This easy old fashioned sweet potato casserole recipe is a Thanksgiving side dish made with fresh sweet potatoes and topped with crunchy pecans or marshmallows. It’s creamy, sweet, and easy to make ahead.
This recipe makes 8 servings but scales easily to a small batch or for two, making it practical for a small holiday dinner or the whole Thanksgiving crowd.
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Featured Comment by Ellen:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Just made this for Thanksgiving dinner, and I'm blown away by how good it is! ….Turned out fabulous, my favorite dish this year!"
📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: A classic holiday recipe made with fresh sweet potatoes, a creamy custard filling, and your choice of pecan or marshmallow topping.
Why: Easy to make ahead over a few days. Makes 8 servings but scales easily to a small batch or for two.
How: Bake and peel the sweet potatoes, mash and mix with the custard ingredients, then top and bake for about 30 minutes.
🍠 Ingredients
- Fresh sweet potatoes – the star of the dish. Skip the canned for the best results.
- Custard ingredients – eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, butter, and milk.
- Pecan topping – chopped pecans, brown sugar, butter, and a little flour for that crunchy finish.
- Optional marshmallow topping – mini marshmallows (or chopped larger ones) for the traditional sweet Thanksgiving twist.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole
The photos show my daughter making a double batch; the same steps are used for a full 8-serving casserole, a small-batch for 4, or a casserole for 2.
1. Prepare the sweet potatoes & custard
Scrub and bake sweet potatoes 1–1½ hours until soft. Cool, peel by hand, and mash until smooth.
Whisk the custard: eggs, sugar, salt, melted butter, vanilla, and milk.
2. Mix the casserole base
Mix the custard with the mashed sweet potatoes, then spoon into the casserole dish.
3. Make & add topping
Chop pecans; mix with brown sugar, melted butter, and flour.
Spread the topping evenly over the casserole.
4. Bake until golden
Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and the center reaches 165°F.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips and variations.
📅 Make Ahead
Assemble the casserole base without the topping, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add the topping just before baking, then bake to 165°F in the center.
Do not freeze uncooked — the guidance on this is inconsistent, and it’s not worth the risk. If you want to freeze, bake it fully, cool, then freeze.
✅ Pro Tip: Bake the sweet potatoes a few days ahead (that’s the most time- and oven-consuming part). Then assemble and refrigerate within the 24-hour window, adding the topping just before baking.
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😊 Marshmallow Topping for Sweet Potato Casserole
For a marshmallow topping, skip the brown sugar–pecan mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup of chopped pecans over the casserole before baking. Bake for about 20 minutes, then add 1½ cups of marshmallows for the last 10 minutes.
You can use mini marshmallows or cut up larger ones.
✅ Pro Tip: Some minis don’t melt or brown well. Unless you’re confident in your brand, cut full-size marshmallows into smaller pieces — they brown more evenly and look better on the finished casserole.
🥘 Small-Batch Sweet Potato Casserole & Baking Dish Options
This recipe is written as a full-size casserole with about 8 servings. You can also make a half recipe for 4 servings or a quarter recipe for two servings.
- Baking dishes – Full recipe fits in a 2½-quart casserole or 9×12 baking dish. Half recipe: 6×9, 8-inch square, or 9-inch round. Quarter recipe: 6-inch round or 5-inch square (or whatever small dish you have that fits).
- Scaling tips – Adjust servings in the recipe card to 4 or 2. Use the ingredient list amounts (the step instructions don’t auto-adjust). Round the egg to a whole number.
- Cooking time – Bake until browned on top and the center reaches 165°F. Time will vary depending on dish size and casserole thickness.
✅ Pro Tip: The leftovers are wonderful. A quarter batch is a lot of work for only two servings, so I usually suggest making a half batch and enjoying a few leftovers or freezing some.
🍽️ Other Small-Batch Holiday Recipes
Sweet potato casserole is an essential part of our Thanksgiving dinner spread — right alongside Roasted Turkey Breast, Green Bean Casserole, Sausage Dressing, and Easy Dinner Rolls.
❄️ Storage
Refrigerate cooked leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Small portions – Reheat in the microwave.
Larger amounts – Cover with foil and warm in a 325°F–350°F oven for 20–25 minutes.
❓ FAQs
Not exactly. True yams are different from sweet potatoes and are uncommon in most U.S. grocery stores. What Americans commonly see labeled as “yams” are usually varieties of sweet potato and should be labeled “yam sweet potatoes.”
