I love this lighter version the famous Ruth Chris sweet potato casserole. It has the same great flavor as the traditional sweet potato casserole with pecans but less sugar and fat. This is perfect to serve along side your turkey for Thanksgiving or ham for Christmas!
Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
I love this simple but delicious easy sweet potato casserole recipe. It’s mashed and you can even make it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker if you want to save on oven space.
What We Love About Sweet Potato Casserole
There are a lot of things we love this simple sweet potato dish.
- Full of flavor while cutting back on all the sugar and butter from the original Ruth Chris sweet potato casserole recipe. It’s still as good as pie but a little less bad for you.
- It’s a versatile dish that can be made for holiday meals or used for regular family dinners.
- Very easy to make! You could even get the kids in on helping you with this one.
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
I love celebrating with food I have tons of Thanksgiving recipes and Christmas foods for you to check out but here are some of my favorites!
- Green Bean Casserole – My personal favorite Thanksgiving side. And the secret ingredient really takes this over the top.
- Christmas Exchange Cookies – Great selection of awesome cookies perfect for giving at Christmas or making any time really.
- Best Easy Turkey Recipe – This is hands down the easiest and most reliable way to make perfect turkey
- Brown Sugar Maple Ham – How to make the yummiest glazed ham in the oven, crock pot or instant pot!
Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients
Pecan Topping for Sweet Potato Casserole
- Brown Sugar – 1/4 Cup either light or dark, doesn’t really matter
- All Purpose Flour – 1/4 Cup
- Chopped Nuts – 3/4 Cup chopped pecans or other nuts of your choice
- Butter – 1/4 Cup Melted, I usually use salted butter
Sweet Potato Base
- Granulated Sugar – 1/4 Cup, you can use what ever what sugar you like
- Vanilla – 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sweet Potatoes – you want enough for 2 cups of once cooked and mashed about 1 and 1/2 to 2 lbs.
- Egg – 1 large egg although if you have medium or extra large on had that should work great
- Butter – 1/4 C salted, if you use unsalted just add in 1/4 teaspoon salt
Substitutions and Modifications
Traditionally this recipe is made with pecans but feel free to change that up or leave out the nuts if you have allergies. I think it would be delicious to substitute oats for the nuts. This year I’ll be making it with an almond topping since that just sounds really tasty to me!
Tools and Equipment
I have made this recipe both in the oven and in my instant pot. When I make it in my instant pot I like to do all the steps there. When I use the oven I boil the potatoes on the stove or use the Instant Pot to steam my potatoes.
If you are using the Instant pot you will need a glass or silicone bowl that fits inside your pot while placed on a trivet. I like to use this silicone trivet sling with handles since it makes it much easier to put it in and out of the pot. You will also need a crisping lid or just pull it out and use the broiler to crisp the top.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
It is easy to make …
- Make topping. Combine topping ingredients and set aside.
- Cook the sweet potatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes and boil or steam in the instant pot and then drain. To cook in the instant pot I put in 1 C water, a trivet and then place the potatoes in a steaming basket and cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes. Places the cooked potatoes in the dish you will cook the casserole in. Mash throughout.
- Make the sweet potato base. Crack the egg into the dish and beat. Add the other ingredients to the dish and combine fully.
- Bake. Sprinkle on the topping and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. If cooking in the instant pot add an additional 1/2 cup water to the liner place trivet in if not already there and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Crisp the topping. Crisp the topping by broiling or putting under the air frying instant pot lid attachment. Make sure to watch it closely it will burn quickly.
- Rest. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes to set before serving.
Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Casserole?
One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner are the leftovers! While I love making leftover Thanksgiving turnovers or leftover Thanksgiving tortellini soup some times you have a lot.
When you’re done mixing and matching you can put a portion in your favorite freezer safe container and have a ready made side for next time you grab a rotisserie chicken or just need a side dish. Just mircrowave it until it hits your desired warmth and you’re good to go! It usually takes about 5 minutes in my microwave.
You can definitely make this ahead of time and then finish it off on the day you want to eat this.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 3/4 Cup Chopped Nuts I usually use pecans
- 1/4 Cup Butter Melted
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Cups Sweet Potatoes – you want enough for 2 cups of once cooked and mashed about 1 and 1/2 to 2 lbs.
- 1 Egg
- 1/4 Cup Butter
Instructions
- Make topping. Combine topping ingredients and set aside.
- Cook the sweet potatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes and boil or steam in the instant pot and then drain. To cook in the instant pot I put in 1 C water, a trivet and then place the potatoes in a steaming basket and cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes. Places the cooked potatoes in the dish you will cook the casserole in. Mash throughout.
- Make the sweet potato base. Crack the egg into the dish and beat. Add the other ingredients to the dish and combine fully.
- Bake. Sprinkle on the topping and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes to set before serving.If cooking in the instant pot add an additional 1/2 cup water to the liner place trivet in if not already there and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Crisp the topping. Crisp the topping by broiling or putting under the air frying instant pot lid attachment. Make sure to watch it closely it will burn quickly.
- Rest. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes to set before serving.
Nutrition
So easy right!?
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