• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sugar & Snap Peas
  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Sides
    • Salad Dressing
  • About me
  • Contact me
  • Gluten Free
  • Vegetarian
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About me
  • Recipe Index
  • Work with Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About me
    • Recipe Index
    • Work with Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Pulled pork pizza with bbq sauce on a cutting board.
      Leftover BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza
    • Dutch Oven Pulled Pork recipe topped with coleslaw and BBQ sauce, on a bun.
      Dutch Oven Pulled Pork Recipe
    • Bowl of Busy Day Soup, on a napkin, with a silver spoon.
      Busy Day Soup
    • Slumgullion in a bowl, with a spoon, on a yellow napkin, garnished with fresh parsley.
      Slow Cooker Slumgullion (Goulash)
    • Turkey Smash Burger on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese, surrounded by potato chips.
      Turkey Smash Burgers
    • Grinder Salad on a large plate with a light blue napkin and various ingredients scattered around.
      Grinder Salad
    • Three seared salmon filets over a bowl of Penne al Salmone pasta, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
      Penne al Salmone
    • Boil chicken thighs on a plate garnished with fresh thyme.
      How to Boil Chicken Thighs (Fresh or Frozen)
    • Small glass jar of Caesar dressing without anchovies with a spoon, lettuce leaves in the background, a striped towel in the background, and shredded parmesan cheese around the jar.
      Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies
    • Sliced spiral ham with maple dijon glaze, on a round plate and a light blue napkin.
      Dutch Oven Ham
    • Up close image of cooked Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian rolls.
      Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls
    • Two baked potatoes, cut open with butter and chives, on parchment paper with a fork and knife.
      Perfect Baked Potato (without foil)
    Home » Recipes » All Recipes

    Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts

    Published: Nov 22, 2021 · Modified: Nov 13, 2022 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a comment.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·★★★★★5 from 1 review

    A holiday dinner table isn't complete without a Sweet Potato Casserole. This recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts starts with a layer of velvety soufflé-like mashed sweet potatoes, and ends with crunchy, streusel, walnut topping.

    Sweet potato casserole with walnuts on a dark wooden table, in a white casserole dish with handles next to a white and red striped dish towel.

    This classic Thanksgiving comfort food recipe is a rich, dessert-like side dish that is easy to make and only LOOKS like you spent hours in the kitchen making it!

    The sweet potatoes cook down to a creamy, dessert like texture and the walnut crumble topping is buttery, crunchy, sweet and absolutely impossible to stop eating!

    This nostalgic Thanksgiving recipe pairs really well with Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin and my Classic Brioche Stuffing.

    If you're looking for a lighter sweet potato side dish, then you also need to make Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Equipment needed
    • How to make Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts
    • Recipe serving suggestions
    • Variations and Substitutions
    • Make ahead, storage and reheating
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Follow me
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    Ingredients needed to make the casserole with walnuts
    • Sweet potatoes - Sweet potatoes, not to be confused with yams, have a reddish colored skin and always look a little beat up. They are a larger variety of potato and seem to all be shaped differently! I've never found two sweet potatoes that look exactly the same.
    • Eggs - You will need 3 eggs to make this sweet potato casserole.
    • White sugar - Any type of white sugar will work. You can use regular, granulated sugar or cane sugar.
    • Butter - I used salted butter. If you use unsalted butter you may need to increase the amount of salt you add to this recipe.
    • Vanilla extract - Did you know you can make your own vanilla extract? I first learned about making my own vanilla extract from 100 Days of Real Food. Homemade vanilla extract is an excellent Christmas gift!
    • Kosher Salt - Kosher salt is a course salt that cannot be substituted in a 1:1 ratio with regular table sale.
    • Heavy cream - If you can't find heavy cream, you can use heavy whipping cream instead. The difference between heavy cream and heavy whipping cream is fat content. Heavy cream has slightly more fat. Heavy cream is preferred for sauce making. They can be used interchangeably in this recipe. Whole milk would also be a good substitute.
    • Brown sugar - Brown sugar is made by adding molasses to white sugar. You could use either light or dark brown sugar. The brown sugar is used to make the streusel topping.
    • Flour - I used a regular, all-purpose flour. The flour is used in the streusel topping. If you would like to make this recipe gluten free, just use an all-purpose gluten free flour!
    • Walnuts - Save yourself a little time and purchase walnuts that are already chopped.

