Sweet Potato Casserole is one of my favorite holiday dishes. Even though it is considered a side dish, it always ends up being my dessert! It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty and the crunchy streusel on top complements the creamy texture of the potatoes perfectly! It has been a staple on our holiday table since I was a child and it will continue to be so for the rest of my days. The batch that I made for this post is much smaller than the one I use for our gatherings and I will be giving the measurements for the large one. If you would like a smaller batch, just divide the recipe below into fourths!
First you will want to heat your oven to 400 degrees and place 8 large sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You don’t want to set them directly on the oven rack because they will make a mess!
Do You Need to Bake Them?
You can certainly peel them and boil them but I find that baking them is not only easier, but it also keeps the casserole from being runny. It also makes them sweeter due to the starches being broke down into sugar as they bake, which means you don’t need to add as much sugar to the recipe!
Bake for about 1 hour or until you can easily poke a fork in them. Slice them open and let them cool enough that you can handle them.
Scoop the potato out with a fork then mash them with a fork.
Add the sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, and butter.
Use a mixer and blend until nice and creamy.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and spread into a greased baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle is set.
Streusel Topping
In a bowl, combine 2 cups light brown sugar, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 2 cups of crushed pecans and 1 stick of melted butter.
Spread that on top of the potatoes and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until it is golden brown.
Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serve as a side dish, or as a dessert! I like to have mine as a dessert with some whipped cream on top! Heaven!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 Large Sweet Potatoes
- 1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsps Salt
- 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Stick Melted Salted Butter
Streusel Topping
- 2 Cups Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Crushed Pecans
- 1 Stick Melted Salted Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Use a fork to poke holes in the potatoes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 1 hour. They are done when you can easily poke a fork through them.
- Use a knife to cut them open and let them cool slightly.
- Scoop the potatoes out into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs and melted butter.
- Use a hand mixer and mix until smooth.
- Spread into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the center is set.
- In a bowl, mix together the ingredients for the streusel topping.
- Spread evenly over the casserole.
- Bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until the streusel is a golden brown color and it is no longer crumbly.
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