The USDA recommends that casseroles with eggs be cooked to 165°F in the center before serving.
Not recommended. The texture is too soft and won’t give the same flavor or consistency as using fresh sweet potatoes.
📖The Recipe Card
Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 3 cups sweet potatoes - about 3-4 medium
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ stick butter - melted
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup pecans - chopped
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ⅓ stick butter - melted
- 1½ cup mini-marshmallows - or chopped large marshmallows
- ½ cup chopped pecans - optional
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the sweet potatoes & custard
- Scrub and bake sweet potatoes. Give them a good scrub and poke with a fork a few times to vent steam. You will need about 3 cups, so 3-4 medium sweet potatoes. Bake at 375° for 1 to 1 ½ hours until very soft.
- Allow the sweet potatoes to cool, then peel them by hand—they will peel easily. You can refrigerate them before or after peeling until needed, up to three days.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat 3 cups of sweet potatoes until smooth. A stand or hand mixer works, but you can also do this by hand. A bit more sweet potato is fine.
- In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs, ¼ cup of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ stick of melted butter, 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla, and ½ cup of milk.
Mix the casserole base
- Add to mashed sweet potatoes and mix well.
- Pour into a well-oiled (using Pam or butter) oven-safe casserole dish of 2½ quarts or larger. You may cover and refrigerate at this point for 24 hours.
Brown Sugar Pecan Topping
- Chop the pecans.
- Mix topping in a medium bowl. 1½ cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of flour, ⅓ stick melted butter, and ½ cup of chopped pecans.
- Add topping to sweet potatoes. You may cover and refrigerate at this point for 24 hours.
Bake until golden brown
- Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes until golden brown and 165°F minimum internal temperature.
Marshmallow Topping Option
- Skip the above topping. Top with ½ cup of chopped pecans before baking. With about 10 minutes left in baking, add 1½ cups of mini marshmallows or chopped full-size marshmallows.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
Precook the sweet potatoes up to 3 days ahead. The recipe calls for 3 cups of sweet potatoes, but a bit more is fine. That will be 3-4 medium potatoes. This fits in a 2½-quart or larger casserole dish. You can use a 9x12 baking dish if you want. Instructions for making this old fashioned sweet potato casserole as a half or quarter batch are in the post. Cook to a nice brown with an internal temperature of at least 165°F. If the top browns too quickly but the temperature is still too low, tent lightly with foil until done. Make-ahead options are in the post.- After cooking, store refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
This wonderful recipe was brought into our family from our son-in-law's family for our first Thanksgiving together and has been a staple ever since.
Editor's Note: Originally Published December 3, 2011. Updated with expanded options, improved instructions, and refreshed photos.
Ashlee says
The better came out great. It would have been even better if I invested in a mixer. I added pecan and marshmallow. I will make this again.
DrDan says
Hi Cary,
You are right, it is 1/2 stick for this size of recipe. We usually do a double or triple recipe.
However, 1/2 cup would be double the butter and would work fine.
You get the eagle eye award for the day. It has been this way since 2011 and the recipe has been visited over 300,000 times. You're the first. Now fixed.
Thanks for the proofread and have a great holiday.
Dan
Ellen says
Just made this for Thanksgiving dinner and I'm blown away by how good it is! I cooked it in an 8" square pan, so the topping was rather thick on top; after I took it out of the oven, I pushed the topping around with a fork and popped it under the broiler to brown. Turned out fabulous, my favorite dish this year! I had my doubts while I was making it because it doesn't use any spices, but it really doesn't need them. Thank you Dr Dan, I love your website and this recipe in particular turned out to be extraordinarily delicious.
DrDan says
Hi Ellen,
Welcome to the blog.
When I first did this recipe, I loved the simplicity but was concerned by the lack of other flavors. But it proved to have just the right combination without being overly complex.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Charlene says
This dish was the hit of our Thanksgiving - added bonus was that with a little bit of tweeking we were able to make it gluten free and substituted honey for the sugar for the Specific Carb diet as well! Yes, when I cook for my family I do face dietary challenges but this recipe was enjoyed by all - it will be my go to from now on!
DrDan says
Hi Charlene,
It is a fairly basic recipe and like all recipes "just guidelines". Depending on the family members present, we deal with mushroom and milk allergies.
Glad it worked well for you and have a great holiday season.
Dan