This Easy Sweet Potato Casserole is an easy, nut-free take on a classic holiday side dish. Made with fresh steamed sweet potatoes and topped with a buttery streusel, it’s sure to be a family favorite every year!
An easy Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving or any time of the year!
The sweet potato casserole is the quintessential Thanksgiving side and is pretty much on every holiday table.
A day where family and friends gather to count their blessings…
and a day to partake in a fabulous feast of turkey with some of the most amazing sides and desserts!
Although, this sweet potato casserole shouldn’t just be seen on a holiday, once or twice a year. It’s so good, it definitely needs to make an appearance on the family dinner table frequently.
I love serving it with pork dishes, like my smoked Porchetta, and pairing it with fresh green beans for an easy, fast, and healthy side.
Not surprisingly, this casserole is a really good side with barbecue too. Why people don’t serve sweet potato casserole more often with barbecued food is beyond me!
I’ve made my Instant Pot BBQ chicken and smoked meatloaf to go with this casserole and everyone agrees it’s a perfect match.
Sweet Potatoes vs Yams: What’s the difference?
Depending on where you live, you may notice the names of these root vegetables are used interchangeably. So, what’s the difference between the two?
- Sweet potatoes originated in South America, have a thin/smooth skin, with a moist and sweet flesh and tapered ends. They are rich in beta-carotene, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and are considered to be a highly nutritional food source.
- Yams are from the Caribbean/African, have a rough/scaly skin, a dry and starchy flesh, and are irregularly shaped. Like sweet potatoes, they also have a high nutritional value.
Garnet sweet potatoes have a red skin with an orange flesh and are the ones most commonly found in grocery stores.
Plus, they are the ones I used in this recipe!
Use sucanat sugar for a less sweet side dish
A sweet potato casserole is the one holiday side dish that can be sickly sweet. When topped with the usual suspect of marshmallows, it can easily taste like a dessert and not a side.
I try to avoid this super sweet flavor by playing up the natural sweetness of the potatoes without taking it over the top.
Here are a couple of ways I reduce the amount of sweetness in a potato casserole:
- Always use half of the usual amount of sugar called for in a recipe
- Substitute Sucanat cane sugar for the white or brown sugar
What exactly is Sucanat? It’s a minimally processed cane sugar with a strong, rich molasses flavor and contains vitamins and minerals that aren’t found in the more processed varieties.
It also doesn’t taste as sweet as regular sugar, but if Sucanat is not available in your area, just use brown or white sugar.
A perfect make ahead recipe for the holidays
The holidays can get crazy busy, so make ahead recipes are a huge time saver. Store the unbaked and unstreusel-ed topped casserole one of two ways:
- In the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- In the freezer for up to 2 months.
Thaw the frozen casserole in the refrigerator a day or two before using. 15 minutes before baking the casserole, remove it from the refrigerator and let rest on the counter to take the chill off.
Popular TEA Holiday Recipes:
- Smoked Turkey ~ Try a different kind of turkey this year for the family’s holiday dinner.
- Sweet Potato Rolls ~ Don’t forget to save a little of the cooked sweet potatoes for these rolls, made extra yummy with a special topping!
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce ~ Here’s another recipe that’s always on the holiday table, but made in a savory/sweet way.
- Leek Risotto ~ Creamy, cheesy risotto is the ideal side to any meal.
- Easy Fruit Cobbler ~ A family favorite dessert made with only 6 ingredients and on the table in less than an hour.
Did you enjoy this easy sweet potato casserole? Let me know if you’ve tried it by leaving a comment and please share the recipe with family and friends.
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole {with streusel topping}
Ingredients
- 6 cups sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 large potatoes)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1/4 cup sugar (I use Sucanat cane sugar)
- 2 whole large eggs , beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1/3 cup whole milk
For the streusel topping :
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (I use Sucanat cane sugar)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Steam the sweet potato cubes until fully cooked, about 20-25 minutes. Place cooked potatoes in a large bowl and mash. Set aside to cool down.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Stir well, then fold in the cooled sweet potatoes. Place mixture in a 9 X 13 baking dish and set aside.**At this point, the casserole can be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months**
- Preheat oven to 350F/176C degrees and make the topping mixture.
For the streusel topping:
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg until thoroughly combined.
- Drop streusel by spoonfuls over the sweet potato mixture, then bake at 350F/176C degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Prior to baking and adding the streusel topping, casserole can be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Thaw frozen casserole in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before using.
- Take casserole out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before baking to take the chill off.
- Store cooked leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Your streusel topping certainly does make this casserole special. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Karrie says
Thanks Karen and the streusel topping is so good on this casserole! Hope you and the family had a wonderful Christmas!
Stacey Kester says
I made this for the first time on Thanksgiving this past week. It was really really good, I tripled the crumb topping recipe and made sure it had a good thick layer of topping and everyone was really happy with it, my sister in law who has hated sweet potatoes her entire life finally got talked in to taking a bite and she absolutely loved it and even took leftovers home. So it’s officially become a new holiday meal staple!
