Sweet potato casserole from canned yams with marshmallows

This Sweet Potato Casserole is a fantastic side dish for the holidays. Mashed sweet potatoes topped with toasted marshmallows and brown sugar streusel.  MAKE AHEAD TIPS, STEP BY STEP PHOTOS, FAQ’s, and VIDEO below!

It’s almost that time, friends. Just over two weeks until THANKSGIVING! If you’re in menu-assembly mode, now is the time to add this dish to your list. This Sweet Potato Casserole is a huge crowd pleaser, and one of my most popular recipes.

Although the best thing about this recipe is the taste, the second best thing about it is the fact that you can prepare it ahead. Check out all my make-ahead tips along with answers to frequently asked questions.

Prefer your sweet potatoes without marshmallows? Try my SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE or CANDIED SWEET POTATOES!

• How to make sweet potato casserole
• Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows
• Sweet potato casserole make ahead option
• Can you use canned yams?
• FAQ’s
• More holiday recipes
• Recipe

What makes this recipe the BEST? Flavorful sweet potatoes topped with toasted marshmallows and a brown sugar streusel. Sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy – this is the perfect side dish for your holiday meal! It’s simple, yet the payoff is huge! 

How to make sweet potato casserole

• Start by Making the Mashed Sweet Potatoes:  Peel and cut sweet potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and boil until tender. Drain and mash. Keep them chunky or mash them completely smooth – your choice.
• Season the Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Butter, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt take these potatoes over the top. Adjust these seasonings to suit your taste. Sneak a few bites and see what you think. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to a greased casserole dish.
• Brown Sugar Streusel: Mix up a quick topping of flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, salt, and softened butter. This is what takes this recipe over the top! Sweet, salty, buttery, crunchy bites that get distributed all over the sweet potatoes.
• Marshmallows: The classic sweet potato casserole topping! Scatter mini marshmallows all over the top of the potatoes. Then drop bits of streusel topping over the marshmallows.
• Bake It: 10-15 minutes in the oven is all this needs. Just enough to get the potatoes hot, the marshmallows toasted, and the streusel set.

This dish is the perfect way to satisfy the traditionalists who have to have the marshmallow topping on their sweet potato casserole, yet the streusel adds something extra for those who want to switch things up.

If you’ve never had this dish before, I know it might sound strange, but trust me, it totally works! Those toasty-gooey marshmallows really do make the sweet potatoes taste even better. Plus, this is a fun holiday side dish, and nothing says fun like eating marshmallows with your dinner.

How long you leave this in the oven will determine how toasted your marshmallows will be. 8-10 minutes will give you lightly toasted marshmallows and 10-15 minutes will make them darker. Some brands of marshmallows will begin melt if they’re in the oven too long. If you want the marshmallows to maintain their shape keep an eye on them. Note: For even darker marshmallows, pop the casserole under the broiler briefly.

Sweet potato casserole make ahead option

I always make this a couple days ahead and assemble and reheat in the hour or so leading up to dinner. Here’s how to do it:

• Assemble the cooked and seasoned mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish and refrigerate tightly covered for up to 2 days (without any topping).
• Prepare the streusel topping (without the marshmallows) and refrigerate that separately.
• Before serving, bring the streusel topping to room temperature. Heat the potatoes (without any topping) in the oven until heated all the way through (30-ish minutes depending on the size of your casserole dish). Once the potatoes are warm, sprinkle on the marshmallows and streusel and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the marshmallows are toasted.

Can you use canned yams?

Yes. Although I highly recommend fresh sweet potatoes/yams, you can take a shortcut with canned yams. Here’s how to do it:

1. Use two and a half to three 29-oz cans of cut yams (this will vary based on the casserole dish you use).
2. Drain them well.
3. My recipe calls for milk to be added to the yams. You may be able to omit the milk completely. The yams will already be quite wet, and you don’t want them to be runny. After mashing you can decide if you want to add some milk.
4. Mash the canned potatoes along with butter, cinnamon and salt as the recipe instructs. Taste them. If you’d like them sweeter, add up to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Most canned yams come packed in syrup, so they are already sweet.
5. Continue with the recipe at step 3.