    Equipment needed

    • Stock pot - You'll need an extra large stock pot or soup pot to boil the sweet potatoes.
    • Casserole dish - You'll be cooking your sweet potato casserole in this dish!
    • 2 small mixing bowls - One bowl is needed to mix some of your liquid ingredients. The second bowl is needed to mix your streusel.
    • Vegetable peeler - A vegetable peeler is used to peel the sweet potatoes. If you don't have a peeler, a sharp paring knife will work.
    • Immersion blender or potato masher - I prefer to mash my sweet potatoes using an immersion blender. You can also use a potato masher.
    • Cutting board and chopping knife
    • Measuring cups and spoons

    How to make Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts

    Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bring a large stock pot filled with water to a boil. Add the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes to the boiling water and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the water and mash the sweet potatoes using a potato masher or an immersion blender.

    Peeled and chopped sweet potatoes in a white bowl

    Step 2: Mix the eggs, white sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, heavy cream and salt in a small mixing bowl.

    Egg, sugar, melted butter, salt and vanilla extract mixed together in a stainless steel bowl

    Step 3: Make the streusel topping by mashing the softened butter, brown sugar, flour and walnuts together in a separate mixing bowl. The easiest way to mash the topping together is to use the back of a large fork. You can also just use your hands!

    Work the crumble topping ingredients together until they form course, pea-sized crumbs.

    Ingredients for streusel mashed up in a bowl

    Step 4: Pour the egg mixture into the mashed sweet potatoes and mix together.

    Step 5: Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the casserole dish and spread it out evenly.

    Mashed sweet potatoes mixed with liquid ingredients spread out in a white casserole dish

    Step 6: Top the sweet potato mash with the streusel topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve to your Thanksgiving dinner guests!

    Sweet potato casserole with walnuts in a casserole dish ready to go in the oven

    This recipe is so delicious you could serve it for dessert! I've always wondered why this is a side dish recipe when it's sweet enough to be an after dinner treat.

    Recipe serving suggestions

    If you're making this on Thanksgiving, then I've got you covered with tons of other delicious turkey day side dishes!

    • Green Bean Casserole with Cream of Chicken
    • Butternut and Beetroot Salad
    • Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Carrots
    • Roasted Carrots and Green Beans
    • 3 Ingredient Drop Biscuits
    • No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
    • Classic Brioche Stuffing

    Variations and Substitutions

    Walnuts: You can substitute the walnuts for pecans. Pecans are more traditionally used in sweet potato casserole recipes. I chose to swap them out for walnuts in the recipe because I like the taste and texture of walnuts! You can also skip the nuts completely if you'd like. Your streusel topping won't have as much crunch, but the casserole will still be delicious.

    Sweet potatoes: You cannot substitute yams for sweet potatoes in this recipe. Many people use the term "yam" and "sweet potato" interchangeably. They are actually completely different vegetables though and for this recipe, they should not be used interchangeably.

    Make ahead, storage and reheating

    How to make ahead: You can make all of the components of this recipe 1 day in advance, and then assemble the casserole and bake it in the oven 30 minutes prior to serving it.

    How to store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    How to reheat: The easiest way to reheat a sweet potato casserole is to reheat small portions in the microwave in a glass, microwave safe dish.

    Print

    📖 Recipe

    Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts

    Sweet potato casserole with walnuts right out of the oven, not cut into yet
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 review

    This recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts starts with a layer of soufflé-like mashed sweet potatoes, and ends with crunchy, streusel topping.

    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 40 minutes
    • Total Time: 50 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings 1x
    • Category: side dish
    • Method: baking
    • Cuisine: Holiday

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 large sweet potatoes (4-5 cups chopped)
    • 3 eggs
    • ½ cup white granulated sugar
    • 4 tablespoons melted butter
    • ⅓ cup heavy cream
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
    • 4 tablespoons softened butter
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts

