• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
TikTok

Jo Cooks

Simple - Easy - Comfort

  • All Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Lunch
      • Dinner
      • Desserts
      • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches
      • Drinks/Cocktails
      • Sauces & Dressings
    • Method
      • Crockpot
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pot
      • Air Fryer
      • Casseroles
    • Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
      • Italian
      • Mexican
      • European
      • Indian
      • Romanian
      • Mediterranean
      • Middle Eastern
      • American
    • Ingredient
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Beef
      • Seafood
      • Lamb
      • Vegetarian
      • Pasta
      • Spices
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
      • Easter
      • Thanksgiving
      • Game Day
      • Valentine's Day
      • St. Patrick's Day
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Mother's Day
      • Memorial Day
      • Father's Day
      • 4th Of July
      • Labor Day
      • Halloween
    • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
    • The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals
    • 30-Minute One-Pot Meals
  • Shop
  • About Jo
FREE recipe eBook!
Search...
All Recipes
Instant Pot
30 Minute
One Pot Meals
Soups
Dips & Dressings
Baking
Pasta
Sandwiches
Sides
Side Dishes Casseroles Vegetarian Potatoes
4.8 from 16 votes

Sweet Potato Casserole

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru 11 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

pin for sweet potato casserole.

This Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving casserole with a crispy cornflake pecan topping and marshmallows. Sweet, crispy and delicious! A must have on your Thanksgiving table!

Table of Contents

  • Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
  • What You’ll Need To Make This Sweet Potato Casserole
    • Casserole
    • Topping
  • How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole
  • How To Cook Sweet Potatoes
  • Sweet Potatoes Or Yams?
  • Let The Casserole Rest Before Serving
  • Storing Leftovers
  • Make Ahead
  • More Delicious Recipes To Try
  • Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole
    • Video
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions 
    • Equipment
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?
sweet potato casserole in a red casserole dish with a spoon inside.

Sweet Potato Casserole

What’s not to love about a sweet potato casserole? It’s sweet and delicious with a crispy cornflake and pecan topping and more importantly it has marshmallows. Sounds like a kid’s dream come true kind of side dish.

But you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy this, it’s for adults too! It really is a must have side dish on your Thanksgiving table, right there next to your favorite stuffing recipe. We’re talking vegetables in a creamy, sweet and decadent way!

You’ll need some brown sugar for extra sweetness, an egg, milk and butter to make it extra creamy, a bit of cinnamon and a pinch of salt to bring all the flavors together.

I love to add a crunchy topping to my casserole; cornflakes, pecans, brown sugar and a bit of butter. In my opinion this crunchiness makes all the difference. Of course, let’s not forget the marshmallows. I love to use the mini ones because they’re super cute, but the large ones work as well.

What You’ll Need To Make This Sweet Potato Casserole

process shots showing how to make the sweet potato filling for casserole.

Casserole

  • Sweet potatoes – Peeled, cut into cubes, and cooked.
  • Spices – Cinnamon pairs really well with sweet potato and creates that all too familiar comfort casserole.
  • Vanilla – Our secret weapon flavor enhancer. Extract works just fine!
  • Sugar – Use brown sugar for this component as it will create caramel notes and depth as well as sweetness.
  • Egg – We’re just using 1 egg today as a binder for our filling.
  • Milk – I used 3.25% as I wanted a nice rich filling but feel free to use whichever fat percentage you prefer.
  • Butter – Use unsalted butter so that you can control the sodium content in your cooking.
  • Seasoning – Salt only.

Topping

  • Sugar – Use brown sugar for this component as it will create caramel notes and depth as well as sweetness.
  • Cornflakes – Crushed up and sprinkled over top for some delightful crunch and texture.
  • Marshmallows – These will brown and puff up perfectly in the oven – trust me you won’t want to skip this step.
  • Pecans – Chopped up for a sharp nutty note.
  • Butter – Use melted unsalted butter so that you can control the sodium content in your cooking.

How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole

  1. Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  2. Create the filling: Add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, milk, egg and salt to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. You can use a hand mixer as well if you wish. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes in the prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
  3. Create the topping: While the casserole is baking, add the cornflakes, pecans, butter and brown sugar to a medium size bowl and toss everything together. Top with marshmallows in the center of the casserole, then sprinkle the cornflake mixture around the marshmallows.
  4. Finish the casserole: Place the dish back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown.
process shots showing how to finish making sweet potato casserole.

How To Cook Sweet Potatoes

There are multiple ways to cook your sweet potatoes. First of all you should clean the sweet potatoes, scrub them then pat them dry.

