a holiday feast?), this casserole stores beautifully. Cover the gratin dish tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, you can warm individual servings in the microwave, or for a larger portion, cover the dish with foil and reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven until warmed through, about 20-30 minutes. If your casserole has a streusel topping, you might remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to help re-crisp it. Marshmallow-topped casseroles might get a little less gooey upon reheating but will still be delicious!
This comprehensive guide should equip you with all the knowledge to create a truly memorable sweet potato casserole, making your holiday meal preparations smoother and more enjoyable.
More Irresistible Thanksgiving Side Dishes:
Complement your Sweet Potato Casserole with these other spectacular holiday sides:
- Cranberry Pecan Stuffing: A flavorful and textural delight, perfect for any holiday table.
- Brandied Cherry Cranberry Sauce: A sophisticated twist on a classic, offering sweet and tart notes.
- Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Chestnuts: Hearty and savory, this stuffing is a meal in itself.
- Haricots Verts with Lemon-Herb Brown Butter: A vibrant and elegant green bean dish with rich, nutty undertones.
- The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes: A truly indulgent and essential side, made with a secret ingredient for ultimate creaminess.
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Inspired by “Holiday Sweet Potatoes,” Mrs. Jim Hendrick (Southern Sideboards, The Junior League of Jackson)
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes
- 5 pounds sweet potatoes
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened, plus extra for buttering casserole dish
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup shaken buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
For the Pecan Streusel
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar , lightly packed*
- ½ cup dark brown sugar , lightly packed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
For a Toasted Marshmallow Topping
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- Cook sweet potatoes until soft (see notes for cooking methods). You should have about 8.5 cups of mashed potatoes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175°C) with the oven rack positioned in the middle. Generously butter a 3-quart gratin dish.
- Transfer the cooked and well-drained sweet potatoes into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if using an electric hand mixer). Add the 1/2 cup of softened butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Begin whipping on medium speed until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth and light.
- Gradually beat in the buttermilk until fully incorporated. Next, add the eggs one at a time, continuing to whip until the mixture is perfectly smooth and airy. Pour the sweet potato mixture evenly into the prepared gratin dish and smooth the top with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon.
For the Pecan Streusel Topping:
- In a separate small bowl, combine the chopped pecans, flour, light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar. Stir these dry ingredients together well. Pour in the 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter and mix until the streusel mixture is uniformly moistened and crumbly.
- Evenly crumble the brown sugar and pecan mixture over the entire surface of the unbaked sweet potatoes in the gratin dish. Ensure a good, consistent layer for optimal crunch.
Baking the Casserole:
- Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. The casserole is ready when the center is hot and bubbly, and the pecan streusel topping is beautifully golden brown and lightly crisp. Allow the casserole to stand for at least 5 minutes before serving to let it set slightly.
To Use a Toasted Marshmallow Topping Instead:
- If opting for marshmallows, bake the untopped sweet potatoes for approximately 30 minutes, or until the center is hot and steamy. Then, evenly sprinkle the 2 cups of miniature marshmallows over the hot casserole. Return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the marshmallows are fully melted, puffed, and lightly toasted to a golden-brown hue. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
Notes
Sweet Potato Cooking Methods:
To bake: Pierce each sweet potato several times all over with a fork (peeling is not necessary at this stage). Place them on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 30-60 minutes or longer, depending on their size, until they are very tender when squeezed. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the potatoes over. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft flesh and discard the skins.
To boil: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into uniform 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, which usually takes 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes extremely well to remove all excess water.
Instant Pot: Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in the Instant Pot insert with 1 cup of water. Seal the lid and set to High Pressure for 10 minutes. Once cooking is complete, perform a quick release of the pressure. Drain the potatoes very thoroughly before proceeding with the recipe.
About the Sugar in the Pecan Streusel:
For the pecan streusel topping, if you only have one type of brown sugar on hand, you can certainly substitute all light brown sugar. The topping will still be delicious, though the flavor might be slightly less complex than with the blend of light and dark brown sugars.
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.