Sweet Potato Casserole with marshmallows and pecans is an easy Thanksgiving side dish recipe we always make. It's the best sweet potato casserole recipe!
We've made this amazing sweet potato casserole since I was a kid. It started out using canned sweet potatoes and evolved to using fresh. The one thing that has always remained the same, though, is the marshmallows! Similar to my Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes but in casserole form!
Sweet Potato Casserole - I don't know if there's an "official" way to make a sweet potato casserole. If there is, I have no idea if I'm totally off the mark or on the right track. All I know is that when you say sweet potatoes and Thanksgiving, this is what you get in my family.
The funny thing about making this sweet potato casserole recipe for the blog was that I actually had to measure everything. This is one of those dishes where we would always just throw everything in and it would turn out awesome. Basically, I've lived by the rule that if a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans is served, it will probably be good. In addition to that, I'm a firm believer that brown sugar, crushed pineapple, pumpkin pie spice, and of course, butter all make necessary additions to this recipe.
I'm a huge potato fan. A sweet potato hash with poached eggs is quite possibly the best breakfast. Ever. I love me some roasted garlic mashed potatoes any day of the week I recently tried adding celery root and gorgonzola to my mashed potatoes. Game changer. And of course there's homemade oven baked rosemary fries. Yeah - potatoes are enjoyed in this foodie household.
We were totally addicted to sugar as kids and have spent the better part of our adult lives trying semi-unsuccesfully to kick the habit. I'm sure some of you can relate. When we were kids, we liked this sweet potato casserole. Would we like it if an adult served us a scoop? Heck no. We liked getting a big scoop of toasted marshmallows by scraping the top and were okay with the bits of sweetened sweet potatoes that stuck to the bottom. It gave it a Thanksgiving flavor, after all. Now, as an adult, I have to show massive restraint and scoop up a portion of sweet potato casserole with the sweet potatoes like a normal adult would do. I have to watch my sisters carefully, though, and I know they watch me, because all three of us are wanting to do the same thing as we did when we were kids.
Oh, I also wanted to mention. You can easily make this sweet potato casserole the day before. Just get to the step where you add the marshmallows, cover it with foil, and stick it into the frig instead of the oven. I try to make as much as I can on the day before so I can actually get a shower in on Thanksgiving day, drink a lot of wine, and munch on appetizers instead of clean up a kitchen that I destroyed in a frantic race to finish dinner before the guests arrive.
How to make Sweet Potato Casserole:
I show the entire process in the video below, but I'll go over some of the highlights here as well.
- You can use canned and drained sweet potatoes or fresh sweet potatoes when you make sweet potato casserole. We used to use sweetened yams as a kid, but now I much prefer to use fresh sweet potatoes and steam them in a pot on the oven or in an Instant Pot. They're easy to mash with a potato masher or even a fork. Have fun with it and throw in a couple purple sweet potatoes like I did for the video.
- Add your mashed sweet potatoes to a casserole dish and simply stir in some crushed pineapple, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, pecans, and butter. I obviously think this is the best sweet potato casserole recipe, but don't be afraid to taste and adjust these fixin's however you'd like!
- Top with mini marshmallows. I suppose there are recipes for sweet potato casserole out there that don't use marshmallows, but if you ask me, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is the way to go. Just cover, cook until heated through, then remove the cover and broil carefully just until the marshmallows brown.
Thanksgiving recipes to serve alongside this delicious Sweet Potato Casserole:
- Damn Good Roast Turkey will impress your Thanksgiving guests! Oven roasted turkey made unbelievably moist and flavorful from apple cider brine and herbs. Or, if you're cooking for a smaller crowd, Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.
- Savory Herb Turkey Gravy is the absolute best homemade turkey gravy from turkey drippings that you can serve with your Thanksgiving dinner.
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce made with fresh cranberries, orange juice and Grand Marnier is a sweet and incredibly flavorful Thanksgiving side dish.
- Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without my favorite side dish: moist and flavorful Wild Mushroom Stuffing made with rosemary bread.
- Stuffed Acorn Squash is full of your favorite Fall and Thanksgiving favorites for a perfect side dish or healthy lunch.
- Pecan Pumpkin Pie combines the best of both worlds into one decadent and perfectly sweet holiday pie that is perfect for Thanksgiving Dinner.
Watch the recipe video below!
Krissy's Sweet Potato Casserole
CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (4 medium sized, peeled and chopped)
- 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup raw pecan pieces
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 10 ounce bag miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, cover sweet potatoes with cool water. Bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain.
- Mash sweet potatoes in 9x9 baking dish. Mix in crushed pineapple, brown sugar, pecan pieces, and pumpkin pie spice. Dot with small pieces of butter and stir. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Cover with marshmallows (that is, whatever's left after your kids steal some) and press into sweet potato mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook until heated through, 30-45 minutes (depending on whether casserole had been stored in the refrigerator). Remove foil and broil just until marshmallows are a deep golden brown. Serve hot.
Debbie
Anyone know if the pineapple should be drained?
Krissy
I never really drain the juice. I just stick a big spoon in the can and scoop it out.
Vickie
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. It is delicious. My only issue was that my marshmallows melted. ☹️ Perhaps I did not press them into the mixture? Next time I will put the marshmallows on after the sweet potatoes are heated up, then broil.
SIMA
I notices there are no eggs in the recipe? Is that correct .
Krissy
Correct. I've never added eggs to my sweet potato casserole.
Amy
I have to make this tonight. Yum! Did you drain the pineapple?
spfoodie
Hi Amy! I did not drain the pineapple. When its crushed, it ends up being kind of a pineapple mash, so I just spooned it in. -Krissy
Kelly @jackandparker
Just in time for Thanksgiving! And this is a really neat recipe with the pineapple!
Anna
I LOVE that you can make this ahead of time and then pop it in the oven!
Cheers to showering on Thanksgiving! Haha.
Pinning!
🙂 Anna
Jill
This sounds delicious! Pinning 🙂
Mary
Pineapple? Yes! We will be trying this soon!!! I'm kind of excited now. I never would have thought to add pineapple to sweet potatoes. Then again, we usually just dump a can of sweet potatoes in a dish, top it with brown sugar and marshmallows, bake and call it good, lol
breanna
This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving - Sweet Potatoe Casserole (: Yummy, def craving it now!