Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Oct. 23, 2026
This Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping is the side dish everyone goes back for at Thanksgiving. Roasted sweet potatoes get mashed with maple syrup and vanilla, then baked under a crunchy brown sugar pecan crumble. Best part? You can prep the whole thing the night before.
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Amy’s Notes
This is the only sweet potato casserole in our house. It’s been on our holiday table for years, and somebody asks for the recipe every single time. Even people who say they don’t like sweet potatoes go back for seconds. Here’s why it works:
- The Topping: Brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted pecans bake into a crunchy streusel over a smooth sweet potato filling.
- The Filling: Roasted sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and vanilla make a rich filling that isn’t overly sweet.
- Make-Ahead: Assemble the filling the night before and keep the topping in a separate container. Sprinkle and bake the day of.
- Friends and Family: They will absolutely gobble this, as it’s the most popular Thanksgiving side dish year after year. You’ll get recipe requests (or please-make-again requests), guaranteed.
Key Recipe Ingredients
For Pecan Streusel Topping:
- Brown Sugar: be sure to pack it down when measuring.
- Pecans: use toasted chopped pecans – the toasting makes a difference.
- Butter: cold, sliced butter helps bind the topping together.
- Cinnamon: gives this topping a fragrant fall aroma.
* Tip: this streusel is so good, you may want to double it for a thicker layer of crunchy sweetness on top. You can also use it on this baked French toast casserole.
For the Filling:
- Sweet Potatoes: be sure to buy the vibrant orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.
- Eggs: these provide binding power and fluffy texture.
- Maple Syrup: gives this dish a wonderful sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: provides aromatic flavor in this dish.
- Lemon Juice: lends a bit of acidity to balance out the sweetness.
Substitutions and Variations
- Brown Sugar: You can use either light brown or dark brown sugar; note that dark brown sugar results in a darker brown coloring but will not affect flavor.
- Nuts: If you prefer, use toasted walnuts instead of pecans.
- Sweet Potatoes: We highly recommend using orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, but have also made this recipe with white-fleshed sweet potatoes with success. White-fleshed sweet potatoes tend to be naturally sweeter.
- Marshmallows: We created this recipe to be crispy and crunchy with pecans and brown sugar, but if you like, you can scatter mini marshmallows over the top instead or combine the two toppings together.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Mix together brown sugar, chopped pecans, cold butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl until mixture is grainy and comes together. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Wrap each sweet potato in foil and roast at 400F for about 1 hour, or until potatoes are very soft. Remove sweet potato skins, and mash potatoes well in a large bowl.
- In a bowl, beat eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Mix in the mashed sweet potatoes until smooth. Transfer mixture to a buttered 9×13 dish.
- Sprinkle pecan topping evenly over casserole. Bake at 350F until casserole is set and topping bubbles.
→ For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How to Prepare Ahead
- Buy: Pick orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. You can buy them up to a week early. Store them in a cool, dark, dry spot, not the fridge.
- Roast: Roast your sweet potatoes a day ahead so they have time to cool enough to handle. It also frees up your oven for the turkey or ham. Roast a few extra and use them for sweet potato hummus.
- Streusel: The nutty-crunchy pecan brown sugar streusel can be fully mixed together up to several days ahead of time – cover and chill until ready to sprinkle onto casserole.
- The Night Before: Spread the filling in the buttered baking dish, cover, and chill overnight. Keep the pecan topping in its own container so it stays crunchy, then sprinkle it on right before baking. You can bake it an hour or two before dinner and keep it warm until serving.
- Leftovers: Leftovers are delicious the next day; we recommend heating it up in the oven uncovered so the topping can crisp up again. Or try this sweet potato bread that specifically makes use of leftover sweet potato casserole so nothing goes to waste.
- Storage: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat uncovered at 350F so the topping crisps back up.
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
Ingredients
- 5 pounds sweet potatoes
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons table salt
For Topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup butter, chilled, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Make Topping Ahead: Mix together brown sugar, chopped pecans, cold butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl until mixture is grainy, damp, and comes together. Cover and chill until ready to use. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.