  1. MICROWAVE: Pierce the potatoes with a fork 5 or 6 times then place them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 5 to 10 min per potato. Add 2 minutes for each additional potato. Make sure to rotate them halfway through. Sweet potatoes are cooked when a fork spears into them easily. If you feel they are too firm, continue cooking them in one-minute increments.
  2. BOIL: Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes in cubes and add them to a large pot of boiling water. Cook them over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.
  3. BAKE: Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then rub each potato with some vegetable oil. Prick the potatoes 5 or 6 times with a fork, then place them on the baking sheet. Depending on the size of your sweet potatoes it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour until they’re done.

Sweet Potatoes Or Yams?

This recipe will work for sweet potatoes or yams- whichever you prefer/ are available to you.

Let The Casserole Rest Before Serving

When you first take the casserole out you’ll notice that there might be a bit of liquid in the dish, but let the casserole rest for 10 to 15 minutes, and the sweet potatoes will soak up all that liquid and all that’s left to do is eat!

sweet potato casserole in a white casserole dish with a spoon inside.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.

Make Ahead

The great thing about this sweet potato casserole is that it can be made ahead of time. Prepare it just as instructed in the recipe but leave out the cornflake topping and marshmallows.

Let it cool completely then cover it up with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Before serving top it with the cornflake topping and marshmallows and bake as instructed.

More Delicious Recipes To Try

  • Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
  • Easy Potato Salad
  • Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes Corn and Kale Bake
  • Chipotle Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins
  • Sweet Potato Turkey Meatballs
  • Sweet Potato Pie

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

sweet potato casserole in a red casserole dish with a spoon inside.
4.75 from 16 votes

Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep 10 minutes minutes
Cook 1 hour hour
Total 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
6
Rate Recipe Print Recipe
This Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving casserole with a crispy cornflake pecan topping and marshmallows. Sweet, crispy and delicious! A must have on your Thanksgiving table!
Prevent your screen from going dark

Video

Ingredients

  • 3 pound sweet potatoes (or yams, peeled and cut into cubes then cooked (about 5 or 6 large))
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter (unsalted, or margarine)
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk (I used 3.25%)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

For Topping

  • 1 cup cornflakes (crushed)
  • ¼ cup pecans (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon butter (unsalted, melted)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  • Create the filling: Add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, milk, egg and salt to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. You can use a hand mixer as well if you wish. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes in the prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Create the filling: Add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, milk, egg and salt to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher. You can use a hand mixer as well if you wish. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes in the prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Create the topping: While the casserole is baking, add the cornflakes, pecans, butter and brown sugar to a medium size bowl and toss everything together. Top with marshmallows in the center of the casserole, then sprinkle the cornflake mixture around the marshmallows.
  • Finish the casserole: Place the dish back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown.

Equipment

  • 9×13-inch Casserole Dish
  • Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3 piece)
  • Potato Masher

Notes

  1. When you first take the casserole out you’ll notice that there might be a bit of liquid in the dish, but let the casserole rest for 10 to 15 minutes, and the sweet potatoes will soak up all that liquid and all that’s left to do is eat!
  2. Store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 413kcal (21%)Carbohydrates: 68g (23%)Protein: 5g (10%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 53mg (18%)Sodium: 281mg (12%)Potassium: 824mg (24%)Fiber: 7g (29%)Sugar: 26g (29%)Vitamin A: 32610IU (652%)Vitamin C: 6.4mg (8%)Calcium: 99mg (10%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

sweet potato casserole in a red casserole dish with a spoon inside.

Did You Make This?

We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @jocooks or hashtag #jocooks so we can see your creations!

Rate Recipe
Add Your Photo!

Originally shared Nov, 2015. Updated with additional information, new pictures and video.

  • 228
  • 1
Home Recipes
Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Through Jo Cooks, I invite you to join me in my kitchen as we explore delicious recipes from around the globe, celebrate the joy of cooking, and make every meal a memorable one. Happy cooking!

Read More
iPad showing title of ebook 30 recipes from around the world
Subscribe

Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.

guest
Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

11 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Shirley Minnie
Shirley Minnie
Posted: 3 years ago

What can I use in place of cornflakes?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Shirley Minnie
Posted: 3 years ago

You can make a topping with flour, brown sugar, melted bother, salt and pecans. Use that instead.

0
Reply
Michelle
Michelle
Posted: 4 years ago

5 stars
I made this for Thanksgiving last year and it was a hit! Everyone is looking forward to having it again this year! Thank you Jo!!