Karrie says
THANK YOU Stacey!!! I’m so excited you all loved the casserole and it makes me extremely happy that your SIL is now a reformed sweet potato hater! YAAAAAYYYYY!!!
Ana Patricia says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was looking for a nut free sweet potato casserole recipe and this was perfect! So much so that I have to make a 2nd one because the one I made earlier today will be gone before anyone gets here tomorrow lol
Happy Thanksgiving!
Karrie says
Thank you very much Ana and so happy you like the recipe! Really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and hoping you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Cathy says
Can I make this for Thanksgiving two days ahead and not freeze?
Karrie says
Yes Cathy, you can make it a couple of days ahead of using, just cover it tightly and store in the refrigerator. Take the casserole out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to get the chill off. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Aimee says
Have not made this yet, but plan to this weekend. I love sweet potato casserole!
Karrie says
Love it too!! So happy it’s sweet potato casserole time of year. lol! Hope you enjoy making the recipe this weekend and please let me know how you like it, Aimee
Kathy says
Loved this recipe. The nut free option is so good. I cooked the sweet poatoes whole in the oven and then just peeled and mashed. So much easier than trying to cut the raw ones, added a little cinnamon to the mashed sweet poatoes. Half my family wanted marshmellows on top along with the strudel. It turned out great. Enjoy. We are making this again!
Karrie says
Thank you so much Kathy for making the recipe and taking the time to comment! Love that your family loved it and adding cinnamon is a great idea! Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season.
Paige says
I just want to say this is seriously the BEST Thanksgiving sweet potato side dish!!! I stumbled upon it last Thanksgiving when at the last minute I realized I’d need more food, so an hour before dinner I searched for an easy, quick sweet potato recipe that used what I had on hand. (This is awesome because it doesn’t call for nuts) I threw this together and it ended up being the best tasting thing on the table and was a hit! I’ll make it every year now
Karrie says
So happy everyone liked the casserole and thank you very much for taking the time to comment, Paige. Really makes my heart happy to hear you say you’ll make it every year too! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.
Mary D. says
I really love this recipe and have served this casserole several times with pork chops. it’s one of my family’s favorite sides!
Karrie says
Thank you so much Mary!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
Love the video, K! This definitely looks like my kind of sweet potato casserole. I’m not a fan of the marshmallow version. Yours looks delicious!
Agness of Run Agness Run says
Yummy! This is such a mouth-watering treat, Karrie! I am definitely going to try this casserole recipe. Can I use some other kind of milk?
[email protected] says
Thanks Agness! I haven’t tried making this with another kind of milk, but I’m sure you could sub it out with no problem
Ashika | Gardening Foodie says
OH yum this makes a perfect side dish… I love recipes with sweet potato and that crumb topping looks absolutely divine
Ben|Havocinthekitchen says
I’ve never had sweet potatoes…in a sweet kind of dish (Well, except pancakes). I always opt for the savory versions with herbs, garlic, bacon, etc to balance out the sweetness. This casserole looks delicious, though – I would like to give it a try. Happy Thanksgiving, Karrie!
Heather Wells says
I’m making( have made) this for Thanksgiving! And yes, the music is a 10. Has a beat, and I can dance to it! Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for this blog!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
Oh heck yes! Sweet potato casserole is a must for Thanksgiving! (But please no marshmallows.). This is the perfect solution to sickly sweet casserole! Happy Thanksgiving, Karrie
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
this sounds like an awesome take on sweet potato casserole! in theory i really want to like the marshmallow kind, but it’s just so sweet and one dimensional. versus this one sounds caramelly and kind of crispy and basically everything i want with sweet potatoes (though i’d probably add walnuts because my parents are walnut fiends!).
Genevieve Dubois Ashworth says
Oh hello gorgeous. I need to make this GiGi Approved cause HOTTTTTTTTTTT CAKESSSS I want it all in my face. All I want for Thanksgiving dinner is turkey and sweet potatoes. ANDDD THAT IS IT! But now I want turkey and this casserole.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Love all the sides that go along with turkey dinner! I’ve never used sucanat before so will keep my peepers open for it next time I’m in the grocery – thanks for the 411 That topping sounds delicious…I’ll take a big serving with lots of that on there….hehehe. Love the video…almost didn’t want it to end cos I was listening to that beat, lol! Happy Thanksgiving! XOXO
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
I am all for unrefined sugars and sucanat sugar is great! You know, I did not anything abour sweet potato casseroles until a few years ago and now they are the best part of Thanksgiving (maybe also because I don’t eat turkey ! Love this version with that beautiful crumbled sweet topping. Your videos are so nice I always enjoy watching them, and listening to the music you chose!!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
I LOVE that you used sucanat here!! I have a bag of it and am always looking for ways to use it because I love that oh-so-sweet molasses flavour that it adds. Would be peeeerfect in this casserole! Happy Thanksgiving Karrie!