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Rolling Sauce

Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

Buttery mashed sweet potatoes with vanilla and cinnamon, topped with a crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel. Assemble up to two days ahead and bake fresh when needed.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 people
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American / Southern
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • - 3 lbs sweet potatoes about 4 large, peeled and cubed
  • - 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • - ¼ cup whole milk or heavy cream
  • - ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
  • - 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • - 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • - ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • - ½ tsp kosher salt
Pecan Streusel Topping
  • - ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
  • - ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • - 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
  • - 1 cup pecans roughly chopped
  • - ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
  2. Boil cubed sweet potatoes in salted water until completely fork-tender, about 15–18 minutes. Drain and let steam-dry in the colander for 2 minutes.
  3. Mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl until smooth. Add the softened butter and stir until melted and incorporated.
  4. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the beaten eggs and milk, then stir until the filling is smooth and creamy. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.
  6. Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes and use your fingertips to work the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbles. Stir in the pecans.
  7. Scatter the streusel evenly over the sweet potato filling.
  8. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling has puffed slightly at the edges.
  9. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Storage: Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 4 days. Reheat covered with foil at 350°F for 20–25 minutes; uncover the last 5 minutes to crisp the topping.
  • Make ahead: Prepare the filling up to 2 days ahead, cover and refrigerate. Store streusel separately. Add cold streusel to cold filling and bake, adding 5–8 minutes to bake time.
  • Swap: For marshmallow topping: bake filling uncovered 25 minutes, top with mini marshmallows, return to oven 10–15 minutes until golden. For nut-free: replace pecans with rolled oats and reduce flour to ¼ cup.