Sweet Potato Casserole with Coconut Pecan Topping is creamy, crunchy, toasty and so divine! You’ll never top your sweet potatoes with marshmallows again.
This Sweet Potato Casserole with Coconut Pecan Topping is hands down the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever tasted, and we’ve had many many recipes pass over our table over the years. These whipped sweet potatoes are topped with a sweet, crunchy coconut pecan crumble topping that makes the whole dish taste like it should be on the dessert table. You won’t miss the classic mini marshmallows at all!
Can It Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes! This is good news for those of you hosting Thanksgiving this year. Doing as much as you can ahead of time makes things go more smoothly as the holiday gets closer. Make your casserole ahead of time, chill in the refrigerator, then bake the day of. It will be delicious!
Does Sweet Potato Casserole Need to Be Refrigerated?
Make room in the refrigerator for this casserole dish. Sweet potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. And if the casserole is left out for more than a couple of hours, it should be discarded, so make sure to store the leftovers as soon as you can.
Does Sweet Potato Casserole Freeze Well?
The short answer is yes. But plan to reheat and serve the casserole within a few weeks. The flavor of sweet potatoes declines after a month in the freezer. And the sugars in the topping and potatoes can become watery over time.
How to Re-Heat
To reheat this casserole, warm it in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through, about 20 minutes. If you put it in the microwave the pecans will become soft and you won’t get that good crunch.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Now don’t get me wrong, I love toasted marshmallows. But nothing beats sweet, toasty coconut and pecans. It is sugary, sweet, rich and glorious! Save the marshmallows for s’mores; once you try this crunchy topping, you will never go back. But if you simply MUST use marshmallows as your topping, swap out the crumble topping in this recipe and follow the rest as instructed.
Is Sweet Potato Casserole Gluten Free?
When making Sweet Potato Casserole the traditional way, it is gluten-free. To make this recipe with the crumbly topping GF, swap out the flower in the coconut topping for coconut flour, rice flour or any other favorite gluten free flour mixture.
Can I Use Fresh Sweet Potatoes Instead of Canned?
Yes, you can use fresh sweet potatoes. You will need 3 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. Peel the potatoes and discard the peeling. Boil them in water in a large pot until they are fork tender. Mash with a potato masher.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Now that you have your sweet potato casserole planned out, here are a few more of our family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes:
- Green Bean Casserole
- Cranberry Sausage Stuffing
- Best Dinner Rolls From Scratch
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Traditional Pumpkin Pie
- Orange Cranberry Sauce
More Delicious Sweet Potato Recipes
Thanksgiving or not, sweet potatoes are always a delightful side dish, and a sweeter alternative to regular potatoes. Try a couple of these favorites:
- Rocky Road Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Lime Dip
- Coconut Pecan Sweet Potato Halves
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (29-ounce) can sweet potatoes drained (or 3 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or mixer, combine sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla, and salt. Beat ingredients with a hand mixer (or in a mixer) until the sweet potatoes are light and fluffy.
- Transfer sweet potato mixture into a greased 9×9 inch baking pan.
- Stir all of the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
Lori Hart says
Less sugar than my family recipe (I’m diabetic), but still absolutely fantastic! It was a big hit for Thanksgiving!
Sylvia says
Absolutely delicious! No more marshmallows for us! The topping on this was the best thing ever!
Kristin D says
This is the same recipe my husband’s Aunt gave to me after she brought her amazing sweet potato casserole to my first Thanksgiving with his family almost 20 years ago. The only thing I do differently is I add Rice Krispies to the topping mix. It doesn’t have a taste, it just adds to the crunch in combination with the coconut. This dish is my family’s favorite and a Thanksgiving and Christmas Day staple at our dinner table.
Echo Blickenstaff says
Hmmm… I’ve never heard of adding Rice Krispies to the topping mix. Interesting! I’m making this for Christmas dinner. I’ll give it a try!
Emily Liao says
Loved the coconut topping on this! Was a nice switch up from marshmallows.
Priya Lakshminarayan says
OMG, yes please. We love sweet potatoes at home. Thanks for this recipe.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
My family is going to love this! The flavors are perfect and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Sarah Holt says
This looks absolutely delish, just in time for Thanksgiving next week!
Farah Maizar says
I’ve never had coconut on sweet potatoes before but can already picture how delicious a combination would be! yum! thanks so much for this inspiration!
Maribel Arguello says
Hi, I need to make it vegetarian, so what can I use instead of the egg or it will be fine without the egg? Thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
The egg acts as a binding agent, so you will want to substitute it. You can use mashed banana or nut butter!
Sylvia Washington says
Excellent dish. I added a tiny bit more of vanilla and was delicious. Easy to prepare dessert.
Christina says
The flavors of this recipe are so warm and comforting. I love that it has coconut too!
Fiorenza says
I wasn’t very familiar with these ingredients, and that’s why I decided to try your recipe, I really love to indulge to myself into something new in the kitchen.
Well, it has been a real success for me and I’ll keep to make it.
I have only reduced the doses for 4 people, next time I will make a bigger one!
Thanks for sharing it
Healing Tomato says
I love homemade sweet potato casserole. You have made it look so delicious to make. I think I would eat the whole casserole dish, lol.
Erica Walker says
You are going to be crazy about it! It’s my favorite!
Oma says
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing. I am eager to get this on our holiday table!
Eileen Kelly says
This is such a delicious sweet potato recipe. The family loves it. It is easy to prepare and the coconut topping, delish!
Erica Walker says
So glad you liked it! So much better than a marshmallow topping, right??
Candice says
Sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sweetened!
Christie says
For the make ahead option, do you cook the casserole in the oven then put in refrigerator and just reheat day of? Or do you just assemble the casserole but wait to bake it until day of?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually just assemble the casserole and then bake the day of. Hope this helps!
Kathy McIntyre says
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m putting on our Thanksgiving menu.
Thanks so much for all your delicious recipes!!
Cathy L. says
This recipe is fabulous. I made it for Thanksgiving for just the 3 of us. I used 2 sweet potatoes that I cooked in the microwave first. I made it again today, but I used the canned sweet potates. It’s baking right now. I’m sure when we can have family gatherings again I will make it for the whole family.