A classic Southern casserole recipe made with whipped sweet potatoes crowned with a pecan praline topping perfect for Thanksgiving or alongside your Christmas ham.
JUMP TO RECIPEHusband will not eat a sweet potato. Every time he sees me with some sweet potatoes he always asks in a pout, Are we having REAL potatoes too??
Husband is Canadian so I let this slide.
I’m one of those odd ducks who eats sweet potatoes like I eat my baked potatoes - with butter, salt and pepper. I actually don’t like them dressed sweet with brown sugar, cinnamon, etc.
But there is one exception. This casserole.
This is one of my favorite side dishes EVER. Maybe it’s because I associate it with my favorite holidays (you know… the eating ones: Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas).
Or maybe it’s that pecan topping. GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING that stuff is good! When I fix my plate, I try to get equal parts sweet potato soufflé and pecan praline topping.
And that’s OK because I cooked it and the cook can get away with that!
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If you're here hunting side dish recipes for the holidays or even a big Sunday dinner, you might enjoy this collection!
Click over to Southern Thanksgiving Side Dishes and find photos and recipe links for my TOP 10 favorite Southern side dishes:
- Southern-Style Baked Macaroni & Cheese
- Collard Greens
- Sweet Potato Praline Casserole
- Confetti Cornbread Salad
- Southern-Style Baked Beans
- Cornbread Dressing with Sausage
- Squash Casserole
- Southern-Style Green Beans & Potatoes
- Pineapple Casserole
- Southern-Style Coleslaw
Recipe for Sweet Potato Pecan Praline Casserole
NOTES ABOUT SWEET POTATO PECAN PRALINE CASSEROLE
- Don't boil the sweet potatoes. I mean it! Baking them concentrates the delicious flavor whereas boiling them releases the flavor and makes them soggy.
- Feel free to use less sugar. Natural sweetness of sweet potatoes varies a lot. Dark orange potaotes are sweeter then lighter, more yellow ones.
- Brown sugar is awesome in this instead of white sugar too!
- A dash of nutmeg or sprinkling of cinnamon are nice additions to the filling.
Sweet Potato Praline Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. sweet potatoes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pierce sweet potatoes a few times with a knife then bake at 400 degrees until tender (usually about an hour for large potatoes). Check tenderness by inserting a knife into the thickest potato – knife should slide in easily with no resistance.
- Allow sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature then remove the skins. Add sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs and butter to a medium bowl or stand mixer.
- Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined. Spread sweet potato mixture evenly into a 2-quart casserole dish then top with Praline Topping.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl then mix with a fork until combined (mixture will be crumbly).
Notes
- Don't boil the sweet potatoes. I mean it! Baking them concentrates the delicious flavor whereas boiling them releases the flavor and makes them soggy.
- Feel free to use less sugar. Natural sweetness of sweet potatoes varies a lot. Dark orange potaotes are sweeter then lighter, more yellow ones.
- Brown sugar is awesome in this instead of white sugar too!
- A dash of nutmeg or sprinkling of cinnamon are nice additions to the filling.
Mandy these sound incredible. I think I'm going to try these this year for Thanksgiving! Thank you for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I hope you like it!
DeleteThis sounds like my grandmother's recipe! Since I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year - I'm thrilled to have it in my hot lil hands!!!! Thanks! ~D
ReplyDeleteI hope it lives up to your grandmother's recipe!
DeleteVery excited to try it. I’ve never skipped boiling them so this is a first!!
DeleteThank you for sharing!! ❤️
Can't wait to try it. My husband & oldest son love it. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
ReplyDeleteVery, very similar to mine and oh so good! Yummmy stuff indeed :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for emphasizing not to boil sweet potatoes ~ ever!!! Baking brings out the natural sugars ~ ahhh all that sweet sugarness! yum!
ReplyDeleteThis is very similar to my sweet potato casserole. It's delish I add a little nutmeg and cinnamon to my sweet potatos while mixin em up though..... Soooooooooo good
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't care what time of year it is...I adore my sweet potatoes!! This sounds absolutely divine for anytime of the year!! Where I live, we do MANY Pot-Luck Dinner get-togethers, so dishes like this come in handy year-round!! I am always on the search for "something different", something "unique", something "nobody else will bring"!! Thank you for another "something" idea for me!!
ReplyDeletedo u have anything that per tains to using dried cranberrie for the holidays i love them.. thanks mary w.
ReplyDeleteI make this for my Honey. He loves it. However, I replace the sugar with bagged splenda to help cut the sugar amount down since he's borderline diabetic. I have been thinking seriously about pouring this in a pie shell and turning it into a pie. I think it's sweet enough to pass.
ReplyDeleteCan Splenda (brown and white) be substituted for this recipe as I can't have any sugar?
ReplyDeleteFor the filling, yes. For the topping, no.
DeleteSweet potato praline casserole will be on my table this year. I really enjoy your recipes and even had to beg forgiveness from the Lord because I had thrown away my bacon fat! Now I'm well stocked, thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the yield for this recipe?
ReplyDeleteMaking for my boyfriends families Thanksgiving this year...Hope it's a great success :)
ReplyDeleteCan you make this a day ahead and reheat it right before serving?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I prep a lot of my casseroles the day before and then cook them while the turkey is resting. If you cook it all the way through the day before, cover with aluminum foil to reheat to prevent it from drying out or the pecans browning too much.
DeleteThanks Mandy! That's what we'll do. Looks delish - can't wait to eat it! And Happy Thanksgiving!
DeleteThank you for this recipe Mandy! It was a HUGE hit with all of our guests yesterday and earned a permanent place on our Thanksgiving menu. Hope you had a wonderful and delicious day too!
Deletehow many will this serve?
ReplyDeleteProbably 12-15 side dish servings.
DeleteI agree with you about enjoying them savory. This recipe looks quite delicious and I will be giving it a go! Thanks for posting the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI'm wanting to do this recipe for thanksgiving this year. I was wondering your thoughts if it would be good to add some sour cream or cream cheese to it to make it a little creamy, or would that ruin it? LOL If so, how much?
ReplyDeleteI made this today for Thanksgiving Dinner and it was a huge hit with everyone.
ReplyDeleteYep, did this last year loved it. I just have one little problem. Lol my grown grandkids are allergic to nuts (bless their hearts) soo I put pecans on half of it. Did fine. I now have a gluten intolerant grandson in law GOOD Grief!!
ReplyDeleteLoved this. I have never been a sweet potato fan, made this for family member who loves sweet potatoes. We all loved it.
ReplyDeleteI made this for our Thanksgiving dinner, and it was absolutely excellent!
ReplyDeleteI use your recipe every year and its a hit!
ReplyDeleteI’m can’t wait to make this for our Thanksgiving dinner! Just wondering if I can freeze it since we will be out of town right before Thanksgiving?
ReplyDeleteThank you!
I haven't before but I would think this would freeze great!
DeleteI have used this recipe for YEARS and it’s always a hit! Thank you ❤️
ReplyDelete