Savory sweet potato casserole is a flavorful side dish that will feel right at home on your Thanksgiving table! Whipped sweet potatoes are mixed with cream and herbs, then topped with buttery toasted pecans to make this holiday favorite.
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Sweet potato casserole is a Thanksgiving classic.
I love sweet potatoes, but I definitely prefer them savory over sweet. The classic recipe often includes brown sugar and marshmallows. That's just a bit too sweet for me, so I set out to develop a savory sweet potato casserole that could stand up to the original!
This recipe hits all the holiday highlights - sweet potatoes, cream, toasted nuts, and comforting herbs. It's mostly hands off, and can be prepped ahead of time and baked when you need to.
It's also naturally gluten free and easy to make vegan depending on the needs of your family. The orange zest added at the end is optional, but makes the flavors more complex.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Butter
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Heavy cream
- Egg
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pecans
- Honey
- Orange zest, optional
How to make savory sweet potato casserole
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them a few times each with a fork. Wrap them individually in aluminum foil and place them on the prepared baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 60 minutes or until they are soft when squeezed. When they're done remove them from the oven, reduce the oven temperature for 350ºF.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooling, brown ½ cup butter in a medium size pan over medium heat. Once the butter is browned, transfer 3 tablespoons to a medium bowl and set aside.
- To the 5 tablespoons of butter left in the pan, add the shallot and cook over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the sage and rosemary and remove from the heat.
- Using a spoon, scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the shallot mixture, heavy cream, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender to combine everything together. The mixture should be silky and have a whipped texture.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared 2 quart baking dish and smooth out the top.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown butter, pecans, and honey until the nuts are completely coated. Spread evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.
- Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with orange zest if desired.
Top tips
How many sweet potatoes to use for the best sweet potato casserole
You don't need to be too exact with the measurement of your sweet potatoes here. I used four because they were pretty big, but if yours are on the smaller side opt for five.
Baking sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes produce a sticky liquid when baking, which can burn on the pan or oven. I always bake my sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil to make clean up easy and keep smoke from building up in the oven.
How to brown butter
Brown butter is easy to make as long as you're paying attention and don't get distracted. The actual browning can happen quickly, and will turn burnt if you don't remove it from the heat.
All you need to do to make brown butter is let butter cook in a pan until the milk solids turn an amber color. For all the details and step by step pictures, check out this post on how to make brown butter.
How to store sweet potato casserole
Leftovers can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. Reheat individual portions in the microwave until warm.
Tips for customizing savory sweet potato casserole
- Swap the heavy cream for full fat coconut milk, the butter for vegan butter (skip the browning), the honey for maple syrup, and omit the egg (or use a flax egg) to make this a vegan sweet potato casserole
- Skip the nuts and honey and reduce the butter to 5 tablespoons to make this nut free
- Use your favorite combination of herbs, such as a poultry seasoning blend
- If you don't have shallots you can use an equal amount of onion instead
- Reduce the heavy cream to ½ cup to lighten up the fat and calories
- Crumble feta cheese on top before baking to mimic the look of classic sweet potato casserole
FAQ
Yes, you should remove the skin of the sweet potato for this recipe. It is easy to do after baking, you can either peel it away with your hands or scoop the inside out with a spoon. My dog loves cooked sweet potato skins as a special treat!
Not all baking dishes label how much they will hold, so it can be difficult to know if you're using the right size. This recipe will work with any shape pan such as rectangular, circular, or oblong.
A 2 quart baking dish is on the smaller side. A square 8 x 8 baking dish may be a good option. For reference, a 9 x 13 baking dish can hold 3-4 quarts.
More side dish recipes
- Mashed Potato Bake
- Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
- Simple Vegetarian Stuffing
- Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing
- Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
- Thanksgiving Baked Tempeh
- Creamy Mushroom Tempeh
- Vegetarian Lentil Meatloaf Muffins
- Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad
- Fall Cheese Board
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Oven Roasted Carrots with Thyme
- Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberries
- Sweet and Salty Cheese Board
- Cheesy Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg, beaten
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Wash the sweet potatoes and prick them a few times each with a fork. Wrap them individually in aluminum foil and place them on the prepared baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 60 minutes or until they are soft when squeezed. When they're done remove them from the oven, reduce the oven temperature for 350ºF and open the aluminum foil around them to allow them to cool enough to handle.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooling, brown ½ cup butter in a medium size pan over medium heat. The butter will sizzle and foam up, then quiet down and turn brown. You want a golden brown color, not black. Once the butter is browned, transfer 3 tablespoons to a medium bowl and set aside.
- To the 5 tablespoons of butter left in the pan, add the shallot and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened but not crisp.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the sage and rosemary and remove from the heat.
- Using a spoon, scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the shallot mixture, heavy cream, egg, and salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender to combine everything together. The mixture should be silky and have a whipped texture.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared 2 quart baking dish and smooth out the top.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of brown butter, pecans, and honey until the nuts are completely coated. Spread evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.
- Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with orange zest if desired.
Notes
Tips for customizing savory sweet potato casserole
- Swap the heavy cream for full fat coconut milk, the butter for vegan butter (skip the browning), the honey for maple syrup, and omit the egg (or use a flax egg) to make this a vegan sweet potato casserole
- Skip the nuts and honey and reduce the butter to 5 tablespoons to make this nut free
- Use your favorite combination of herbs, such as a poultry seasoning blend
- If you don't have shallots you can use an equal amount of onion instead
- Reduce the heavy cream to ½ cup to lighten up the fat and calories
- Crumble feta cheese on top before baking to mimic the look of classic sweet potato casserole
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