Easy Sweet Potato Casserole – An easy and delicious casserole that comes together with no scrubbing, boiling or baking the sweet potatoes! Topped with a sweet, salty and crunchy streusel, your guests will devour this simple and tasty side dish!

This post may include affiliate links. Please see my disclosure.

How often do you and your family eat sweet potatoes? Do you enjoy them throughout the year or just over the holidays? Sweet Potato Casserole is a sweet side dish that tends to make an appearance on dinner tables across the U.S., especially over Thanksgiving.

The sweet potato casserole we’re making today is super simple. In fact, there’s no need to scrub, boil or bake the sweet potatoes beforehand because the recipe uses CANNED yams.

ARE CANNED YAMS IN GROCERY STORES ACTUALLY SWEET POTATOES?

The answer is yes. . .in grocery stores.

In the real world, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. There are tons of articles out on the Internet that will explain the difference if you’re really interested.

But what you need to know for this recipe is you’ll be purchasing canned YAMS, which in a grocery store, are normally soft sweet potatoes, but are labeled as yams.? Got that??

I know it’s a bit confusing, but you have to trust me on this one. And just to keep you guessing, I’m going to use the terms yams and sweet potatoes interchangeably throughout this post.?

Also, instead of throwing mini marshmallows on top, we’re going to whip up a crunchy streusel topping with pecans and brown sugar!

For those of you streusel connoisseurs out there, yes, I know there isn’t flour in the streusel, so how can I even call it streusel? I say, call it what you want. . .pecan topping, brown sugar topping, Ritz cracker topping. I, however, am calling it streusel.?

Let’s get to making this casserole, shall we?

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

To prepare this sweet potato casserole, you’ll need:

Canned yams
Sugar
Egg
Butter
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Ritz crackers
Pecans
Brown Sugar

If you’ve never used canned yams before, this is your chance. Drain the sweet potatoes before mashing them. I use a masher to make the job super simple.

This is really the step that saves you the most time since you don’t need to peel or boil the sweet potatoes. Pretty awesome, right?

Combine the mashed sweet potatoes with sugar, an egg, butter and cinnamon.

Transfer the potatoes to a greased baking dish.

Its time to mix up that crunchy topping! It’s a combination of crushed Ritz crackers, pecans, brown sugar and butter. Sounds heavenly, am I right?

Start sprinkling that delicious topping over the sweet potatoes and pop it in the oven.

After about 20-25 minutes, the casserole topping will have turned a golden brown and the potatoes will be ready to enjoy.

Are you ready to dig in?!

CAN YOU PREPARE THIS CASSEROLE THE NIGHT BEFORE?

You can prepare the casserole the night before but I would wait with the topping until you’re ready to place it into the oven.

If you do end up refrigerating it, allow it to set out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Because you’re starting with “cold” potatoes, you’ll need to bake it for about 35-40 minutes. Plan to add the topping about halfway through cooking time.

CAN YOU FREEZE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE?

Yes! Prepare the sweet potato mixture and spread into a casserole dish. Let it cool completely, wrap it in freezer wrap or aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to three months.

The day before you want to bake it, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw overnight in the fridge.

Mix up the streusel topping mixture, place on top of the casserole and bake as I instructed above – at 350º Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes. Plan to add the topping about halfway through cooking time.

HOW LONG WILL SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

You have some leftovers? No problem. Just cover the casserole with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to a week.

HUNGRY FOR MORE DELICIOUS SIDE DISHES?