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Our Favorite Classic (and Updated) Sweet Potato Casserole Recipes

November 01, 2011
Photo: Jennifer Causey
Whether you're looking for something traditional or are ready for an adventurous twist, we've got this holiday mainstay covered.  And if you'd rather not save your sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving, rest assured these recipes are just as good on a weekday in the middle of March.
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Our Favorite Classic (and Updated) Sweet Potato Casserole Recipes

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Sweet Potato Casserole With Crunchy Oat Topping

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole With Crunchy Oat Topping

This classic casserole often straddles the line between side and dessert (indeed, we've enjoyed the leftovers both ways). We dial down the sugar to steer the dish back to savory territory, and add a crunchy oat and nut topper for texture. A final drizzle of maple syrup just before serving gives the casserole a lovely sheen. While we call for a ricer in our master mashed potatoes, a potato masher is perfectly acceptable here since the spuds will be bound with an egg, topped, and baked. Chopped almonds or walnuts would be a delicious sub for the pecans.

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Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole is ridiculously easy and goes into the oven in only 10 minutes, thanks to sweet canned yams. To boost flavor and add richness, we counter the canned spuds with luscious creme fraiche; chunks of almonds bring big brunch to our sweet potato casserole.

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Healthy Sweet Potato Casseroles

Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole

For this classic casserole, whip sweet potatoes until they're smooth and top with a delicious buttery brown sugar and pecan mixture.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole

No Thanksgiving table is complete without this sweetened vegetable. Our modern twist on the classic sweet potato casserole is a fragrant vanilla bean streusel.

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Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallow Topping

Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallow Topping

Based on sweet potato pie, a favorite in the South, this famous Thanksgiving side dish has a rich history. The marshmallows were added by Janet McKenzie Hill, the founder of the Boston Cooking-School Magazine, in 1917, when the marshmallow evolved from a specialty confection into an everyday treat.

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Meringue and Streusel-Topped Sweet Potatoes

Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Meringue and Streusel-Topped Sweet Potatoes

If you don't have a pastry bag, simply fill a zip-top plastic bag with the meringue, and snip a corner with kitchen shears. Personalize the meringue design any way you desire.

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Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Rare is the Thanksgiving table that doesn't hold something very similar to this dish. The enduring combination of sweet potatoes mashed with butter and brown sugar and topped with toasted marshmallows is a taste everybody loves.

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Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

A streusel crust on this classic sweet potato side makes the dish extra special. Creamy sweet potatoes and crunchy pecans serve as perfect companions in this no-fuss favorite.

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Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Ellen Silverman
View Recipe: Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes

You can make this dish up to two days ahead. Simply bake the potatoes and assemble. Then refrigerate and bake just before serving.

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Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo: Johnny Miller
View Recipe: Quick Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole

This side is ridiculously easy and goes into the oven in only 10 minutes, thanks to sweet canned yams. To boost flavor and add richness, we counter the canned spuds with luscious crème fraiche; chunks of almonds bring big crunch.

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Sweet Potato Casserole

Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole

Our version of marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes isn’t just for the holidays. Serve alongside pork or chicken any night of the week. When compared to regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have almost double the filling fiber and more beta-carotene, which boots immunity and helps build bones.

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Lower-Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole

Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Lower-Sugar Sweet Potato Casserole

The classic sweet potato casserole often straddles the line between side and dessert (indeed, we've enjoyed the leftovers both ways). Our delicious version has 5 fewer teaspoons (20g) of added sugar per serving than traditional recipes. 

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Sweet Potato Casserole with Pumpkin Seed-Oat Crumble

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole with Pumpkin Seed-Oat Crumble

We use less sugar in this classic casserole and get sweetness instead from fragrant orange rind and vanilla. Turmeric boosts the orange color and adds a subtle earthiness to the sweet potatoes. Instead of an all-nut or marshmallow topping, an oat streusel made with pumpkinseeds adds crunch and contrast to the dish. Evaporated milk has a concentrated dairy flavor without the added sugar of sweetened condensed milk; it will help the potato base to thicken as it bakes.

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