Southern Sweet Potato Casserole

Impress your guests this Thanksgiving with this easy Southern sweet potato casserole that makes enough to feed a crowd.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 531 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅓ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups warm milk
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 ¾ teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 5 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• ¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place potatoes on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 2

Bake in the preheated oven until very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly, about 5 minutes. Peel.

Step 3

Transfer peeled sweet potatoes into a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with beaters or a whisk attachment. Mix on low speed to begin mashing them. Add 1/2 cup butter and mix until absorbed. Add white sugar, honey, brown sugar, 1 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg; mix until thoroughly blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Step 4

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the heated milk. Taste and adjust salt and nutmeg if needed.

Step 5

Grease a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon softened butter and pour potato mixture into it.

Step 6

Pour brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt for topping into a mixing bowl and mix well. Use your fingers to work the chilled butter into the mixture until it resembles oatmeal with some pea-sized pieces of butter in it. Stir in the pecan pieces and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown and crisp and sweet potatoes are set, but still slightly loose in the center, 30 to 45 minutes.