Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole is a decadent Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish with creamy sweet potatoes and a crispy, crunchy brown sugar pecan topping. Or swap the pecans for marshmallows if you prefer. This classic holiday side dish can be made ahead, frozen, and doubled or tripled for a crowd.
Serve with Roaster Oven Ham, Southern Green Bean Casserole, and Paula Deen Corn Casserole.
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- 🎥Video
- ✅Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole At a Glance
- 🍠Ingredients
- 🥣How to Make Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole
- ⬆️Scaling for a Crowd
- 🪄Recipe Variation: Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- 💡Expert Tips
- 🧊Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions
- ❓Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️What to serve with Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole
- 💌Let's Stay in Touch
- 📖 Recipe
- Make Ahead & Freezing
🎥Video
✅Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole At a Glance
- Cozy and creamy with sweet topping options. Custard-like sweet potato soufflé with warm spices and a crunchy brown sugar pecan crumble or gooey marshmallow topping.
- Simple ingredients. Sweet potatoes, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, eggs, vanilla, heavy cream, flour, pecans
- Easy to prepare. Bake potatoes (oven or microwave), mix the filling, add the topping, and bake.
- Serves 8. But easily doubles in a 9x13 pan (I do this all the time!), or triples.
- Make ahead or freeze. Prep the filling a day or two in advance, or freeze the whole thing unbaked
Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole is my most requested side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I get asked to make a double batch so there will be plenty of leftovers. It's really that good.
It's creamy, comforting, and decadent with a brown sugar pecan topping you can easily swap out for marshmallows. I'll show you how.
Let's be honest. It's basically sweet potato pie disguised as a side dish.
🍠Ingredients
See recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
- Cooked sweet potatoes. Boil, bake, roast, or microwave the sweet potatoes, let them cool, and mash them. I prefer to bake them in the oven or microwave. You can also use canned yams, which don't need to be cooked.
- Butter. You'll need one stick of melted butter, which is divided between the filling and the pecan topping.
- Large eggs. Eggs help hold the filling together and give it structure.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg. This sweet potato side dish has a pumpkin pie vibe with these cozy, warm spices.
- Heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk. Even more creaminess!
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds rich molasses flavor to the crunchy topping. I love dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar works, too.
- Pecans. Paula Deen's recipe calls for chopped pecans or walnuts. I use pecans and toast them for even more nutty flavor.
🥣How to Make Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole
Step 1: Bake the sweet potatoes. Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork.
Oven: Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes or until soft.
Microwave: Microwave for 5 minutes for one sweet potato, adding two minutes for each additional sweet potato. Turn halfway through and cook until soft.
Scoop the flesh from the cooled potatoes into a large bowl.
Step 2: Make the sweet potato filling. Add granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the sweet potatoes. Mix on medium to medium-high speed with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. Add the cream or milk and mix to combine.
Pour sweet potato mixture into a 1 ½ quart prepared baking dish. An 8-inch, 9-inch, or 11x7 baking dish will work.
Step 3: Make pecan topping. In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and chopped pecans.
Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the sweet potato casserole.
Step 4: Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and the internal temperature is 165. If desired, broil for 1-3 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.
Let the sweet potato casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.
⬆️Scaling for a Crowd
This recipe serves 8 and fits a 1½-quart dish such as an 8-inch, 9-inch, or 11x7 baking dish. Feeding a bigger crowd? Double the recipe for a 9x13 pan, or triple it and split between two 9x9 or 11x7 pans (or use a deep lasagna-style pan). Baking time may need a few extra minutes for larger batches, so check that the center reaches 165°F.
🪄Recipe Variation: Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
You can easily adapt this recipe for sweet potato casserole with marshmallows instead of the pecan topping.
- Prepare the sweet potato filling as directed above.
- Bake without topping until it is set, about 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle ⅔ cup toasted pecans and 2-3 cups of mini marshmallows over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the marshmallows are lightly browned and the internal temperature is 165.
💡Expert Tips
- Leave the skins on when baking or microwaving whole sweet potatoes. When cooled, you can just scoop out the flesh. No peeling!
- Instead of baking, you can also boil or roast the potatoes.
- Let the sweet potatoes cool before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients - especially the eggs. You don't want scrambled eggs in your sweet potato casserole.
- For sweet potatoes with a chunkier texture, mash them with a fork or potato masher.
- Add a splash of orange juice, if desired, to the sweet potato filling. Paula Deen does sometimes!
🧊Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions
- Make Ahead: Prepare the sweet potato filling up to 1 day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. When you're ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, add the pecan topping, and bake as directed.