    Instructions

    1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
    2. Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil on the stove top.  While the water is coming to a boil, peel and chop the sweet potatoes.  Boil the sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, or until they are easily pierced with a fork.  Drain the sweet potatoes and return them to the stock pot.  Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, mash the sweet potatoes until no clumps remain and they are creamy and smooth.
    3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, white sugar, melted butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt.  Add this mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes and mix until well combined.
    4. In another small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, softened butter and walnuts.  Using a fork, mash and mix the ingredients together until they are crumbly and resemble course sand.  This is your streusel topping.
    5. Transfer the mashed sweet potato mixture to a 11"x 7" casserole baking dish and spread it out evenly in the bottom of the pan.  Top the sweet potatoes with the streusel topping.  Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Gluten free - Make this recipe gluten free by swapping out the all-purpose flour with gluten free all-purpose flour.
    • Make ahead - You can make all of the components of this recipe 1 day in advance, and then assemble the casserole and bake it in the oven 30 minutes prior to serving it.
    • Storage - Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 448
    • Sugar: 39.5 g
    • Sodium: 209.9 mg
    • Fat: 24.7 g
    • Carbohydrates: 53.4 g
    • Fiber: 2.6 g
    • Protein: 6.2 g
    • Cholesterol: 105.9 mg

    Keywords: sweet potato casserole with walnuts

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @sugar_and_snap_peas on Instagram - I can't wait to see what you've made!

    Follow me

    Follow me on Facebook, on Instagram and on Pinterest!

    Check out my highlights on Instagram for weekly family dinner ideas!

    Did you make this recipe? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love hearing from my followers and answering any of your questions!

    More recipes

    • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs on a sheet pan with a fork and knife in the bottom right corner and a small bowl of BBQ sauce in the top right corner.
      Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
    • Sun dried tomato pesto chicken on a round plate.
      Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken
    • Cast Iron Skillet Pork Tenderloin on a round plate with roasted potatoes and carrots. Garnished with fresh thyme.
      Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin
    • Red bowl with handles filled with baked macaroni and cheese.
      Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese

    Subscribe

    for your weekly recipe fix.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katie

      July 16, 2023 at 9:13 am

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Katie in front of a tree

    I’m Katie, the food blogger, recipe creator, and food photographer at Sugar & Snap Peas. I specialize in easy, budget-friendly, family recipes. My goal is to help you take the stress out of cooking and provide you with simple, creative recipes.

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • Dutch Oven Pulled Pork recipe topped with coleslaw and BBQ sauce, on a bun.
      Dutch Oven Pulled Pork Recipe
    • Sweet potato and black bean chili.
      Dutch Oven Chili
    • Red bowl with handles filled with baked macaroni and cheese.
      Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese
    • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs on a sheet pan with a fork and knife in the bottom right corner and a small bowl of BBQ sauce in the top right corner.
      Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
    • Slumgullion in a bowl, with a spoon, on a yellow napkin, garnished with fresh parsley.
      Slow Cooker Slumgullion (Goulash)
    • Three seared salmon filets over a bowl of Penne al Salmone pasta, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
      Penne al Salmone
    • Teriyaki turkey and rice in a bowl.
      Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl
    • Cheeseburger meatloaf cut into 8 slices, on the baking sheet lined with parchment, a small bowl of ketchup is in the top left corner, a small bowl of mustard is in the bottom right corner and diced pickles are also in the corner.
      Cheeseburger Meatloaf with Pickles

    Popular dinner recipes

    • Baked panko chicken on a plate with greens and lemon wedges.
      Crispy Baked Panko Chicken
    • Honey butter garlic chicken in a blue bowl, served over white rice.
      Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
    • Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken in a blue bowl with a fork.
      Dutch Oven Pulled Chicken
    • Up close image of cooked Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian rolls.
      Cheeseburger Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls
    • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs on a sheet pan with a fork and knife in the bottom right corner and a small bowl of BBQ sauce in the top right corner.
      Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
    • Cooked chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet, garnished with fresh parsley.
      Easy Dijon Chicken Thighs
    • Buffalo Chicken Thighs on a parchment paper, with a fork and knife in the bottom right corner and a bowl of blue cheese dressing in the top left corner.
      Baked Buffalo Chicken Thighs
    • Final image of the cheeseburger pasta skillet recipe, in a red cast iron pot with handles, a wooden spoon and garnished with fresh parsley.
      One Pot Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet Recipe

    Trending Recipes

    • How to make Pinwheel Sandwiches
    • Salmon pasta without cream in a large blue bowl.
      Salmon Pasta without Cream
    • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs on a sheet pan with a fork and knife in the bottom right corner and a small bowl of BBQ sauce in the top right corner.
      Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs
    • Teriyaki turkey and rice in a bowl.
      Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl

    Search my Site

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • DMCA
    • CCPA

    Newsletter

    • Newsletter signup coming soon!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About me

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Sugar & Snap Peas