Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

Let’s be honest: this sweet potato casserole is the reason people show up to Thanksgiving. Or Tuesday. Or anytime you need a warm, cinnamon-scented hug in casserole form.

This version skips the marshmallows (sorry, not sorry) and goes for something a little more grown-up—but still totally crave-able. We’re talking creamy sweet potatoes whipped with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey, then topped with a layer of golden toasted pecans that get all crispy and magical in the oven. It’s cozy, it’s comforting, and it walks the line between dinner and dessert like a total pro.

Ingredients you’ll need

To get started making this recipe, you’ll first want to gather all your ingredients.

Here is what you’ll need:

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Boil your sweet potatoes in a large stock pot of water until fork-tender (about 20 minutes), then mash them up real good. (You can use a mixer if you’re fancy or just a fork if you’re me and forgot to charge the hand mixer again.) Or, you can leave them whole and quarter them up.

Step 2: Mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a drizzle of honey. Taste it. Try not to eat it all with a spoon. Fail slightly.

Step 3: Add your sweet potatoes first to a lightly sprayed or greased casserole dish. Then add the brown sugar, spices, honey mixture over the top. If you’ve mashed your sweet potatoes, you’ll need to mix them with a spoon. If you’ve quartered them, you’ll just need to move them around with a spoon until well coated with the mixture.

Step 4: Top with toasted pecans. You can toast them in a dry skillet for a few minutes until they smell like autumn happiness.

Step 5: Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden and your kitchen smells like Thanksgiving.

Want Marshmallows? I Got You.

I know some of y’all are die-hard marshmallow fans when it comes to sweet potato casserole. And while I usually go the pecan route (team crunch forever), you can absolutely add marshmallows to this recipe if that’s what your sweet tooth demands.

Here’s how to do it:

After spreading the mashed sweet potato mixture into your dish, you’ve got two options:

1. Half-and-half situation: Cover half the casserole with toasted pecans and the other half with mini marshmallows—best of both worlds and no family fights at the table.
2. Double topping magic: Go all in and add a layer of pecans and a layer of mini marshmallows on top. Bake it until the marshmallows are golden and gooey and the pecans are perfectly toasted. Yes, it’s indulgent. Yes, it’s worth it.

This sweet potato casserole is one of those “oops, I ate it straight from the fridge at midnight” kind of recipes. It’s simple, soul-warming, and—best of all—requires zero marshmallows to be the star of the show.

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Casserole That’s Basically Dessert

Creamy sweet potato casserole with honey and toasted pecans—no marshmallows needed. The perfect holiday side dish that doubles as dessert!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole

Servings: 6 people

Author: Sarah@TheHotMessKitchen

Ingredients

• 4-5 large sweet potatoes peeled and then boiled until fork tender
• 1 cup light brown sugar you can bring it down to 1/2 cup if preferred
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 cup toasted pecans

Instructions

• Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Boil your sweet potatoes in a large stock pot of water until fork-tender (about 20 minutes), then mash them up real good. (You can use a mixer if you’re fancy or just a fork if you’re me and forgot to charge the hand mixer again.) Or, you can leave them whole and quarter them up.
• Mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a drizzle of honey. Taste it. Try not to eat it all with a spoon. Fail slightly.
• Add your sweet potatoes first to a lightly sprayed or greased casserole dish. Then add the brown sugar, spices, honey mixture over the top. If you’ve mashed your sweet potatoes, you’ll need to mix them with a spoon. If you’ve quartered them, you’ll just need to move them around with a spoon until well coated with the mixture.
• Top with toasted pecans. You can toast them in a dry skillet for a few minutes until they smell like autumn happiness.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden and your kitchen smells like Thanksgiving.

Notes

I know some of y’all are die-hard marshmallow fans when it comes to sweet potato casserole. And while I usually go the pecan route (team crunch forever), you can absolutely add marshmallows to this recipe if that’s what your sweet tooth demands.

Here’s how to do it:

After spreading the mashed sweet potato mixture into your dish, you’ve got two options:

1. Half-and-half situation: Cover half the casserole with toasted pecans and the other half with mini marshmallows—best of both worlds and no family fights at the table.
2. Double topping magic: Go all in and add a layer of pecans and a layer of mini marshmallows on top. Bake it until the marshmallows are golden and gooey and the pecans are perfectly toasted. Yes, it’s indulgent. Yes, it’s worth it.

Pro Tip

Just remember: add the marshmallows during the last 10 minutes of baking so they don’t burn. They go from golden to campfire disaster real fast.