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Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

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Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe – cinnamon and cloves spiced sweet potato casserole with gooey, toasted marshmallow topping. A classic holiday dinner side dish!

Serve this casserole with my Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and Cranberry Relish.

classic sweet potato casserole 2 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

CLASSIC SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

A classic sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallow topping is a must side dish for our holiday dinners. I know my kids always look forward to it because let’s be honest, the toasted marshmallow topping is quite irresistible. I make it even more delicious by adding cinnamon and cloves to the sweet potato mixture and adding an extra layer of brown sugar just before the marshmallows.  This Classic Sweet Potato Casserole with marshmallow topping is a must side dish for the holiday dinners. It’s easy and can be made ahead of time, which is great when you are making it for the holiday dinner.

How to make Classic Sweet Potato Casserole?

Start by cooking the potatoes until soft. Drain well. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, spices, salt, butter, and eggs and whip the mixture with a hand mixer or mash with potato masher. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish and spread the sweet potato mixture in the dish. Top with mini marshmallows and bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden and toasted. Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.

classic sweet potato casserole 1 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

How to cook sweet potatoes for a casserole?

The most common way to cook sweet potatoes for a casserole is to peel them, chop them and cook on a stovetop in a pot. Since I had my Instant Pot, I let it do the work and I have the stovetop free to make gravy or the cranberry sauce. You can also cook sweet potatoes baked style, scoop the flesh and mash for the casserole.

Tips for making the best Sweet Potato Casserole:

  • After your potatoes are cooked till soft, it is important to drain them well. Best to do it over a colander and let as much water drip out as possible. It will prevent it from collecting at the bottom of your casserole.
  • Add cinnamon and cloves for added flavor, perfect for the holidays.
  • To make it ahead, cool potatoes after cooking, mix with remaining ingredients and spread the mixture in a buttered casserole dish. Do not top with marshmallows just yet. Wait to do that just before baking. If you chill the casserole in the fridge, let it sit for 30 minutes in room temperature before baking. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may shatter.

classic sweet potato casserole 3 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Can I make sweet potato casserole ahead of time?

Cook potatoes till soft, cool completely, then mix with remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in a buttered dish and cover the dish with saran wrap. Store in the fridge. Wait to top it with marshmallows (or pecan brown sugar topping) just before baking, for best results. After you take the casserole out of the fridge, let it sit in room temperature for 30 minutes. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may shatter.

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5 from 11 votes
classic sweet potato casserole 2 150x150 Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
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Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Cinnamon and cloves spiced sweet potato casserole with gooey, toasted marshmallow topping. A classic holiday dinner side dish!

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sweet potato casserole
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 452 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
  • 2.5 lbs sweet potatoes
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Start by peeling and chopping sweet potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook until potatoes are soft. Drain well (see note).
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.
  3. Place cooked potatoes in large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, butter, spices, salt, vanilla and eggs and mash with potato masher or whip with hand mixer.
  4. Spread the mixture in prepared casserole dish. Top with 1/4 cup of brown sugar, sprinkling it evenly over the top.
  5. Layer marshmallows in a single layer on top.
  6. Bake casserole for 12 to 15 minutes OR until the marshmallows are golden and toasted and the sides are bubbling. I always place it under the broiler for just 2 minutes to toast the topping just a bit more. You have to watch it carefully so it won't burn.
  7. Cool casserole for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

To make ahead: Cook potatoes till soft, cool completely, then mix with remaining ingredients. Spread mixture in buttered dish and cover the dish with saran wrap. Store in the fridge. Wait to top it with marshmallows (or pecan brown sugar topping) just before baking, for best results. After you take the casserole out of the fridge, let it sit in a room temperature for 30 minutes. If you take it from a cold fridge to a hot oven, the dish may shatter.

Drain cooked potatoes well, to prevent the water from collecting at the bottom of the casserole.

Nutrition Facts
Classic Sweet Potato Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 452 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 77mg26%
Sodium 408mg18%
Potassium 832mg24%
Carbohydrates 94g31%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 53g59%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 32410IU648%
Vitamin C 5.4mg7%
Calcium 105mg11%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Tami Metts says

    I just randomly picked this sweet potato recipe to make for Thanksgiving. OH MY GOODNESS! It was so very good! I have now printed it off to add to my favorite recipe stash. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  4. Lilith says

    is the serving size correct because i’ve seen plenty other recipe calling for about half that amount of sweet potatoes but the serving size is 14-16 people?

    Reply

  5. Nicolette Scarfo says

    Hi! If I cook my sweet potatoes in the instant pot, do I need to peel them or will the skin come off when they are cooked? Thank you! Can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply

  6. Lynn Thompson says

    HELP! Making this right now and Ijust noticed you have brown sugar listed twice in 2 different amounts! What is the correct amount?

    Reply

  7. Laura says

    This looks great! I’m still new to all of the instant pot cooking. Can you tell me how you cook your sweet potatoes using this method?

    Reply

  8. Heather says

    How come last year when I made this the marshmallows melted and it completely ruined my casseroles look? Help!! It wasn’t this recipe by the way.

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Heather! It’s hard for me to say since I don’t know what recipe you followed but my guess would be that it was cooked for too long or it was too high up in the oven. I never had marshmallows melt completely. If the dish was cold before baking, it would take longer for it to heat up and the marshmallows could melt. It’s just a guess. Hope this helps!

      Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Patricia! I did not test this recipe with canned sweet potatoes but it should work just fine. You just won’t need to cook fresh sweet potatoes, but simply skip that step and use already cooked from the can. Just mash them and proceed with the recipe. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  17. Chrissie Baker says

    This is absolutely fantastic! So YUMMY! I add this sweet potato casserole to my favorite. I can’t WAIT to try this!

    Reply

    • Brenda says

      Hello Luv,
      This is my first time making this type of casserole.
      Is there a substitute to using eggs or can I go without it?
      B.

      Reply

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