Sides · American
Sweet Potato Casserole
Silky sweet potato under a crunchy brown-sugar pecan crumble.
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Hands-off
- 50 min
- Oven preheat
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Makes
- 6 servings (6 to 8)
- Serves
- 6
Recipes often list 45 minutes total. Counting boiling (15-20 min), cooling and mashing, and baking (25-30 min) honestly, it is closer to 75.
Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)
Pan 1.9 L (2-quart) baking dish (US: 2-quart baking dish)
- easy
- vegetarian
- thanksgiving
- holiday
- make-ahead
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? A double batch needs a bigger dish: a 10-12 serving casserole fits a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) dish. Bigger or deeper dishes take longer to set in the middle, so check the centre temperature. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: large pot · colander · potato masher · 2-quart (about 1.9 L) baking dish · 2 mixing bowls · whisk · oven mitts · instant-read thermometer
Contains: egg · milk · wheat · tree nuts
Method
Boil the sweet potatoes
Put the 794 g (1¾ lb) cubes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Ready when: The cubes are very tender and crush easily against the side of the pot with a fork.
Drain, cool and mash
Drain the potatoes, let them cool for a few minutes, then mash until smooth.
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4, 350°F) and butter the baking dish.
Ready when: The oven has reached 180°C (350°F).
Make the filling
Whisk the mash with 57 g (4 tbsp) melted butter, 120 ml (½ cup) milk, 53 g (¼ cup) brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp salt and the 2 eggs. Spread it in the dish.
Otto tried this firstOtto whisks the eggs into piping-hot mash and gets little scrambled bits. Let the mash cool a bit first.Make the pecan topping
Mix 60 g (½ cup) flour, 106 g (½ cup) brown sugar, 57 g (4 tbsp) melted butter and ¼ tsp salt until moist and clumpy. Stir in the 85 g (¾ cup) pecans.
Top and bake
Scatter the topping evenly over the filling and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.
Ready when: The topping is golden, the centre is mostly set (barely wobbles), and a thermometer in the middle reads at least 74°C (165°F) because the filling contains eggs. If not, bake on and check every 5 minutes.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- Make the filling up to 1 day ahead: let it cool, spread it in the buttered dish, cover and refrigerate. Make the topping and sprinkle it on just before baking. A cold dish takes longer to heat through, so go by the centre temperature, not the clock.
- Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in an airtight container. Eat within 2 days.
- Reheat
- Cover with foil and reheat at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes, until the centre is steaming hot, 74°C (165°F).
If something goes wrong
- Filling too sweet or too bland
Sweet potatoes vary in sweetness. Taste the mash before you add the eggs and adjust the sugar then. - Scrambled flecks of egg in the filling
The mash was too hot when the eggs went in. Let it cool for a few minutes after draining and mashing.
Safety
- The filling contains raw egg until it's baked. Taste for sweetness only before the eggs go in.
- Pecans are tree nuts. Tell guests, and keep a nut-free side on the table if anyone is allergic.
- Boiling water and a hot dish: drain away from you, use oven mitts, and keep kids back from the oven door.