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This easy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is loaded with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with toasty marshmallows and cinnamon streusel! It’s the best sweet potato side dish to compliment to your Thanksgiving meal!
Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows Is One of My Favorites
My favorite part of any holiday meal is always the sweet potato casserole. Always. It’s basically earmarked for me. And depending on the number of people joining us for the meal, we may even need to make me my own separate one. At the very least, about half of the casserole is mine. It just is. 🙂 If you take my casserole, you might get some seriously dirty looks. I love it. And it makes sense – it’s like dessert that’s called a side. My kind of side!
This Easy Casserole Is Made With Fresh Sweet Potatoes
Growing up, we always made a more traditional sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and used canned sweet potatoes. It’s what I’ve been making for years, so of course I’m a fan.
But lately I’ve been thinking it’d be fun to switch it up. Plus, I’ve been really enjoying fresh sweet potatoes these days and wanted to incorporate them into a new sweet potato casserole. So I decided to ramp up my traditional version and make it even better with fresh sweet potatoes and a combination of marshmallows and streusel. If it’s possible to make sweet potato casserole better, it’s definitely with streusel!
How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole
To make this sweet potato casserole, you’ll start off by making the homemade mashed sweet potatoes. Peel and chop up the sweet potatoes and boil them in water until they’re nice and tender. Drain the potatoes and mash them until they’re how you like them. I’m a fan of a pretty smooth mashed sweet potato, but feel free to leave some chunks, if you like.
Next, add your milk, butter, eggs and seasonings. I’ve used plenty of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, plus some vanilla extract for the ultimate in flavor! Plenty of sweetness and plenty of spice. Just the way sweet potato casserole should be!
To take things to the next level, it’s time for the topping! While you could always just go with marshmallows on their own, the streusel really ramps things up. A little more sweet, a little more cinnamon and nutmeg and a lot more yum!
The casserole is baked in the oven prior to adding the topping, then the topping is added for the last 10 minutes or so.
Can Sweet Potato Casserole Be Made Ahead Of Time?
One of the great things about so many Thanksgiving casseroles is that they can be prepared ahead of time – this one included. The sweet potatoes can easily be prepared and combined and added to the casserole dish a couple days ahead. Just cover the dish and store in the fridge until you’re ready to prepare it. You can either bring the casserole to room temperature before heating it, or put it right in the oven. Just keep in mind that if you put it straight into the oven, it might take a little more time to heat through.
Even the streusel can be made ahead and then added to the casserole when the time comes. Score!
This Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is loaded with all that’s good and it makes the best Thanksgiving side dish! It’s a great way to spice up the more traditional sweet potato casserole and incorporate fresh, homemade mashed sweet potatoes. The sweet marshmallows and streusel are totally delicious! I hope you enjoy it!
More Casserole Recipes You Might Like:
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Classic Green Bean Casserole
Overnight Cinnamon Apple French Toast Casserole
Overnight Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 10
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Complete with plenty of warm spices and a gooey marshmallow streusel topping, this easy Sweet Potato Casserole is a Thanksgiving must-make. It’s super easy to prepare with fresh sweet potatoes!
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Filling
- 3 lbs fresh sweet potatoes (4–5 large sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
- 1 cup (225g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Marshmallow Streusel Topping
- 1/3 cup (44g) all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (75g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 3 tbsp (42g) salted butter, melted
- 2–3 cups marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Put the sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and boil until the potatoes are fork tender, about 8 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash the potatoes until they are your desired level of smoothness.
- Add the milk, brown sugar, butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt to the potatoes and stir until well combined.
- Pour the potatoes into a 9×13 casserole dish. At this point you can cover the dish and refrigerate for up to two days before cooking, or you can put them in the oven right away. Heat them until cooked through, 25-30 minutes (might take less time if you’re cooking them right away).
- While the potatoes are cooking (or you could also prepare this ahead of time), combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves for the streusel topping.
- Add the melted butter and stir until well combined.
- When the casserole is heated through, remove it from the oven and top it with the marshmallows and streusel. I like to add some marshmallows, then the streusel, then the remaining marshmallows.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes. If you want to brown the marshmallows a little more, turn the oven to the broil setting at 400°F until they’ve browned to your liking. Serve casserole warm.
Notes
- Makes 8-10 servings.
