Old-fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Fresh sweet potatoes mashed with sugar, coconut oil, eggs, and milk, then topped with a sweet topping and covered with toasted, gooey marshmallows. This is a perfectly sweet holiday side dish that pairs wonderfully with ham or turkey.
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This old-fashioned sweet potato casserole recipe is truly a family favorite for special occasions. A version of it was given to my husband by his friend a very long time ago and he has tweaked it over the years to make it as good as possible. In my humble opinion at least! On our recipe card, this is simply labeled “The BEST Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe.” What else is there to be said? It’s true! Once you try it, I think you will agree!
This is on our holiday table for every Thanksgiving Dinner and Easter Dinner at our house and is the perfect complement to all of the delicious savory dishes like roast turkey and green bean casserole. It also is a great accompaniment to ham, which is what we like to serve for Easter dinner.
What is Sweet Potato Casserole?
A Southern sweet potato casserole that is a dessert-like side dish. It is made of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes combined with sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, and eggs all baked together in a casserole dish. Everyone has their version of sweet potato casserole, where the sweet potato mixture is topped with a buttery pecan crumble topping, or mixed with brown sugar and flavored with orange. But my favorite is the version that is topped with mini marshmallows. Yup, it’s kind of like a dessert masquerading as a side dish. Aren’t the holidays great?? It’s a traditional southern favorite for Thanksgiving and other family meals and holidays.
How can you make traditional sweet potato casserole dairy-free and gluten-free?
For a dairy-free option: use non-dairy milk like soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk. Also, a classic recipe would use melted butter but we use coconut oil with a pinch of sea salt mixed in with the sweet potato mash in the place of butter.
For a gluten free sweet potato casserole: Use your favorite gluten-free flour or almond flour instead of using all-purpose flour in the topping.
For a nut-free sweet potato casserole: This recipe is already nut-free! Most sweet potato casserole recipes have a crunchy pecan topping but this one doesn’t! I don’t think it adds anything to the recipe, so I left it out.
How to Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
You will need about 5 to 6 medium sweet potatoes for a 9×13 casserole. When selecting them, look for potatoes that are free of any blemishes or bruises. Scrub them really well and remove any blemishes.
You can prepare your sweet potatoes for use in the casserole by baking or boiling them. We usually boil them in a large pot in large chunks until they are fork-tender, but the method is based on personal preference. You can also bake whole potatoes in a 350-degree F oven. Peirce the potatoes a few times with a fork and lay them on a baking sheet to prevent any drips. It will take around 40 minutes to an hour depending on your oven.
Once the potatoes are cooked you need to peel the skins off and mash them in a large bowl with a potato masher or a hand mixer until they are mostly smooth.
Next, mix the sweet potatoes with the coconut oil, eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla, and evenly spread the mixture in a 9×13 baking dish. Then you need to mix up the brown sugar topping. Mix dark brown sugar with a little flour, coconut oil, and shredded coconut. Trust me it’s delicious!
At this point, you can let the casserole sit overnight, or you can go ahead and bake it at 350 for 25 minutes. Now if you are going to travel with this casserole, this is the part where you would grab a bag of mini marshmallows and your casserole and head out. To finish the casserole, right before it’s time to eat, top the 9×13 dish with mini marshmallows in a single layer. Bake them in a 350-degree F oven, until lightly brown. Don’t walk away from the oven, it won’t take long for them to melt and get nicely brown! Serve the casserole immediately and enjoy!
What Goes Best With Sweet Potato Casserole | Recipe Ideas
This rich and delicious dish pairs well with so many other favorite foods and is a perfect side dish or dessert. It’s a must on our Thanksgiving table and we always serve it with ham on Easter too!
Here are a few ideas for what to serve with Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole:
- Roasted Turkey – A Thanksgiving tradition
- Green Bean Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Stuffing
- Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic Green Beans – This is a lighter green bean side dish that we often make on the holidays
- Roasted Broccoli
- Glazed Ham – We always have ham on Easter Sunday, and it is soooo delicious with this casserole.
- Cranberry Sauce
- Homemade Rolls
- Homemade Bread – No-knead Olive Oil Bread, Irish Soda Bread in a Cast Iron Skillet
- Roasted Vegetables
- Skillet Potatoes with Bacon
- Pot Roast
- Petit Green Peas
- Biscuits
- Corn Bread
- Mashed Garlic Cauliflower
- Roast Chicken
- Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Tri-tip Roast in a Cast Iron Skillet
It’s so simple and easy to make ahead (see instructions below) this sweet potato recipe pairs perfectly with so many meals my family enjoys throughout the year.
FAQs About Sweet Potato Casserole
Can I use canned sweet potatoes for Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole?
You can, but the texture is a bit off, it is much more soft and mushy. Fresh sweet potatoes are best for this recipe.
Can sweet potato casserole be made ahead?
YES except for the marshmallows on top. This is a great recipe to bring to someone else’s house or make ahead the day before you want to serve it. You can make the entire casserole, follow all of the steps until you add the marshmallow topping. Pack up your casserole and a bag of mini marshmallows. About 10 minutes before you want to serve it, add the marshmallows to the top of the casserole and broil the casserole until it turns golden brown.
What If I don’t like Coconut?
Try it anyway! This recipe doesn’t taste much like coconut, it just gives the topping an amazing sweetness and texture. We have some members of our family who aren’t crazy about coconut and they are still crazy for this casserole! If aren’t a fan of coconut and you try it, let me know what you think.
How to Store Leftover Sweet Potato Casserole:
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, cover them well with plastic wrap or place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. But let’s be honest, it won’t make it too far beyond the next day. This is a favorite holiday side dish and it doesn’t last long! Serve cold, room temperature, or gently reheat in the oven or microwave and serve.
Printable Recipe Card
Old-fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Base
- 6-7 sweet potatoes makes 4 cups mashed
- 1 cup sugar you can cut this back to half a cup if you don't like as much sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup milk Any milk is fine, we use almond milk if we want to make it dairy-free.
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
For the Brown Sugar Topping
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
For the Marshmallow Topping
- 2-3 cups mini marshmallows enough to cover the top of the casserole in an even layer.
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potatoes until soft by either microwaving them, boiling them, or baking them.
- While the sweet potatoes cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Once the sweet potatoes are soft, remove the skin and add 4 cups of mashed sweet potato to a large bowl. Let it cool a little so it doesn't cook the eggs.
- To the large bowl with the sweet potato, add the sweet potato base ingredients. Sugar, coconut oil, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, vanilla, and salt. Don't use a beater for this just use a spoon, you don't want the sweet potatoes to be whipped.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture into the prepared 13×9 casserole dish.
- In a medium-sized bowl mix together the brown sugar topping ingredients. Brown sugar, flour, coconut, and melted coconut oil.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
- **If you are traveling with this casserole or making it ahead of time you can pause here. Before you're ready to serve pop it back in the oven to warm up, then follow the last step.
- Add enough mini marshmallows to cover the top of the casserole in an even layer and bake in a 350-degree F oven for 5-10 minutes. Don't walk away from the casserole, watch it and pull it out just as the marshmallows start to turn brown. This can burn easily. Once the marshmallows are brown serve immediately. Enjoy!