Southern Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecans

This Southern Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecans features the perfect crunchy topping. Forget those marshmallows with this recipe! This is a classic side dish for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas feast.

The recipe contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for a qualifying purchase. See my affiliate disclosure for more details.

Print Recipe

This Southern Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecans recipe is a fixture on many American tables during the holiday season. It’s the ideal combination of a side dish and a dessert. The sweetness of the potatoes and the crunchiness of the pecan topping complement any flavorful gravy and turkey recipes for dinner perfectly.

Southern sweet potato casserole is also called southern sweet potato souffle by many!

southern sweet potato souffle

Even though this sweet potato recipe is only normally only prepared a few times a year, there is no reason why you shouldn’t make it more frequently. This dish combines flavors of the South with simple directions and is ready in about an hour from start to finish. Why put it off until Thanksgiving? Make it to go with your Sunday dinner menu ideas or serve it with pork chops or Maryland fried chicken any day of the week.

Cooked and mashed potatoes are used in this sweet potato dish. You may use leftovers or bake, boil, or microwave the potatoes—three or four will suffice. Depending on your needs, the original recipe may be simply doubled or reduced. Similarly, prepare it in two separate pans and freeze one for later use, adding the topping just before baking. If your family wants a different topping, such as traditional marshmallows, this sweet potato filling works well as a basis.

➡️You may be interested in the recent post on how to fix runny sweet potato casserole

I love all things sweet potato, but this goes down as one of the best Southern sweet potato recipes you will ever bake or eat. No doubt about it!

People from the Eastern Shore have strong opinions about sweet potato casserole. This marshmallow-less version is the best! It’s not too sweet and just the right amount of nuts.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Southern Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecans

Filling:

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the baking dish

3 to 4 large sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and cubed 

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

For the sweet potatoes: Add 1 3/4 pounds peeled and cubed sweet potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Mash the sweet potatoes.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.

Whisk together the butter, mashed sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs in a large bowl. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

For the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a medium bowl until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans. Spread the mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Bake until mostly set in the center and golden on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

I hope you enjoyed this Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans recipes!

Be sure to also check out the sweet potato biscuits as well as the sweet potato pie recipes.

5/5 (1 Review)