- To Make Ahead: After transferring filling to casserole dish, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. If you bake without bringing it to room temperature, initial cook time will be closer to 30 minutes. Dry topping ingredients can be combined in advance as well and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
- To Store & Reheat: Keep cooled casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat large portions in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Individual servings can be warmed up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
- To Freeze: Baked casserole filling can be frozen before topping is added. Let cool completely, then tightly cover with two layers of clear wrap or foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge and bake for 5 minutes or so to warm up filling before adding streusel and marshmallows. This way, you won’t have to choose between a cold filling and an over-browned topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 323
- Sugar: 37.9 g
- Sodium: 102.7 mg
- Fat: 9.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 60.4 mg
Categories
Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try it! But even more so, thank you for sharing the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
This is my second year to make this for Thanksgiving and it is SOOO good. I’m adding chopped pecans to one side this year to see how that goes.
Awesome! I’m so glad it’s a hit!
I’ve made this for several years and it is a family favorite. Our teen has recently been diagnosed with having a gluten sensitivity. Does anyone know if the taste is affected if gluten-free flour is used in the streusel?
I would think an all purpose gluten-free flour would be totally fine. I’m glad you enjoy the recipe!
I made this at thanksgiving and it was a hit! But I’m trying to make it again and I don’t have milk. Can I use oatmilk as a substitute??
Oat milk should be fine.
It tasted good but was watery even though I carefully drained the potatoes. any suggestions?
If the potatoes were fully drained and water wasn’t an issue, then either a liquid ingredient was a little over measured, or perhaps you used a little less potatoes than I did. Maybe add some additional sweet potatoes next time.
Am I able to bake it and then put it the fridge until tomorrow (Thanksgiving)?
Sure, I would just add the marshmallows before serving and reheat it.
Could it be made in a crockpot?
I would guess that’d be fine. I just haven’t done it to be able to say cooking time.
Can you make this with canned sweet potatoes?
Definitely!
Can you bake the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them?
Sure.
How many days in advance can you make the casserole leave it in the fridge. Then cook it in the oven with the toppings?
The casserole should last for a total of 4-5 days, so you can make it a few days ahead and have a couple days for leftovers.
This recipe is my go to for Thanksgiving every year! This year I have to make it a few days ahead, everyone eats it up!
So glad to hear that!
Hi I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I have a question: If I made this right before I left for my grandmas house would the marshmallows melt by then, would it be ok to sit, and if so how long for? Cause I’d be leaving at about 6 and dinner would prob be around evening. So I’m thinking it might be best to bake it, then when I get there, when it’s time I’ll just add the streusel and marshmallows and cook it the rest of the way. What do you think is best?
It would be at 6am, i would leave. Sorry if that’s unclear
Yes, I would probably pr-ebake it a bit and then add the toppings and reheat when you get there.
Hi! Quick question, what would you recommend for keeping the potatoes in pieces instead of mashed? Can I follow the same process minus the boiling? I’m wanting to peel, slice, mix and bake. Just wondering if I should change anything in doing that.
Having never done that it’s really hard to say. What you described sounds like it would be fine though.
I absolutely love this recipe! I grew up only ever eating candied yams but my husband prefers sweet potato casserole. I stumbled upon this recipe and never looked back. It is on our table every holiday. The only thing I do differently is roasting my sweet potatoes instead of boiling just for added flavor. I’ve even made this coconut sugar when I ran out of brown sugar and it was still delicious! I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone. Thanks so much for sharing 💕
My teenagers loved this dish because it contains marshmallows AND streusel! They are allergic to nuts so this was a good option. I used whole milk but could I use skim milk next time? I I would like to make it again this week but I rather use skim milk than whole milk.
Glad you enjoyed it! Skim milk should be fine.
Super delicious. Love the crumb topping and. Marshmallow combo!! Might add walnuts next time!!
This was delicious, everyone loved it today for Thanksgiving!
So glad to hear that!
My dad, who hates most vegetables and won’t eat sweet potatoes, tried this today because we promised it tastes like pumpkin pie. He loved it!
I did the make ahead method the night before thanksgiving. It was fantastic and simple!
