Southern Maple Sweet Potato Casserole Ultimate
This Southern Maple Sweet Potato Casserole elevates classic comfort food to holiday-worthy status. With a sweet potato base infused with maple syrup and warm spices, topped with a crunchy pecan crumble, it's destined to be the star of your Thanksgiving table.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
- Large bowl
- Potato masher or electric mixer
- 9x13 inch baking dish
- Medium bowl
- Pastry blender or fingers
- Oven
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed about 6 large
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup milk or coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the cubed sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until fork-tender.
- Transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Use a potato masher or an electric mixer to mash them until smooth. Don't overmix, or they can become gummy.
- To the mashed sweet potatoes, add the melted butter, maple syrup, and milk (or coconut milk). Mix well to combine.
- Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and cloves. Make sure everything is evenly distributed.
- Pour the sweet potato mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pecans, flour, brown sugar, and salt.
- Use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut the cold, cubed butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Drizzle the maple syrup over the crumb mixture and gently toss to combine. The topping should be clumpy but still crumbly.
- Evenly sprinkle the maple pecan topping over the sweet potato mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the sweet potato casserole is heated through.
- Let the casserole cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
For a dairy-free option, substitute milk with full-fat coconut milk. To prevent the topping from burning, tent the baking dish with foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking. The casserole can be assembled up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Baked leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven at 350°F (175°C).