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With a soft, bubbling souffle’-like inside and a sweet and crunchy pecan outside, This Sweet Potato Crunch is a wowing addition to any holiday or turkey dinner.
No holiday gathering would be complete without the sweet potatoes! There are many sweet potato casserole recipes out there, but what I love about this one is the whipped texture and the praline topping that gives it a little extra crunch.
Most sweet potato casserole recipes usually involve boiling the holiday spud. There are two concerns with that:
- You can over-boil. This causes the sweet potatoes to retain water and can often lead to a runny casserole that not even a bag of marshmallows could save!
- You have to peel and cut them first, which is more hands-on labor.
My solution to both of these problems– I bake my sweet potatoes. They get soft enough to easily mash and you can’t beat the flavor that roasting brings out. Plus, no hard labor of peeling and cutting, which also saves you time.
You can also easily make this ahead of time. That’s been a big advantage when there is so much to cook and do for the holiday.
Besides your turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, It also pairs well with Flank Steak Pinwheels and Braised Beef.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfect Texture– light, whipped, fluffy and a sweet crunch.
- Easy Instructions– no peeling or cutting.
- Make ahead to save time on the big day
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sweet Potatoes– For the best baking options, I recommend red or orange sweet potatoes. They have more starches that break down into sugars, and are therefore more moist.
- Coconut Milk- This sweet and healthy milk infuses the casserole with extra flavor and plays off of the salty-sweet crunch of the pecans. Regular milk is totally fine, I’ve made it a lot of times that way.
- Eggs– Whipping eggs into our mixture is going to make everything light and fluffy and give it that souffle’-ish texture. Plus it adds a little protein.
- Vanilla– Pure vanilla extract is best.
- Pecans– They are a delicate nut and taste delicious. Walnuts can be used as well in a pinch.
- Brown Sugar– If you want to lighten this up, use a substitute such as coconut sugar (for less processed) or Swerve brown for a sugar free option. There is still natural sugar in the Maple syrup of course.
- Maple Syrup– This helps the topping stick together.
How To Make Sweet Potato Crunch
Part One: Prep the sweet potatoes
This is an overview of the recipe, see the complete details in the recipe card.
1. Pierce the potatoes several times with a paring knife and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400° for one hour, or until fork tender.
2. Scoop out the flesh. Wait until the potatoes are cool enough to handle.
3. Whip the potatoes using a stand mixer or hand mixer, until mashed and fluffy. Add the butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
4. Whip the mixture a second time until well incorporated.
Part Two: Assembling the casserole
5. Spread the sweet potato mixture into a casserole pan.
6. Make the topping by combining the pecans, brown sugar, and maple syrup together in a bowl. Stir until well combined.
7. Spoon the topping evenly over the potato mixture.
8. Bake in the oven at 350° for 30 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Grease– Don’t forget to grease or butter your casserole dish. Sweet potatoes are notorious for sticking to the pan.
- I use 6 medium-large sized potatoes, you can also use 4 very large potatoes. I’m not afraid to use extra as this is the bottom layer. 1-2 extra potatoes will make a thicker layer and make this go a little farther.
- Cut potatoes lengthwise right after you remove them from the oven, This will help them to cool faster, and cutting lengthwise is easier to scoop.
- If you make ahead of time, allow it to sit on the counter and come to room temperature before baking.
- If the topping is getting too brown during baking, remove it from the oven, tent it with foil (don’t seal the foil, allow air to come through) and return it back to the oven.
- Marshmallows- If you would prefer a marshmallow topping, forgo the pecans and add marshmallows to the casserole during the last few minutes of baking. Be sure to watch your marshmallows brown because they can burn quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sweet potato pie is often made with white sugar and has no topping versus a casserole which is often made with brown sugar and has a topping like marshmallows or praline pecans.
No. Canned yams are starchy like potatoes. they will not have the same flavor as a sweet potato and their color will be closer to white than the orange of a sweet potato.
When you boil sweet potatoes for too long, they can retain too much liquid. Baking the sweet potatoes to soften them into being able to whip is preferable and will allow you to avoid this common mistake.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Make the recipe up through spreading the sweet potato mixture in the greased casserole dish.
- Cover tightly and store in the fridge up to three days ahead of time. Make and add topping just before baking. Give it 30 minutes on the counter to come to room temp before baking.
- IF FREEZING: Place a couple of layers of plastic wrap lightly, but directly, over the mixture. Then cover the dish with foil.
- Place in the freezer for up to one month.
- To reheat, let it thaw completely, make and add the topping, then bake as directed.
Storage and Freezing
Leftover Sweet Potato Casserole will store in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended once the topping has been added
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Sweet Potato Crunch
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Potato Mixture
- 6 sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup coconut milk I like the unsweet refrigerated kind, can use canned if you prefer. Nut milk or cow's milk works too.
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fort The Topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans that means chop the pecans first, then measure.
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
For the Potato Mixture
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Pierce each potato several times with a paring knife.
- Bake the potatoes for 1 hour, or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°.
- Once the potatoes are cool to the touch, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out all the flesh and place it in a mixing bowl.
- Using a stand mixer and the wire whip attachment, whip the potatoes until they are mashed together. (a hand mixer works well too)
- Add the butter, milk, and eggs, and whip again until they are light and fluffy.
- Grease a 9x 13 casserole dish with butter or coconut oil spray. Place the potato mixture in the dish and spread evenly. Set aside.
For the Topping
- Combine the pecans, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a small bowl, mix until well incorporated.
- Spoon the topping evenly over the casserole. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until warmed throughout.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Make the recipe up through spreading the sweet potato mixture in the greased casserole dish.
- Place a couple of layers of plastic wrap lightly, but directly, over the mixture. Then cover the dish with foil.
- Place in the freezer for up to one month.
- To reheat, let it thaw completely, make and add the topping, then bake as directed. It's a good idea to let the casserole come to room temperature before baking. To do this, allow it to sit out on the counter for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Notes
- I typically use 6 medium sized potatoes or 4 very large potatoes. I’m not afraid to use extra as this is the bottom layer. More potatoes will make a thicker layer and make this go a little farther.
- Cut potatoes right away after removing from the oven. This will help them cool faster. Cutting them lengthwise makes it easier to scoop out the flesh
- If you want to lighten this up, you can use a coconut sugar as a less processed option in place of the brown sugar. Or use something such as Swerve brown for a sugar free (stevia based) option. There is still natural sugar from maple syrup in the recipe.
Nutrition
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I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out with the canned coconut milk.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was delicious! This is a great recipe and I highly recommend it. The store I shop at was out of the refrigerated coconut milk so I bought a canned organic coconut milk and it was delicious! My family really enjoyed this dish at Thanksgiving.