Awesome! Glad it was a hit!
i must sing your praises for this casserole. it was a major hit. to answer a question someone asked, i used three large 40oz cans of canned yams. this filled my 9×13 lasagna pan about 1/2 inch from the top. i thought this called for condensed milk so i used 3/4 cup of that rather than regular milk. gave it a creamier texture. everyone asked for the recipe but i told them it dies with me. that way i will always get invited to all potlucks. again, this is an incredible casserole!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
OMG!!!! This recipe is Ahmazing! This was the favorite Thanksgiving dish this by all of us. The comments were all true. The strusel takes sweet potato casserole to new heights!!! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
If we were to substitute the fresh sweet potatoes for canned yams, how many ounces of canned yams would we need? Thank you!
I’m really not sure since I haven’t used canned sweet potatoes in this casserole before.
Would it be okay to add pecans to the topping?
Wondering the same….I’ve got some candies pecans I made, going to chop them and give it a try!
Could I use heavy cream instead of milk?
That should be fine.
This was SO good! I’m a newbie to sweet potato anything and I’m obsessed now! One thing I noticed with mine was- after I took the dish out of the oven (post adding marshmallows and strudel) it looked perfect. After it sat for a bit and cooled, the marshmallows completely melted and there was quite a bit of liquid in the dish. Is the liquid normal? If not, any tips on how to avoid that in the future?
So glad you enjoyed it! As for the marshmallows, they can sometimes melt like that if they are heated a little too long. You want to heat them just until they puff up and brown just a bit. If they do melt, it could just be that the liquid you saw was from them melting.
I made this for Thanksgiving and loved it!! So delicious! But so many leftovers… would it be okay to freeze the casserole with topping and marshmallows?
You can freeze the casserole, but the marshmallows would probably kind of disintegrate. You can just add more though when you reheat the casserole later. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was a hit for thanksgiving! I mean with all that butter and brown sugar how could it not be. 😉 Thank you!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Can I use white sweet potatoes 😳 help! Thank you
I see your comment is from a year ago, but I am also wondering this! These times plus Thanksgiving means ai ended up with white sweet potatoes! HELP!
Hi.
I have it all made and ready to go. When I get to where I have to go can I reheat it? To warm it up a little bit? I already cooked it
Thank you!
Yes, you can reheat it. I would just do it on 350 for as long as it needs. Maybe 20 minutes. I just might have some extra marshmallows on hand. If those get cooked too much, they have a tendency to melt and disappear.
I’m preparing a night before, so I’m making the streusel topping separately. Do I wait to the add the butter until right before putting on top, or can I add the butter the night before to the streusel mixture?
Thank you!
So if you’re making it the night before, you’ll either want to bring it room temperature before baking or expect it to bake a little longer since it’ll be cold to start.
For the topping, either way would be fine. But if you do it the night before and refrigerate it, it’ll need to soften before you crumble it. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hey, how do you keep the marshmallows from melting? Mine always do and then it doesn’t look like I put any on top of sweet potatoes??? Any suggestions??
It sounds like they might just be over baked. Marshmallows will melt into oblivion if cooked too long. You really just want to add them on top at the end and cook them until they are lightly browned on top. Just watch them closely.
May be a silly question, but when it asks for a pinch of cloves is that ground cloves or whole cloves?
Ground cloves.
If I make this ahead of time and freeze it, on what temp and how long should it bake?
I wouldn’t recommend putting a frozen casserole in the oven. It likely would not bake evenly. You’ll want to thaw it in the fridge first and then bake as directed. If it’s cold when it goes in the oven, it may need to add another 10 minutes or so.
I followed this recipe exactly other than baking the potatoes instead of boiling. I didn’t have a peeler and by baking them the skin just fell off. I prepped it the night before and baked it the next day! It was seriously so good! This was the only dish at “Friendsgiving” that everyone was raving about and going back for more. Perfectly sweet and yummy! I recommend broiling the marshmallows the last minute or so too. I’ll definitely make this again! Super easy too.
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!
Could I use canned yams instead of cooking the sweet potatoes?
Certainly.
This sounds amazing! Any chance I could make this without eggs? My son is allergic. 🙁
The texture will be a little bit different, but you could leave them out.
you could also substitute bananas in for eggs, bananas are used as a good binding agent and they taste delicious!
Delicious!!!
Best sweet potato casserole ever hands down!! Made it for Thanksgiving today and everyone raves about it, including my husband who likes a good sweet potato casserole! Thank you again for a 5 star recipe!! I’m making it for tomorrow too!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe Lindsay! I love the top view of this casserole. I will consider it in my Thanksgiving meal!