A delicious Southern Sweet Potato Casserole made with fresh sweet potatoes and topped with a streusel topping. This family favorite is a must-have for your Holiday meal! Classic, sweet and smooth Southern side dish.
For years, I've looked forward to sharing my family's old-fashioned sweet potato casserole recipe. A true Southern classic that's been passed down for generations via an old handwritten recipe. The casserole is delightfully sweet, smooth, and topped with a crunchy streusel topping.
Made with baked sweet potatoes for the best flavor and texture, the casserole is a must-have side dish for Thanksgiving or any holiday table. Because of a nut allergy in my family, I use a coconut oat topping, but I've also included directions for the traditional pecan streusel topping.
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Classic Southern staple.
- Smooth, sweet potato base.
- A delicious and crunchy streusel topping.
- Easy to make ahead of time for the holidays.
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: This recipe uses 3.5 pounds (about 6 medium sized sweet potatoes). I recommend baking them for the best flavor and texture.
- Butter: Helps to make the filling silky smooth.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the dish, this is a traditional Southern Sweet Potato Casserole, which is like a dessert.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Table Salt: A pinch of salt helps balance the sweetness.
- Milk or evaporated milk: A splash of milk helps create the creamy sweet potato filling. Evaporated milk was common in the old-fashioned recipes and gives a richer filling.
Streusel Topping Ingredients
- Brown sugar: Sweetens the topping and gives that warm, toasted brown sugar taste to the dish.
- All-Purpose flour
- Butter
- Rolled Oats: Adds a little crunch to the topping.
- Sweetened Coconut Flakes: A nut-free alternative to the pecans, gives a toasty flavor and some nice texture to the silky sweet potatoes. You can swap in pecans for the coconut and oats for a classic topping.
How to make
- Make sweet potato base: Combine mashed cooked sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, milk and vanilla extract.
- Place smooth sweet potato layer in casserole dish. Prepare coconut oatmeal streusel topping.
- Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over sweet potato layer.
- Bake sweet potato casserole in oven at 350F for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Recipe Tips
Make sweet potato casserole smooth: I recommend baking the sweet potatoes until they are tender. When they have cooled enough to handle, remove the peel and discard any stringy pieces. Use a potato ricer for the smoothest consistency. A hand masher or an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment will also work.
You can also use evaporated milk in place of the milk for an extra creamy consistency.
Variations
- Use pecans instead of coconut and oats in the streusel for a traditional Southern topping.
- Use marshmallows for a topping.
- Add more flavor such as cinnamon, orange zest or a splash of bourbon in the sweet potatoes.
Serving & Storage
Serving: Serve sweet potato casserole warm. This is a quintessential Southern side dish for Thanksgiving and often makes appearances at Christmas and Easter too. Excellent side for roast turkey, baked ham or roasted chicken.
Storage: Store leftover casserole in the fridge, covered. Best if eaten within 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in the oven.
To freeze baked casserole: Allow casserole to completely cool. Wrap with saran wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove casserole from freezer and let thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat, covered with foil at 350F for 30-40 minutes, or until warmed through.
📖 Recipe
Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds (about 6 medium) sweet potatoes
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ cup milk or evaporated milk
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Bake sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place washed sweet potatoes on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of potatoes. Potatoes are done when they feel soft when squeezed and a fork can easily be inserted to the center. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Mash sweet potatoes. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skins from baked sweet potatoes, discard any stringy pieces. Mash sweet potatoes until flesh is smooth using a potato ricer, a hand masher or with an electric mixer.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, butter, and sugar. Mix until smooth. Stir in eggs, vanilla extract, salt and milk. Mix on low until eggs and milk are combined. Transfer sweet potato mixture to a 9 X 13 - inch casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar and flour. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture looks crumbly. Add oats and coconut flakes, mixing until everything is evenly coated. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over sweet potatoes.
- Bake sweet potato casserole in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until streusel topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve casserole warm.
Notes
Nutrition
I hope your family enjoys this classic sweet potato casserole. My 6-year-old loves it so much, he has requested it in lieu of a birthday cake.
Alaine
More holiday recipes you may enjoy:
Alaine says
So good my son requests this for his birthday 🙂
Deb says
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
Alaine says
I haven't tried it with canned, but yes you can. Here's how you would adjust: Drain two 40 ounce cans and pat the potatoes dry, so the casserole doesn't get too watery. If they are canned in syrup, you will want to reduce the sugar. Mash the potatoes and follow the rest of the recipe as written. Canned sweet potatoes have a milder flavor, if you wanted to add more flavor you could add more vanilla, cinnamon or an extra tablespoon of butter to the potatoes. Hope this helps!