- Preheat oven to 400F with rack on lower middle position. Wrap each sweet potato in foil and bake about 1 hour, or until easily pierced by a fork and very soft. Let cool enough to handle. Remove sweet potato skins, place potatoes in a large bowl and mash them well.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Mix in the mashed sweet potatoes until smooth and incorporated. Transfer mixture into a buttered 9×13 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle pecan topping evenly over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350F until casserole is set and topping bubbles, about 1 hour.
Notes
- I always choose to roast whole sweet potatoes with skin on in the oven, as it creates deep roasted flavors. You can also cook peeled, cubed potatoes in boiling water until very tender.
- You can roast potatoes a day ahead. Actual cook time depends on size of sweet potatoes.
- Typically, roasted sweet potatoes lend a good amount of natural sweetness to the dish. If your roasted sweet potatoes don’t taste very sweet, you can add 1/4 cup extra sugar to the mixture.
- If desired, make extra crumble topping for a thicker layer of crunchy streusel on top. Topping can be made up to 3 days in advance; keep airtight in fridge until ready to use.
- My favorite way to use leftovers of this casserole is in this sweet potato bread!
- This recipe is part of our Thanksgiving Recipes Collection.
- It’s great served next to classic Thanksgiving mains such as Brined and Roasted Turkey with Homemade Gravy.
Nutrition (per serving)
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Casserole
Roasts
- Brined and Roasted Turkey with Homemade Gravy – this is hands-down our family’s legacy Thanksgiving turkey recipe, which we’ve made for over 20 years.
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy – if you’re keeping it simple, this turkey breast is super tender and juicy.
- Prime Rib with Au Jus – this recipe results in juicy, tender, ultra flavorful prime rib.
- 5-Ingredient Honey Baked Ham Recipe – it’s even better than restaurant ham.
Other Sides
- Fresh Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe – one taste, and you’ll never go back to canned sauce again.
- Homemade Stuffing with Apples and Sausage – we’ve been making this one for over 20 years as well, as all the kids and adults devour it.
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (5 Ingredients) – the easiest, creamiest mashed potatoes to grace the Thanksgiving table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Most of the time, when you see produce labeled as yams, they are actually sweet potatoes. True yams originate from regions of Asia and Africa.
You may notice a few types of sweet potatoes, in varying shapes and colors, at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. Choose the bright-orange fleshed variety. You can read more about sweet potato varieties here.
Yes, eggs are an important binding agent in most sweet potato casseroles. It also gives lift to the casserole.
You can boil or bake your sweet potatoes prior to adding in a casserole, as long as the sweet potatoes are cooked until very soft and stringy skin has been removed. That said, we are partial to roasting/baking sweet potatoes, as this imparts such depth of flavor.
Yes. Spread the filling in the baking dish, cover tightly, and chill up to 1 day. Keep the pecan topping in a separate container and sprinkle it on right before baking so it stays crunchy.
Aside from reheating and enjoying them again, we adore this sweet potato bread, which we created precisely for making the best use of leftovers!
Mix packed brown sugar, chopped toasted pecans, cold butter pieces, and cinnamon with your fingers until it looks like damp sand. Chill it until you’re ready to bake. It keeps up to 3 days in the fridge.
Undercooked potatoes make a lumpy filling, so roast them until very soft. Pull out any stringy bits when you mash. And bake it uncovered, since covering it steams the topping and turns it soft.
Yes. Freeze the filling without the topping, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, add the topping, and bake as directed.
Yes. Pecans give you crunch and marshmallows give you gooey. Scatter mini marshmallows over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking, or do half pecan topping and half marshmallows.
More to Cook and Eat
- Sweet Potato Cornbread – here’s an amazingly delicious and moist twist on classic cornbread!
- Sweet Potato Sausage Breakfast Casserole – this is hands-down everyone’s favorite breakfast casserole that uses sweet potatoes. It’s great for dinner, too.
- Sweet Potato Hummus – this gorgeous, vibrant hummus is healthy and tasty!
- Sweet Potato Muffins Recipe – this is our favorite fall muffin; it’s hearty, healthyish, and amazing for breakfast or snack.