In our family, sweet potatoes are almost a separate food group. I think if you asked my dad what his favorite food is, it would have to be sweet potatoes. He can eat them every day for lunch and my mom makes sure they are baked up and ready to go.
My family has been making this dish for as long as I can remember and honestly, it’s more like a dessert, but this time of year we consider this a mainstay side dish for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. It’s just not the holidays without Sweet Potato Souffle, made from scratch with real sweet potatoes, not canned and topped with the most delish brown sugar and pecan sugary delight.
Once you taste this, you’ll be hooked! I’m sure this is not a new recipe, there are many variations on it and you may have your own too.
This is my Aunt Mary’s recipe, that’s in her church cookbook and my mom has been making this one for a long, long time. We love it.
It truly is like eating dessert.
And did you know that sweet potatoes are really good for you?
Yep, my dad grows some massive big sweet potatoes and there’s nothing like them. Told you he is hooked on sweet potatoes, I wasn’t kidding.
Click the recipe below to print and save!
Aunt Mary’s Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato Souffle
Ingredients
- 1 large can drained sweet potatoes mom uses freshly grown sweet potatoes, bakes them and mashes them up to equal 1 can amount
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- Mix well and pour into a baking dish.
Instructions
-
Topping:
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One cup brown sugar
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One third cup melted butter
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One cup chopped pecans
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One third cup flour
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Mix well and pour on top of above mixture. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Eat and enjoy!
I made these for Thanksgiving for the first time…the recipe was very similar except it had cinnamon and nutmeg in with the potatoes. The only problem was that I used Splenda instead of sugar and you are only supposed to use half the amount so they were super sweet and well, we had a lot of leftovers! Can’t wait to make them the right way!
XO,
Jane
Sweet potato souffles freeze well, too. I make mine up to the point of putting sweet potato mixture in dish and freeze. When ready to use, I take it out of freezer and thaw in refrigerator. Add topping and cook!
I’m asked to make this every year at Christmas and Thanksgiving if we are celebrating with my husband’s extended family. I got the recipe from my brother’s wife. It is truly more like a dessert than a side dish. This recipe has a small can of crushed pineapple in with the sweet potatoes and some cinnamon. It’s called Sweet Potato Yummy and the name is perfect!
Rhoda, this recipe must be a southern one because my niece who lives in Newnan gave it to me a few years ago and said that it is very popular in her neck of the woods. I had never heard of making sweet potatoes this way (shows you what I know!) For this recipe, I buy 7 – 8 medium sized sweet potatoes rather than using canned. I boil them. So easy. Mash ’em up the night before and put them in the fridge. Make the topping on the day you’re serving them. I just finished eating the last of the dish last night! It heats up in the micro just fine. Thanks for sharing. xo
We have been following the Paleo plan for health… not to lose weight. We are eating a lot of sweet potatoes because they are pure carbs and not processed. However, they aren’t as thrilling as these enhanced versions. Yummy!
These sweet potatoes may be part of your Dad’s health secret! This recipe is very similar to my Mom’s old recipe with the crunchy brown sugar pecan topping, except she added pineapple and coconut to the sweet potatoes. I used to tease her that hers was the kitchen sink version. It WAS more like a dessert than a side dish, but side dish it was and is, and so delicious and essential to our holiday meals.
Rhoda, I have the same recipe, and we absolutely LOVE it! A few years ago, I discovered the difference that fresh sweet potatoes make. I microwave them, let them cool and the peeling comes right off with your fingers. Also, my recipe calls for 1/4 to 1/2 c. of canned milk instead of regular milk, and I use it sparingly because the fresh sweet potatoes tend to be juicier, but oh does it make it poof up light and fluffy!! This dish is a staple at our Thanksgiving & Christmas, too. My kids ate more of that than turkey! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I highly recommend it! 🙂
I use the exact same recipe! And it came from my church cook book! Good Ole Southern Cooks! Nothing is any better!!!
Yep….we make this every year too. Each year I try to tweak it a little so it’s never the same. I, too, add spices to mine – it really is more like dessert:) Sometimes we do the pecan topping, other times we do the marshmallows…sometimes half and half. This year we just used brown sugar and broiled it so it had a brulee type top. Any way you do it, it’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
One of my fondest memories of my Papaw was grandmother baking him a sweet potatoes. He loved them. I like the souffle but i tried something else this thanksgiving that i saw on tv, roast a pan of chopped up sweet potatoes, 400 degrees until soft, then melt butter and pour maple syrup, and pecans in butter, pour on top of sweet potatoes and gently toss. It was yummy… everyone in my family like them.. Have a great day..
I’m from south Georgia, and like you we have this every year. My grandmother also used coconut in the topping, and vanilla in the sweet potatoes as well. It is heaven. My brother actually does this better than anyone, and he has very, very few Martha Stewart interests.
I am with your Daddy…sweet potatoes are the bomb. We have them all the time. Many times just as mashed sweet potatoes with some salt and butter. yum yum yum
I love your dad and when you blog with him helping you out.
AWESOME sweet potatoes!
Oh yeah this looks just like my Mama’s sweet potato casserole! Yum! We Southerners just can’t help it can we…making our veggies taste like dessert! LOL
This is my exact recipe. It is fantastic and a staple on my Thanksgiving menu. So yummy!
I love sweet potatoes…your family recipe sounds delicious!
Love sweet potatoes! I make a similar recipe for every holiday meal!
Mary Ellen
The Working Home Keeper
Rhoda – Can’t wait to try this version – the pictures make it look so delicious! I hope you are going to put together a cookbook of your families recipes!!!! I sure would buy one!
Southern is as Southern does! Yessiree – I’ve been making this same casserole for years too. A staple in my family too. More like dessert. Love that your dad grows his own. My grandmother used to do one like this for the adults and for the children, she would put the mixture in orange halves that had the pulp and juice scrapped out and baked them in in a 9×13 oblong metal cake pan (she may have added a little fresh OJ to the mixture too)…then topped them with mini marshmallows, return to the oven till the mallows were browned and gooey! Love how you bring a touch of “Southern” eating and hospitality to us with each post. Southern? While yes you are!
Hi, Rhoda! Yum! I’ve never done a sweet potato souffle before! I am going to have to try it. Would you mind sharing this at our holiday link party? This looks so good! –Kristin
http://www.missflibbertigibbet.com/2012/11/holiday-recipes-linky-party.html
This looks delicious and I think I may just make it as a main dish…oops, I meant dessert! I LOVE Sweet potatoes. I have a lot of guest from overseas and they love them, too, but usually can’t get them in their own country or they’re considered gourmet=expensive. A friend’s father actually took some eyes? to try growing back home.
I usually just micro and eat out of the skin with a spoon. My mom used to eat them mashed with evaporated milk. That’s how she had them growing up. Simple, but so good. CTD