Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole

5 from 76 votes

Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole

This Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic holiday staple. Smooth, custard-like sweet potatoes are baked to perfection and topped with gooey marshmallows and crunchy pecans.

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Total Time1 5

Course: holiday dish, Side Dish, vegetable

Cuisine: American, Vegetarian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 315kcal

Author: Sarah Jenkins

Ingredients

5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
¼ cup whole milk
1 splash orange juice
3 tablespoon brown sugar
5 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt

For The Marshmallow Pecan Crunchy Topping

1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
½ cup dark brown sugar
1-2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large saucepan filled with water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and boil for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and soft.
Drain the water from the sweet potatoes and mash the potatoes. Add the whole milk, orange juice, brown sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and beat until the sweet potato mixture is smooth and creamy.
Transfer the mixture to a greased, shallow 2 ½ - 3 qt baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the crunchy pecan topping. Add the pecans, butter, and brown sugar to a small bowl and mix well.
At the 25-minute mark, add your toppings. You may choose to use all marshmallows, all crunchy pecan topping, or a combination of the two. I like to create stripes so that there’s a little something for everyone. And, it makes a stunning dish.
Pop everything back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the marshmallows have started to brown and the pecan topping is crunchy.

Notes

Use a hand mixer to mix the sweet potatoes in order to make them silky smooth.
Change up the topping by using all marshmallows or all crunchy pecan mixture. Or, make the casserole half n half!
If making ahead, prepare to the point of adding the toppings. If the marshmallows cook for too long when reheating, they will melt into the casserole.

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