Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2024)

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Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - cinnamon and cloves spiced sweet potato casserole with gooey, toasted marshmallow topping. A classic holiday dinner side dish!

Serve this casserole with my Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and Cranberry Relish.

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (1)

CLASSIC SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

A classic sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallow topping is a must side dish for our holiday dinners. I know my kids always look forward to it because let's be honest, the toasted marshmallow topping is quite irresistible. I make it even more delicious by adding cinnamon and cloves to the sweet potato mixture and adding an extra layer of brown sugar just before the marshmallows. This Classic Sweet Potato Casserole with marshmallow topping is a must side dish for the holiday dinners. It's easy and can be made ahead of time, which is great when you are making it for the holiday dinner.

How to make Classic Sweet Potato Casserole?

Start by cooking the potatoes until soft. Drain well. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, spices, salt, butter, and eggs and whip the mixture with a hand mixer or mash with potato masher. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish and spread the sweet potato mixture in the dish. Top with mini marshmallows and bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden and toasted. Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2)

How to cook sweet potatoes for a casserole?

The most common way to cook sweet potatoes for a casserole is to peel them, chop them and cook on a stovetop in a pot. Since I had my Instant Pot, I let it do the work and I have the stovetop free to make gravy or the cranberry sauce. You can also cook sweet potatoes baked style, scoop the flesh and mash for the casserole.

Tips for making the best Sweet Potato Casserole:

  • After your potatoes are cooked till soft, it is important to drain them well. Best to do it over a colander and let as much water drip out as possible. It will prevent it from collecting at the bottom of your casserole.
  • Add cinnamon and cloves for added flavor, perfect for the holidays.
  • To make it ahead, cool potatoes after cooking, mix with remaining ingredients and spread the mixture in a buttered casserole dish. Do not top with marshmallows just yet. Wait to do that just before baking. If you chill the casserole in the fridge, let it sit for 30 minutes in room temperature before baking. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may shatter.

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (3)

Can I make sweet potato casserole ahead of time?

Cook potatoes till soft, cool completely, then mix with remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in a buttered dish and cover the dish with saran wrap. Store in the fridge. Wait to top it with marshmallows (or pecan brown sugar topping) just before baking, for best results. After you take the casserole out of the fridge, let it sit in room temperature for 30 minutes. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may shatter.

MORE THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES:

  • Green Bean Casserole from scratch OR cooked in Slow Cooker
  • Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • Homemade Cranberry Sauce
  • Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing
  • Sweet Corn Casserole

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (4)

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (5)

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

Author: Anna

Cinnamon and cloves spiced sweet potato casserole with gooey, toasted marshmallow topping. A classic holiday dinner side dish!

4.97 from 28 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lbs sweet potatoes
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

  • Start by peeling and chopping sweet potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook until potatoes are soft. Drain well (see note).

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.

  • Place cooked potatoes in large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, butter, spices, salt, vanilla and eggs and mash with potato masher or whip with hand mixer.

  • Spread the mixture in prepared casserole dish. Top with ¼ cup of brown sugar, sprinkling it evenly over the top.

  • Layer marshmallows in a single layer on top.

  • Bake casserole for 12 to 15 minutes OR until the marshmallows are golden and toasted and the sides are bubbling. I always place it under the broiler for just 2 minutes to toast the topping just a bit more. You have to watch it carefully so it won't burn.

  • Cool casserole for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

To make ahead:Cook potatoes till soft, cool completely, then mix with remaining

ingredients. Spread mixture in buttered dish and cover the dish with saran wrap. Store in

the fridge. Wait to top it with marshmallows (or pecan brown sugar topping) just before

baking, for best results. After you take the casserole out of the fridge, let it sit in a room

temperature for 30 minutes. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may

shatter.

Drain cooked potatoes well, to prevent the water from collecting at the bottom of the

casserole.

Nutrition

Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 832mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 32410IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment with rating below!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Did you make this recipe? Let me know!

  1. Denise says

    Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (10)
    Absolutely fantabulous!! Made this recipe twice in two days, it went fast, seconds and had really great raves.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Wonderful! Thank you so much for making my recipe, Denise!

      Reply

  2. Mary Beth Gibson says

    Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (11)
    I love, love, love this recipe. The dish is simply scrumptious and it is easy to make. So good!

    Reply

  3. Courtney says

    Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (12)
    Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I doubled it and it turned out great! Everyone LOVED it!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      That's fantastic! Thank you so much, Courtney!

      Reply

  4. Trish says

    Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (13)
    We made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and it was perfect! Directions were great, spices were perfect! We’ll be making it every year, thanks so much Anna for sharing your recipe. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      You are very welcome, Trish! Thank you for giving it a try! I am so glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply

    • Rita says

      Try a little almond extract my girls love it!

      Reply

      • Anna says

        Sounds perfect, Rita!

