Sweet Potato Casserole – A creamy, lightly sweetened sweet potato side dish with the warm aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice is a must-have side dish for holiday dinners!
My cousin has been hosting Thanksgiving for years now. She has the most amazing and traditional thanksgiving menu.My favorite is her mushroom pie and the cranberry sauce. We enjoy the Turkey with a delicious stuffing and there is always a yummy salad or two. My contribution to our dinner is this sweet potato casserole that we call yummy yams!
Note: The original recipe posted in Nov 2017 has been updated with more variations of the recipe.
I have been making this sweet potato casserole for over fifteen years. It started with baking potatoes in the oven and then making a creamy mash with eggs, butter, sugar and spices. Over the years, I have reduced the butter, sugar and substituted eggs with orange juice which adds a little kick of fresh citrusy flavor to this dish.
Last year, I used my Instant Pot for cooking the sweet potatoes and it was so much easier and faster than baking them in the oven. The peel came right off and then I followed my old recipe to finish it up in the oven.
Last few weeks, I have been trying to come up a recipe that would truly be a one pot dish with an option of skipping the baking in the oven part. After a couple of tries, I think I have nailed this recipe that is as tasty as my baked version. Plus, a few healthy additions has made this dish vegan friendly.
Variation – Steam sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot and finish the dish in the OVEN:
- To use the Instant Pot to steam the sweet potatoes, add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Place washed sweet potatoes on the trivet and cook for 12- 15 mins on pressure cook/manual(hi) with natural pressure release. Tip – Pick small to medium sweet potatoes that cook faster.
- Allow the potatoes to cool. Remove the skin and place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
- Mash sweet potatoes until smooth. Then beat in one egg or 1/2 cup of orange juice.
- Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg; beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Transfer mixture to an ungreased 3 quart casserole dish. Arrange the pecans in a single layer on top. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and drizzle 2 tablespoon melted butter over the top.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 375 degrees, or until browned and bubbly.
Also, if you enjoy sweet potatoes as much as we do, don’t forget to try this delicious cardamom and saffron flavored sweet potato halwa with fresh coconut!
So, as the countdown to thanksgiving begins, here is a new and easier way to make your sweet potato casserole in the Instant Pot:
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- 3 tablespoons vegan butter divided (or coconut oil)
- 2 pounds yams/sweet potatoes peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar plus 2 tablespoon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 20 pecan halves
Set Instant Pot to Saute mode and heat 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Add sweet potatoes, orange juice, salt, cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg. Mix together.
Spread 1/4 cup of brown sugar on top, do not mix. Close Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual/Pressure cook(hi) for 5 minutes followed by quick release.
- Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash the potatoes until they are smooth.
If serving from the Instant Pot, spread the remaining vegan butter or coconut oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of brown sugar and arrange the pecans on top. Set Instant pot to saute(less) and cook for 5 mins or until the potatoes are heated through and the top becomes bubbly. Keep the sweet potatoes on 'keep warm' mode until ready to be served.
If you are serving in casserole, take the mashed sweet potatoes out in a casserole dish. Arrange pecans in a single layer on top. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoon brown sugar and drizzle remaining melted butter over the top. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 degrees, or until browned and bubbly
Recipe Video
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Author: Archana
Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
I had roasted sweet potatoes today for dinner, and love the fact that you can use them in sweet and salty dishes, this casserole looks lovely!
Thank you! Love roasted potatoes with some garlic butter on them!
Thank you! I’ll get busy!
Let me know how you like it!
I will be making my sweet potatoes in the IP as you instructed and then making a casserole to bake on Thanksgiving day. Do you know how far in advance I can put this dish together? Every little thing I can do ahead of time save some sanity. Thank you! I love following your blog.
You can make this dish 2-3 days in advance. Assemble the whole thing and then just reheat/bake in the casserole dish.
This looks so delish and tempting!
Thank you
I tried this with sweet potatoes but the consistency was more of a solid paste than I expected, even with using a bit more liquid than you had called for. Could I use cubed butternut squash for this recipe instead? Thanks!
May be reduce the liquids instead? Also baking it for 5 to 10 minutes will also help thicken up the dish further. You can certainly try it with butternut sqaush.