FAQ’s

• Can I omit the pecans in the streusel topping? Yes. I recommend adding an extra tablespoon of flour to the streusel topping to “bulk it up” a bit, since there are no nuts.
• Can I freeze this? You can freeze the mashed sweet potatoes (without the topping), but the texture might be compromised a bit. I recommend making it up to two days in advance and storing it in the fridge. This allows almost all of the work to be done in advance.
• Can I make this in a crock pot/slow cooker? I have only made this recipe in an oven, but I assume that you can add the cooked and mashed sweet potatoes to a slow cooker, top with streusel and heat for 30 minutes to an hour. Shortly before serving add the marshmallows. NOTE: The marshmallows will melt and they will not be toasted (as pictured). Also, the moisture from the slow cooker might make the streusel more soft than if cooked in an oven.
• Do I have to use MASHED sweet potatoes? No. After boiling, drain the chunks of potato well, then gently toss with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt (omitting the milk). Transfer to a greased casserole dish and proceed with the topping as written.
• Can I use canned yams? Yes. See the instructions above for adapting this recipe using canned yams.
• Can I make this ahead? Absolutely! See my tips above or in the recipe card.

More holiday recipes

• MAPLE PECAN PIE BARS: Brown sugar shortbread crust and a gooey maple pecan filling. Sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy – absolutely addicting!
• APPLE CIDER CRANBERRY SAUCE: Easy homemade cranberry sauce flavored with fresh apple, apple cider and maple syrup.
• PUMPKIN PIE BARS: Creamy pumpkin filling over an easy press-in shortbread crust.
• CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN PIE: A graham cracker crust filled with a no-bake pumpkin cream cheese filling and topped with freshly whipped cream.
• APPLE CRUMB BARS: A brown sugar oat crust filled with cinnamon spiced apples and topped with salted caramel sauce.
• CREAMY CHEESY SLOW COOKER POTATOES: Slow cooked  potatoes loaded with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and a secret ingredient.
• CINNAMON VANILLA HONEY BUTTER: Elevate rolls, bread and biscuits with this super easy and unbelievably delicious flavored butter.

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Recipe

Mashed Sweet Potatoes:

• ▢ 3 to 3- ¼ pounds sweet potatoes*, peeled and chopped into large chunks, see note
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ ¼ cup milk or half and half
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢ salt, to taste

Topping;

• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup all purpose flour, for a sturdier streusel add and additional heaping tablespoon of flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup chopped pecans
• ▢ 2 -3 cups mini marshmallows, or more, if you’d like

Mashed Sweet Potatoes:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 2 or 2 ½ quart casserole dish (preferably a rectangle or oval so there's a decent surface area for the topping; I use an 8×11) and set aside.

• Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and boil until tender (about 7 minutes, depending on the size). Drain really well and return to the pot. Add butter, milk, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt to the potatoes and mash until smooth. Use a hand mixer, if desired, to make them extra smooth. Taste the potatoes and add additional seasonings, if desired.

• Transfer the mashed potatoes to the prepared casserole dish. Place in the oven until heated through (if they're already warm it will only take a few minutes). While the sweet potatoes are heating, prepare the topping.

Topping:

• In a medium bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt (I use a fork or rubber spatula to stir and mash the mixture), then mix in pecans.

• Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. Top with half the marshmallows, then sprinkle half the streusel over the marshmallows (pinching pieces together with your fingers). Top with the other half of the marshmallows and sprinkle the remaining streusel over the top. Place back into the oven for 8-15 minutes, until the topping is bubbly and golden brown (keep an eye on it so the marshmallows don't burn). You can also place it under the broiler very briefly to add a little more color to the marshmallows. Note: the longer it is in the oven the more likely that the marshmallows will begin to melt. Allow to sit at room temperature for several minutes before serving.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS:

• You can assemble the cooked and seasoned mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish and refrigerate tightly covered for 2 days (without any topping).
•  You can also prepare the streusel topping (without the marshmallows) and refrigerate that separately.
• Before serving, bring the streusel topping to room temperature. Heat the potatoes (without any topping) in the oven at 375°F until heated all the way through (30-ish minutes depending on the size of your casserole dish). Or speed it along by microwaving. Once the potatoes are warmed through, sprinkle on the marshmallows and streusel and return to the oven for 8-15 minutes, until the marshmallows are lightly toasted (broil briefly for a darker color).

See tips in the post about using CANNED YAMS.

*Some grocery stores might have these potatoes labeled as YAMS. Make sure you purchase sweet potatoes/yams with orange flesh and pinkish brown skin. Scrape the skin a little to see the color of the flesh, if necessary.

Topping adapted from Food Network

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 19525IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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