  5. Missy says

    Hello. I would like to try this recipe it sounds so good. I wanted to know approximately how many sweet potatoes do you use ( I know it says the weight but was wondering how many that generally is)

    Reply

  6. Kelsey says

    Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (14)
    Made this for the first time for Thanksgiving today. Everyone loved it and it was so easy to make. I'm saving this recipe to make for holidays now.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      I am so happy to know you love the dish, Kelsey! Thank you for giving it a try!

      Reply

  7. Adrena says

    Hello ! I’m just wondering if I make the casserole ahead will the cook time be longer than 15 minutes since it was in the fridge ? Or if letting it get room temperature solve it

    Reply

« Older Comments

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a sweet potato casserole not runny? ›

Eggs and cream help stabilize the dish and prevent it from becoming too runny (a common complaint with many sweet potato casserole recipes). Make it as smooth or chunky as you like!

Why put egg in sweet potato casserole? ›

The egg is the all-important binder in a sweet potato casserole: it enriches and stiffens the mixture without making it heavy. Make sure to cool the mash slightly before adding the egg so it doesn't scramble, and to stir well so there are no streaks of cooked egg white in the finished dish.

Why is my sweet potato crunchy? ›

There is nothing worse than an undercooked sweet potato. Instead of being tender and moist, it'll be hard and crunchy.

How do you make sweet potatoes less sweet? ›

The longer and slower you cook a sweet potato, the more maltose is formed and the sweeter it will taste. So if you want a much less sweet potato try steaming it, or cut it into small pieces and roast on a higher heat.

Why do sweet potatoes not go crispy? ›

Don't overcrowd the baking sheet!

This is an important one! If the baking sheet it too crowded, the sweet potatoes will not crisp.

How do you thicken a sweet potato casserole? ›

Everything you'll need to make this recipe.

Choose orange sweet potatoes for the best flavor and sweetness. Brown sugar adds a depth of flavor with a hint of molasses and helps create a caramel-like sauce. All-purpose flour will help thicken the sauce and give some structure.

Why is my sweet potato casserole so watery? ›

Why is my sweet potato casserole watery? If you overcook your sweet potatoes, they may begin to absorb too much liquid, making them watery. It's important to cut your potatoes into equal-sized pieces so that they all cook at the same rate. Make sure to remove them from the steamer as soon as they are fork-tender!

Why do you soak sweet potatoes before baking? ›

The cold water bath helps rinse the starch off the sweet potatoes so they're a bit more crispy. That said, if you do not have the time, you can still get crispy baked sweet potato fries by using high heat and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Why is my potato bake still crunchy? ›

Size and Cut: The size and cut of the potato pieces can also affect their cooking time. Smaller pieces will cook faster and become softer than larger ones. If the potato cubes were too large or unevenly cut, this might result in some pieces remaining crunchy.

Is it OK to eat crunchy sweet potato? ›

Yes it is safe to eat uncooked sweet potato.

Why are my potatoes not crunchy? ›

However, dry heat is only one contributing factor. So if your potatoes aren't crisping in the oven, the problem likely lies in how you place them on the baking sheet. If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit.

What brings out the flavor of sweet potatoes? ›

The potatoes themselves get a rich, almost toffee-like complexity due to the slow roasting. Adding butter that's been cooked down until its milk solids just begin to turn brown and nutty accentuates that flavor even more. Some folks like to add cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to their sweet potatoes.

What makes a sweet potato sweeter? ›

Sweet potatoes are between 1 and 2.5 per cent sugar when raw, but they get sweeter as they cook thanks to the work of amylase enzymes that break down starch into simple sugars. These enzymes are most active at 75°C (167°F).

Why do my sweet potatoes not taste sweet? ›

So if you want a sweet, sweet potato, you have to cook it until it reaches 135–170°F (57–77°C). And you want to keep sweet potatoes in that range for as long as possible. That will maximize how sweet the potatoes taste.

How do you thicken up sweet potato casserole? ›

The casserole needs at least 15-20 minutes to cool before serving. The casserole sets up as it cools. However, if you prefer a really thick sweet potato casserole, you can add about 2-3 tablespoons of flour to your sweet potato batter and this will help the mixture to thicken.

How do you make a casserole less liquidy? ›

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener.

A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking. You can also substitute chickpea flour for cornstarch. Chickpea flour is an excellent thickener for savory dishes.

How do you fix a watery casserole? ›

10 Tips To Fix Or Prevent Watery Casseroles
  1. Prep Vegetables Ahead Of Time. Vegetables boiling on a stove - Solstock/Getty Images. ...
  2. Add A Starch. ...
  3. Experiment With Pasta Or Grains. ...
  4. Take The Lid Off. ...
  5. Drain Fat From Meat. ...
  6. Choose A Dry Or Low-Fat Cheese. ...
  7. Sprinkle Seeds Into Your Bake. ...
  8. Remove Excess Liquid.
Oct 29, 2023

Why is my potato casserole runny? ›

My sauce is watery

If you stored your potatoes in water to prevent discoloring, be sure to drain them well and pat them dry before adding to your casserole. Some of the waxier potatoes can release more water than starchier ones, so look for good baking potatoes like russet or Yukon golds.

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