This Easy Sweet Potato Casserole is a 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.
Difference between yams and sweet potatoes
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.
It 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.
Leave the streusel topping off and store the unbaked 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.
Remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off.
Make the nut-free, brown sugar topping to cover the top of the casserole and bake!
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 try this recipe? Please leave a comment and a rating below to let me know! I LOVE to hear from you!
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole {with streusel topping}
Ingredients
- 6 cups sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 large potatoes)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted
- ¼ cup sugar (I use Sucanat cane sugar)
- 2 whole large eggs , beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- ⅓ cup whole milk
For the streusel topping :
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (I use Sucanat cane sugar)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ 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 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off.
- Store cooked leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Can add nuts if desired: just add ¾ cup of your favorite chopped nuts to the streusel topping.
Michelle Lynn
This recipe is excellent! We needed a casserole that was nut free & this was so easy to make! Like another reader, I baked the sweet potatoes first then mashed with the other ingredients, including a little cinnamon. This has been requested often by my husband (who is normally finicky) & son. I will he making this for years to come!
Karrie
Thank you Michelle and very happy you all like it so much!
Colleen Emmons
I’m excited to try this recipe in a couple days. We need a nut free option, so thank you! I do have a question. Some toppings occasionally call for oats. Would this be an acceptable add to the topping? Thanks!
Karrie
Can't wait for you to try this recipe Colleen and I say go for it on adding the oats to the topping! Please let me know how you like the casserole and Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Mary
Can you make this in the crockpot so it’s hot for a potluck at work?
Karrie
Hi Mary, I've never tried it in a crockpot, but I just did a little research and other people have cooked a sweet potato casserole with a streusel topping successfully in a crockpot. People did have problems with a sugar topping burning on high, so you might want to first cook it on high for 1-2 hours, then switch it to low for another 1-2 hours. Please let me know how it turns out for you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Melanie Cormier
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit I will make it for Christmas 🌲
Karrie
That's wonderful Melanie and very happy you all like it! Have a happy new year!
Just what I was looking for
So easy, and just the right amount of sweetness--it had the quality of a fresh hot cinnamon roll before you put any glaze on. Exactly what I was looking for to duplicate the dish I remember from childhood. It will be my go-to recipe from now on, thank you for posting it.
Karrie
It makes me soooo happy you enjoyed it so much!
Eileen
Easy to prepare and it was a hit! Hubby and son approved.
Karrie
Thank you Eileen and so happy everyone liked it!
Natasha
I just made this Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving, using our CSA sweet potatoes I’ve been stocking up for this occasion. I actually spread the topping evenly across the top and it made a nice crust. We decided it was like a sweet potato creme brûlée! It was just delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Karrie
Happy Thanksgiving Natasha!! I just finished making it now too and can't wait to eat it! Thank you and really appreciate you taking the time to review it 🙂
Allie
I love this recipe! I made it last Thanksgiving and am making it this year as well!! Thank you so much! ☺️
Karrie
I read your comment to my Hubby just now and he said "We love the recipe too Allie" lol! Actually he said that because we are making it for Thanksgiving dinner right now! We are so happy you love it and thank you so much for leaving a review! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family 🙂
Cheri
Can you substitute gluten-free flour?
Karrie
Hi Cheri, I haven't tired making the streusel topping with gluten-free flour, but I did a little research...you can sub out the gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour in equal amounts and add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum (if it's not in your gluten-free flour). Please let me know if it turns out for you and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Rahul
My wife loves sweet potato. Made this for lunch today and she loved it. The streusel topping is like an icing on the cake. This will definitely be on the permanent list! Thank you!!
Karrie
Welcome Rahul and so happy your wife loved it!
Stacey Kester
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
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
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
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
Can I make this for Thanksgiving two days ahead and not freeze?
Karrie
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
Have not made this yet, but plan to this weekend. I love sweet potato casserole!
Karrie
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
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
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
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
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.
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
Thank you so much Mary!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
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
I'm making and 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!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
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