Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole is a creamy sweet potato bake topped with a brown sugar and pecan crumble. This sweet potato soufflé is a perfect side for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any family gathering. This is a family favorite recipe.
Why This Recipe is the Best
I've tried so many different types of variations of this recipe, and this is by far the best. It's better than any marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole you'll ever have. The custard-like center gives this casserole the best texture and compares to our Sweet Potato Pie. We make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year!
Be sure to check out our other favorite Copycat Paula Deen recipes like the Green Bean Casserole, Gumbo, Deviled Eggs, and Pumpkin Bars!
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Key Ingredients
There are two parts to this recipe. Below you will find ingredients for the casserole and the topping.
- Sweet potatoes- Make sure to peel and mash the sweet potatoes. I personally like boiling the potatoes and then slipping the skins off and mashing. It's a quick way to cook the potatoes
- Granulated sugar- We decreased the amount of sugar we put in. We thought the original recipe was overwhelmingly sweet.
- Ground cinnamon, nutmeg- I love how these spices give a warm fall feeling to the dish.
- Brown Sugar- The base of the crumble top. Make sure to use brown sugar, not white, to get that caramelized taste.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts- I like the texture and taste the nuts add, but they can be omitted.
How to make Sweet Potato Casserole
- Remove the skins from the cooked sweet potatoes and mash. I like to use a hand masher or an electric hand mixer. Mix until smooth.
- In the same mixing bowl, add white sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix. Add milk and mix until a smooth mixture.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9x9 casserole dish.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix butter, flour, brown sugar, and pecans. Sprinkle the topping on top of the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the custard is set.
Hint: This recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. We cut the sugar in half to ½ cup and love the results. The casserole has a more flavorful taste as the sugar doesn't overpower the other ingredients.
Top Tip
Make sure to cook until set in the middle. The texture and look will resemble that of a pumpkin pie!
Recipe
Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole
Equipment
- 9x13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 cup white sugar* we half the sugar to ½ cup when making this recipe and love the less intense sugar flavor.
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup whole milk or half and half, or heavy cream
Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix sweet potatoes, white sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Mix in whole milk until smooth. It will resemble a pumpkin pie filling texture.
- Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 casserole dish. Sprinkle topping over the top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together butter, flour, brown sugar, and pecans. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole dish.
Video
Notes
- When we make this recipe we only use half of the sugar and it turns out delicious! We find the original recipe to be too sugary, and we love our sugar. Try using ½ cup sugar for a less intense sugar taste.
- Make this nut-free if you need to.
- Use any chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
- Make sure the center is set and a little wobbly when you remove.
Nutrition
Make it a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter spread with these delicious sides: Candied Yams, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese, or creamed corn recipe.
Substitutions
- Half the sugar- the original recipe calls for one whole cup of sugar. We halve the sugar to ½ cup and love the results. The sweet potatoes stand out more without being overpowered by sugar.
- Walnuts - Use walnuts instead of pecans for the top crumble.
- Almonds- Use sliced almonds instead of pecans for the top crumble.
- Nut Free - Having guests over who may have a nut allergy? When making the top crumble, exclude the pecans and just make the topping with the flour, brown sugar, and butter crumble.
Storing Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole
Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or store in an airtight container. Reheat in a microwave-safe dish or reheat in the casserole dish in the oven.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing, as the potatoes will have a different texture when thawed.
This recipe is from Paula Deen's website, and alterations have been made.
Andrea says
This is such a great copycat paula deen sweet potato casserole. My family loved it. I will be making this for thanksgiving and probably Christmas and easter!
Martha says
If I double this recipe do I need to make it in two pans of 9 by 9??
Andrea says
If you double this recipe you will want to make two 9x9 pans or you can use one 9X13 pan. You may need to adjust the cook time slightly if using a 9x13 pan.
Meg says
Can this recipe be made the day before and re-heated to taste just the same??
Andrea says
Yes! This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and it reheats great!
Nicole says
Annie, that's wonderful, we are thrilled you love this sweet potato casserole as much as we do 🙂
Whitney says
Excellent. My family loves it. Its true about the sugar. So thanks fir sharing the tip about reducing sugar.
Andrea says
So happy you loved it! It's a family favorite for us too!
Kris says
This is the best! I make this every year and use 1/2 the sugar which is perfect! A lot of recipes do not use the cinnamon and nutmeg but why not!! This is sooo good, it’s like a dessert. Thank you!
Nicole says
We are so glad you enjoyed it! We also like it with less sugar too, sometimes. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!