Favourite Sweet Potato Casserole (Southern Living)
Submitted by happyzhangbo
The classic Southern Living sweet potato casserole: a creamy, custardy mash of sweet potatoes baked under a buttery brown-sugar pecan crumble. No marshmallows here, just a crunchy praline-style topping. A holiday must.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minThis is the sweet potato casserole that disappears first at Thanksgiving, the Southern Living classic with a crunchy pecan praline topping instead of the usual marshmallow blanket. The sweet potato base is rich and almost custardy, bound with eggs and enriched with butter, milk, and vanilla so it bakes up smooth and souffle-soft.
But the topping is the real draw. Brown sugar and flour get cut together with cold butter into a crumble, then tossed with chopped pecans and scattered over the top.
As it bakes, that topping melts and crisps into something close to pecan pie, all buttery, caramelized crunch against the velvety potatoes below.
It blurs the line between side dish and dessert, which is exactly why it never lasts long on the holiday table. Make it ahead and bake it off just before dinner.
Chef Tips
- Beat the eggs into the mashed sweet potatoes well. They’re what set the base into a smooth, custardy texture rather than a loose mash.
- Cut cold butter into the brown sugar and flour until crumbly before adding the pecans, so the topping bakes up clumpy and crisp, not greasy.
- Spread the base evenly so the topping bakes uniformly golden across the dish.
- Toast the pecans first if you want an even deeper, nuttier crunch.
Variations
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the sweet potato base for a warmer, spiced flavor.
- Prefer marshmallows? Top half the dish with the pecan crumble and half with marshmallows to please everyone.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃) F (175 degrees C).
Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish .
In a large bowl, mix together mashed sweet potatoes, ½ cup butter, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs.
Spread sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour.
Cut in ⅓ cup butter until mixture is crumbly, then stir in pecans.
Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
Comments
I've made this for the past 20-plus years, and it's the recipe they always insist on. One thing I change (because I was out of white sugar once) is using just brown sugar. When possible, I get "white sweet potatoes" and use them for half the amount for a lighter texture.