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Paula Deen sweet potato casserole in a white casserole dish
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5 from 2 votes

Paula Deen Sweet Potato Casserole

Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole is a decadent Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish with rich and creamy sweet potatoes and a crispy crunchy brown sugar pecan topping. Perfect side to accompany a savory turkey or ham holiday dinner.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 525kcal
Author: Cara Lanz

Ingredients

For Sweet Potato Casserole Filling

  • 3 cups sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 5 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup heavy cream, half and half. or whole milk

For Pecan Topping

  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

  • Bake the sweet potatoes. Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes or until soft. 
    When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the potatoes into a large bowl. 
    Let the sweet potatoes cool before mixing with the rest of the ingredients to keep the eggs from scrambling.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 and spray a 1 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Make the sweet potato filling. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, 5 tablespoons of melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the sweet potatoes.
    Mix on medium to medium-high speed with an electric mixer until combined and smooth. Add the cream or milk and mix to combine.
    Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  • Make pecan topping. In a medium bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and chopped pecans.
    Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the sweet potato casserole.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and the internal temperature is 165.
    If desired, turn the oven to broil for an additional 1-3 minutes to brown the topping. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

  • Instead of baking, you can also boil or roast the potatoes. 
  • Leave the skins on when baking or microwaving whole sweet potatoes. When cooled, you can just scoop out the flesh. No peeling!
  • For sweet potatoes with a chunkier texture, mash them with a fork or potato masher instead of a mixer.
  • Add a splash of orange juice, if desired, to the sweet potato filling. Paula Deen does sometimes!

Nutrition

Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 57g | Vitamin A: 14941IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2mg