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In my family the sweet potato casserole started an argument every single time it went on the table. My uncle wanted the little white marshmallows toasted brown on top. My father said marshmallows turned a side dish into candy. My mother listened to both of them for forty years and made it her way every time, with a thick brown sugar pecan crumble. My uncle complained, then ate three helpings and said nothing more. He later married a woman who made the marshmallow version, and he still asked my mother for hers.
Her casserole starts with baked sweet potatoes, not boiled ones. Baking them whole in their skins concentrates their sweetness and keeps them dry and dense, so the filling turns out creamy instead of watery; you know they are ready when the sugar starts to bubble out the bottom. She mashed them with butter, a little sugar, vanilla, milk and two eggs, which make the filling soufflé-light and let it set into soft spoonable squares. The crumble is brown sugar, flour, chopped pecans and melted butter stirred into big wet clumps and scattered thickly on top. In the oven it bakes into a crisp, glassy, buttery crust that shatters under the spoon.
Why this sweet potato casserole works
- Baked, not boiled. Roasting the sweet potatoes in their skins concentrates their flavor and keeps the filling from going watery.
- Eggs in the filling. Two eggs make the mash light and let it set so it scoops cleanly instead of running across the plate.
- Not too sweet. The filling has only a little sugar, so the sweetness of the crumble on top balances it instead of piling on.
- Melted butter crumble. Melted butter stirred into brown sugar and pecans makes big clumps that bake crisp and glossy, like a pecan pie top.
- A thick topping. As much crumble as the dish will hold, so every spoonful gets crunch.
Ingredients
Serves 10 to 12 as a side dish, in a 9x13 inch baking dish. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the sweet potato filling
- 4 to 5 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds, 1.6kg)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (85g)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (65g)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (120ml)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
For the pecan crumble
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200g)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (170g)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (85g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Choose orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (often sold as yams in American stores). You need about 4 cups (900g) of mashed sweet potato once they are baked and peeled.
How to make sweet potato casserole
Bake the sweet potatoes
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and set them on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until completely soft when squeezed and the sugar is bubbling out of the skins. Let them cool until you can handle them.
Make the casserole
- Turn the oven down to 350 degrees (175°C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and put the flesh in a large bowl. Mash until smooth with a potato masher or beat with a hand mixer.
- Beat in the melted butter, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until smooth and fluffy. Spread the filling evenly in the dish.
- For the crumble, stir the brown sugar, flour, pecans and salt together in a bowl, then pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until it forms big wet clumps.
- Scatter the crumble thickly and evenly over the sweet potatoes, right to the edges.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and crisp and the edges are bubbling.
- Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving so the filling sets.
Tips that make the difference
- Bake the sweet potatoes a day ahead and keep them in the refrigerator. Cold baked sweet potatoes peel in one pull and mash smoother.
- For the smoothest filling, beat it with a hand mixer. A few small lumps are fine if you like it rustic.
- If the pecans brown too quickly before the filling is hot through, cover the dish loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for a few minutes before chopping for a deeper nutty flavor.
Variations
- Extra pecans. Scatter a handful of pecan halves over the crumble before baking so they toast on top.
- Spiced. Add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a pinch of ginger to the filling.
- Orange. Beat the finely grated zest of an orange into the filling for a brighter taste.
- Walnut. Use chopped walnuts in place of pecans in the crumble.
Storage and make-ahead
Make ahead: assemble the filling in the dish, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Keep the crumble in a separate covered bowl in the refrigerator. Scatter it on just before baking and add 10 minutes to the time.
Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven until hot; the topping crisps up again.
The baked casserole freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Frequently asked questions
Should I bake or boil sweet potatoes for casserole?
Bake them. Boiled sweet potatoes absorb water and make a loose, watery filling. Baked ones are sweeter, denser and creamier.
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
Yes, in a pinch. Drain two large cans very well and mash. The flavor is milder, so you may want a little more cinnamon and vanilla.
Why put eggs in sweet potato casserole?
The eggs lighten the filling and help it set, so it scoops into neat soft spoonfuls instead of sliding around the plate.
Can I use walnuts instead of pecans?
Yes. Chopped walnuts work the same way in the crumble. The taste is a little more bitter, so some cooks add an extra spoon of brown sugar.
Bake the potatoes, keep the filling soft, and pile the pecan crumble on thick. And if your family argues about the topping, let them argue while the pecans disappear.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble Topping
An old-fashioned Southern sweet potato casserole: baked sweet potatoes whipped with butter, a little sugar, vanilla and eggs under a crunchy brown sugar pecan crumble, baked in a 9x13 dish at 350 degrees. No marshmallows. US cups with grams.
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 medium sweet potatoes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and set them on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until completely soft when squeezed and the sugar is bubbling out of the skins. Let them cool until you can handle them.
- Turn the oven down to 350 degrees (175°C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and put the flesh in a large bowl. Mash until smooth with a potato masher or beat with a hand mixer.
- Beat in the melted butter, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until smooth and fluffy. Spread the filling evenly in the dish.
- For the crumble, stir the brown sugar, flour, pecans and salt together in a bowl, then pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until it forms big wet clumps.
- Scatter the crumble thickly and evenly over the sweet potatoes, right to the edges.
- Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and crisp and the edges are bubbling.
- Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving so the filling sets.
