Sweet Potato Crunch: Not only does this easy sweet potato casserole smell heavenly while baking, but it tastes amazing too! Buttery sweet potatoes with a hint of nutmeg are topped with a crunchy cinnamon pecan topping that is to die for. They rank right up there with these candied yams, for the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.
This sweet potato crunch recipe will be your new Thanksgiving dinner must-have easy recipe! Serve it alongside our popular green bean casserole recipe and our corn casserole and the table will be full of goodness.
Creamy sweet potatoes meets a golden brown, crunchy topping in this recipe for your Thanksgiving table. If you are looking for more Thanksgiving-inspired recipes, I think you’d love this Sweet Potato Pie recipe, this Thanksgiving Instant Pot Turkey Breast recipe as well as this Classic Orange Fluff Salad recipe to add to your Thanksgiving meal planner.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a Thanksgiving classic: Sweet potato casserole and Thanksgiving go hand in hand. This upgrade is just what you need to spice things up this year!
- Make-ahead recipe: You can easily make this recipe ahead of time before reheating for your Thanksgiving dinner.
- It uses simple ingredients: All of the ingredients in this recipe are easy to find and affordable!
Ingredients Needed
I’ve highlighted a couple of ingredients below with some relevant notes. Aside from this, the ingredients needed are pretty basic.
- Cooked Sweet Potatoes – We suggest buying sweet potatoes and cooking them yourself.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is what helps caramelize the pecans. Make sure to choose that over white sugar.
- Chopped Pecans – We suggest chopping them yourself for a more organic cut.
Substitutions
Sometimes substitutions are necessary because of ingredients that are unavailable or needed for dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions that can help:
- Butter – If you do not want to use melted butter, you can use a cooking oil of your choice for this recipe. Keep in mind that the flavor might change a little bit.
- Sweet Potatoes – If you would prefer, you can buy precooked sweet potatoes for this recipe.
How to Make Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole
Making your sweet potato crunch recipe for Thanksgiving is fairly simple.
This Sweet Potato Crunch is broken into 3 components:
- making the sweet potato base
- making the pecan crust
- layering and baking
This can easily be a make-ahead meal for Thanksgiving dinner! Simply make it ahead of time and then pop it back into the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes to warm it back up!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
Remember, this recipe calls for cooked sweet potatoes. You will either want to cook the sweet potatoes yourself (what we recommend) or buy pre-cooked sweet potatoes.
Prepare by preheating the oven to 350℉ and greasing a 9×13” baking dish.
STEP 1. Mash the Sweet Potatoes. In a large bowl, mash the fresh sweet potatoes using a potato masher or fork. (Image 1).
Tip: If you are cooking the sweet potatoes yourself, cook them right before mashing but be sure to let them cool a little bit before mashing and mixing into this recipe.
STEP 2. Combine the Wet. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, melted butter, brown sugar, and nutmeg. (Image 2).
STEP 3. Combine. Pour the egg mixture (room temperature or not is fine) into the large bowl with the mashed sweet potatoes. Using a whisk, electric mixer, or fork, mix the ingredients together until they are combined. It’s okay if the potatoes are lumpy. (Image 3).
STEP 4. Make the Topping. To make the topping, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl until combined. The mixture will be like wet sand. (Image 4).
STEP 5. Add the Pecans. Add the chopped pecans to the topping mixture and stir to combine. (Image 5).
STEP 6. Start to Layer. Spread the creamy sweet potatoes mixture into the casserole dish in an even layer. (Image 6).
STEP 7. Add the Pecan Topping. Sprinkle the pecan topping onto the potatoes in an even layer. (Image 7).
STEP 8. Bake. Bake the casserole for about 30-40 minutes or until the topping has browned and the potatoes have cooked through. You can cover the casserole with foil if the top becomes too brown while baking. (Image 8).
Recipe FAQs
Sweet potato dishes are very popular around fall, specifically around Thanksgiving for the holiday meal. This is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving and a family favorite!
I suggest that you freeze the sweet potato casserole without baking it, pausing just before you add the pecan topping, and store it in the freezer for a maximum of three months.
Yes! Get the sweet potato casserole all set and ready, but hold off on baking it. Just wrap it up with a double layer of aluminum foil and toss it in the freezer for as long as three months.
Freshly cooked sweet potatoes and store-bought pre-cooked sweet potatoes do have a bit of a taste difference. When you cook sweet potatoes fresh, they tend to have a richer, more intense flavor, and their natural sweetness really shines through. On the other hand, store-bought pre-cooked sweet potatoes can be convenient but might not have that same depth of flavor. They can sometimes be a tad softer and slightly less sweet since they’ve been prepped in advance. So, if you’re all about that sweet potato goodness, going fresh might be the way to go for that extra flavor kick!
To make this sweet potato crunch recipe with canned yams, you would follow the same instructions and just swap out the sweet potatoes mentioned for canned yams!
I don’t see why not! Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without a mini marshmallow and sweet potato dish! Simply add them to the crunchy pecan crumble topping for some added sweetness.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Crunch
We recommend serving it with the hero of Thanksgiving, this Turkey recipe!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
More Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love
If you are creating your Thanksgiving menu, make sure to check out these delicious Thanksgiving-inspired recipes, especially this southern broccoli casserole recipe!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Sweet Potato Crunch
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes About 4 large sweet potatoes, cooked and fork-tender
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Topping
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 9×13” baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mash the potatoes using a potato masher or fork.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, melted butter, brown sugar, and nutmeg.
- Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl with the mashed sweet potatoes. Using a whisk, hand mixer, or fork, mix the ingredients together until they are combined. It’s okay if the potatoes are lumpy.
- To make the topping, mix the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl until combined. The mixture will be like wet sand.
- Add the chopped pecans to the topping mixture and stir to combine.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture into the baking dish in an even layer.
- Sprinkle the pecan topping onto the potatoes in an even layer.
- Bake the casserole for about 30-40 minutes or until the topping has browned and the potatoes have cooked through. You can cover the casserole with foil if the top becomes too brown while baking.
Notes
- The sweet potatoes need to be cooked before using them in this recipe. Use your favorite method of cooking potatoes – you can boil, bake, or steam them as long as they are fork-tender when assembling them for the recipe.
- Make sure the potatoes aren’t hot when adding the other ingredients to them. You don’t want the egg mixture to cook before it gets into the oven.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
jess says
this potato recipe was so good and I love the crunch on top! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe
Andie says
YUM YUM YUM! Sweet potato casserole has always been one of my favs and I’m always trying to find a new delicious recipe so I LOVED finding this one! Will be saving it for next time.
Toni says
I love how easy this is to make! Thanks so much for the recipe!