0
Reply
Laura
Laura
Posted: 5 years ago

5 stars
This is the best sweet potato casserole! We LOVE it. I double the topping because it’s so yummy 🙂 it’s a perfect compliment for our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals!!!

0
Reply
Margo Haynes
Margo Haynes
Posted: 6 years ago

5 stars
For the young woman that is allergic to egg. I am 80 and from the south we have never added an egg to our sweet potatoes, we add butter in place of margarine as margarine has additives to it. Believe it or not butter is healthier for you than margarine, pecans are delicious in the potatoes and I am diabetic so I use the Splenda Brown Sugar Mix. We’ve never added dry cereal for the crunch, because of the nuts. In place of milk we add about 1/4 cup of bourbon. The alcohol cooks out of the sweet potatoes and it gives a delicious flavor to the potatoes, I use marshmallows on mine but leave a small portion marshmallow free for me due to my diabetes.

0
Reply
Karen
Karen
Posted: 7 years ago

Do I have to use an egg in this? I have an allergic to eggs in my family. Thanks

0
Reply
Fenne Kieken
Fenne Kieken
Reply to  Karen
Posted: 7 years ago

You could try an egg substitute like EggBeaters if you want or certainly could try some milk as well. Hope this helps

0
Reply
Jo-Ann
Jo-Ann
Reply to  Fenne Kieken
Posted: 5 years ago

5 stars
Hi Jo

This is by far the most delicious Yam casserole dish I’ve made. I make a lot of your recipes – you’re one of my favorite chef!:)

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Jo-Ann
Posted: 5 years ago

Ah, thanks Jo-Ann!

0
Reply
Roberta Coleman
Roberta Coleman
Reply to  Fenne Kieken
Posted: 4 years ago

Can canned sweet potatoes be used for this recipe? I have the 40oz cans of Bruce’s yams.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Roberta Coleman
Posted: 4 years ago

I’ve never tried it myself, but I think it should be ok.

0
Reply

sidebar

Headshot of Joanna Cismaru

Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is the place where I share my passion for easy and delicious recipes. From comforting classics to global flavors, I believe that cooking should be fun, approachable, and most importantly, rewarding. Join me on this culinary journey and let’s get cooking!

Read More
Collage of recipe ebooks
Subscribe

Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

Pasta Favorites

baked mac and cheese in a black cast iron skillet.
45 minutes mins

Baked Mac And Cheese

freshly made crack chicken penne with a wooden spoon in a skillet.
40 minutes mins

Crack Chicken Penne

chicken pot pie pasta in a white serving bowl with a wooden serving spoon.
50 minutes mins

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

freshly made one pot pasta in a dutch oven.
20 minutes mins

One Pot Pasta

tomato spinach chicken pasta in a white bowl.
30 minutes mins

Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta

homemade hamburger helper lasagna from scratch in a skillet.
30 minutes mins

One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna

baked feta pasta in a white bowl garnished with fresh basil.
50 minutes mins

Baked Feta Pasta (Tik Tok Pasta)

sideview shot of chicken fajita pasta in a white bowl with a fork inside
45 minutes mins

Chicken Fajita Pasta

side close up shot of swedish meatball pasta in a beige braised garnished with parsley
30 minutes mins

Swedish Meatball Pasta

overhead shot of a bowl of haluski
40 minutes mins

Haluski (Cabbage and Noodles)

A stack of cookbooks
Grab a copy!

My Cookbooks

Order Now: Amazon | Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Books-A-Million

Dinner Favorites

smothered pork chops in a skillet garnished with parsley.
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Smothered Pork Chops

a wooden spoon lifting a salisbury steak out of the skillet
30 minutes mins

Salisbury Steak

beef lo mein in a black wok.
30 minutes mins

Beef Lo Mein

side shot of beef and broccoli in a skillet
15 minutes mins

Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

skillet shepherd's pie in a cast iron skillet with a portion taken out.
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Skillet Shepherd’s Pie

a serving spoon inside a skillet with chicken broccoli rice casserole.
30 minutes mins

One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

side view shot of two italian stuffed peppers in a bowl
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Italian Stuffed Peppers

a serving of spaghetti bolognese in a white bowl garnished with parsley.
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Spaghetti Bolognese

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
TikTok
Visit our Other Site: Craving Home Cooked

Explore

Recipes
Cookbooks
About Jo
Contact

Legal

Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Disclaimers
© 2023 Jo Cooks
Site Credits
Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
wpDiscuz