- Freezing: For the best texture, freeze the unbaked casserole in a double layer of foil and keep the pecan topping separate. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then bring it to room temperature, add the topping, and bake.
❓Recipe FAQs
Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave for 5 minutes for one sweet potato, adding two minutes for each additional sweet potato. Turn halfway through and cook until soft.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Yes. Prepare the filling a day ahead of time and spread it in a casserole dish, but do not bake it. Cover with foil and refrigerate. The next day, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Add the topping and bake as directed.
Yes. For best results, freeze unbaked. Prepare filling and place in freezer-safe casserole. Wrap in double layer of foil. Place pecan topping in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge 24 hours. Bring to room temp 30-60 mins. No need to thaw pecan crumble. Add topping and bake, adding more cooking time as needed.
Leftovers are also freezer-friendly. Store in airtight container, freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge 24 hours.
Let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Cover it with foil and heat in a 350 degree oven until warmed through. Remove the foil for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the topping, if desired. You can also crisp the topping under the broiler for 1-3 minutes. Cook to an internal temperature of 165.
This usually means the eggs and cream haven't fully set, or the sweet potatoes had too much moisture going in. Bake until the internal temperature hits 165°F and the center no longer jiggles when you gently shake the dish. If it's still loose, give it another 5-10 minutes rather than pulling it early. Using freshly baked (not boiled) sweet potatoes also helps, since boiling can leave extra water in the flesh.
🍽️What to serve with Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole
- Main dishes: Serve it with Turkey in the Roaster Oven, Roast Turkey Breast, or Crock Pot Ham for a classic holiday dinner.
- Classic holiday sides: Round out the table with Maple Glazed Carrots, Paula Deen Corn Casserole, Wild Rice Stuffing, or Baked Macaroni and Cheese.
- Desserts: Finish the meal with Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust, Mini Apple Pies with Puff Pastry, Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers, or Death by Chocolate Poke Cake.
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📖 Recipe
Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For Sweet Potato Casserole Filling
- 3 cups sweet potatoes 3-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream, half and half. or whole milk
For Pecan Topping
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Bake the sweet potatoes (oven or microwave). Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Oven: Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes or until soft. Microwave: Microwave for 5 minutes for one sweet potato, adding two minutes for each additional sweet potato. Turn halfway through and cook until soft. When cool, scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Let sweet potatoes cool before mixing with the rest of the ingredients to keep the eggs from scrambling.
- Preheat the oven to 325 and spray a 1 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray. An 8-inch, 9-inch, or 11x7 baking dish will work.
- Make the sweet potato filling. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, 5 tablespoons of melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the sweet potatoes. Mix on medium to medium-high speed with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. Add the cream or milk and mix to combine. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Make pecan topping. In a medium bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and chopped pecans. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the sweet potato casserole.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and the internal temperature is 165. If desired, turn the oven to broil for an additional 1-3 minutes to brown the topping. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Leave the skins on when baking or microwaving whole sweet potatoes. When cooled, you can just scoop out the flesh. No peeling!
- For sweet potatoes with a chunkier texture, mash them with a fork or potato masher instead of a mixer.
- Double the recipe in a 9 x 13 pan. Triple it in a deep lasagna pan or between two 8-inch, 9-inch, or 11x7 pans.
- For marshmallow topping, bake filling until set, 20 minutes. Top with ⅔ cup toasted pecans and 2-3 cups mini marshmallows. Bake 10 more minutes or until lightly browned.
Nancy B says
Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Nancy! Yes, you sure can. These are the make-ahead directions in the post: Prepare the filling a day ahead of time and spread it in a casserole dish, but do not bake it. Cover with foil and refrigerate. The next day, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Add the topping and bake as directed. Enjoy 🙂 Cara
Elizabeth S says
I have a question about baking dish size. I need to double the recipe but it says to use a 1 1/2 qt dish. How is that big enough?
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Elizabeth! If you double the recipe, you will need to use a larger dish. A 9x 13 baking dish will work well. I hope that helps! Cara
Elizabeth S says
Thank you. What size would you recommend if we need to triple it?
Cara Lanz says
A deep lasagna-type pan should work. You could also consider dividing it up between two 9x9 or 11x7 pans.
Heather Bullard says
Can I substitute the sugar & brown sugar for stevia or Splenda & stevia brown sugar or Splenda brown sugar, as my family have a few diabetics?
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Heather, I don't see why not, I've seen similar recipes that use stevia instead of sugar. I haven't tried it, however, so would not be able to say for sure how much to substitute or how well it actually works. Please share if you try it and how it turned out. Cara