This easy sweet potato casserole with spiced mashed sweet potatoes is topped with brown sugar crunchy pecan and cornflake topping. Sweet potato casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish and this crunchy topping makes it one of my most popular.

Sweet potato casserole is a classic recipe, especially for holidays. We always love to have a white potato side dish and a sweet potato side dish on Thanksgiving, because they are so different and so good! I have always been team sweet potato casserole with crunchy toppings, this cornflake, pecan, brown sugar topping is nothing short of addicting.

Prepping sweet potatoes

There are two ways you can prepare sweet potatoes for mashing. The oven roasting method is great, but it takes about an hour or more for them to fully roast. A quicker way to cook the sweet potatoes is boiling them. I peel the sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler, and then dice them into 1 ½ inch pieces.

Boiling potatoes

If you have read my potato soufflé recipe, I discuss the importance of bringing potatoes to a boil with cold water. If you place potatoes in already boiling water, they will cook unevenly and you’ll have soft broken outsides and uncooked insides. By starting the potatoes in cold water and then bringing them to a boil, it allows them to cook evenly through.

Mashing potatoes

There are a few different ways to mash potatoes. The best way I have found to get an amazing fluffy texture is using a potato ricer. If you don’t have one of those, second place goes to an electric mixer (what I used). Third, you can mash with a handheld potato masher. Do not use an immersion blender because it will make the potatoes runny and gummy.

I added butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and half and half to the potatoes. Once combined, I then added kosher salt to taste, to counter some of the sweetness.

Crunchy topping

When it comes to sweet potato casserole’s, you’re either team marshmallow or not. If you love marshmallows, you can swap the corn flakes for marshmallows in this recipe. I prefer a crunchy texture on top to counter the soft mashed potatoes and highly recommend trying the cornflake topping. I use chopped pecans, corn flakes, brown sugar, and some melted butter.

Baking the sweet potato casserole

I pre-bake the sweet potato casserole for 20 minutes without the topping, so the spices can flavor the sweet potatoes. I purposefully made this recipe without eggs, so you don’t have to worry about it baking to a certain temperature. Remove from the oven, top with the brown sugar crunchy pecan topping, and place back in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp the top.

If you’re preparing in advance, stop after you mash the potatoes and store them in the refrigerator. Then you can proceed with baking the casserole and finishing the recipe. I also do not recommend preparing the topping in advance, because the butter will cause the cornflakes to get soggy. Prepare that fresh once you’re ready to top.

Sweet Potato Casserole Tips/FAQ’s

• Cooking sweet potatoes you can oven roast them (takes much longer) or boil them (quicker & method used in recipe)
• Bring your potatoes to a boil in a pot of cold water to ensure even cooking
• Tools for best consistency mashed potatoes
  • Potato ricer– #1
  • Electric mixer– #2
  • Hand masher– #3
  • Stay away from immersion blenders, causes gummy texture
• If preparing in advance, stop after making the mashed sweet potatoes and store in fridge for 3-5 days. Or you can freeze a week ahead and thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking.
• Do not prepare topping in advance, butter will cause cornflakes to get soggy

More holiday side dishes:

• Potato Soufflé
• Fresh Green Bean Casserole
• Stuffed Acorn Squash
• Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
• Honey Roasted Carrots
• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

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