My recipe for sweet potato casserole with canned yams is sweet, comforting, and a staple every holiday in my house. I add marshmallows and pecans to make it a side dish my family can’t resist!
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My Best Recipe for Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
I love a good Thanksgiving recipe, and if there is any recipe on my site that’s a must-make for the holidays, it’s my sweet potato casserole with canned yams. I just love the way the marshmallows brown up nice and roasted and bring more sweetness to the dish. It’s honestly the best recipe I’ve ever created.
I use canned yams to make the casserole super quick and easy to put together. It can be whipped up and already baking in the oven within 10 minutes.
It’s my true signature dish. I bring it to every Friendsgiving and make it every big holiday for my family.
And, if you love a good easy holiday recipe, try my candied yams, canned green bean casserole, Velveeta mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole with pineapple, and pineapple casserole.
Ingredients For Canned Sweet Potato Casserole
- Canned yams — I’ve also used freshly boiled sweet potatoes too
- Butter
- Brown sugar — I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work too
- Egg
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Mini marshmallows
- Pecans — I’ve also used chopped walnuts and sliced almonds in the past
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
STEP TWO: Drain the canned yams. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl, and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
STEP THREE: Spread the mashed sweet potato mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with the marshmallows and chopped pecans.
STEP FOUR: Turn on the oven broiler, and return the dish to the upper-middle rack. Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until marshmallows are lightly browned. I stay near the oven watching during this step because it only takes a few seconds too long for the marshmallows to overcook.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows Variations and Substitutions
- Switch the marshmallow pecan topping for a brown sugar topping by mixing together butter, flour, and brown sugar. Sometimes, I even make two versions for the holiday table—one with marshmallows and one with this topping—so people can enjoy both.
- Use fresh sweet potatoes instead of canned yams. I prefer not to do this for ease, but it does taste great.
- Use maple syrup in place of brown sugar. I’ve even used half brown sugar and half maple syrup. Sometimes I will also add a dash of vanilla extract to enhance the sweetness even more.
- Turn my sweet potato casserole into a savory dish by removing the brown sugar and adding a little rosemary, sage, and garlic.
Sweet potato Casserole with Canned Yams FAQs
Is There a Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
While the United States tends to use the terms sweet potatoes and yams interchangeably, there is actually a difference.
Sweet potatoes are the orange vegetable in grocery stores here in the US. Yams actually have a rough, bark like skin with a white inside.
My sweet potato casserole recipe calls for canned yams as that is what the label says on most canned sweet potatoes, but it actually uses sweet potatoes as the main ingredient.
Can I Use Fresh Sweet Potatoes to Make Sweet Potato Casserole?
I’ve made this recipe several times using fresh sweet potatoes! I peel about 4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes, put them in a large pot covered in water, and bring it to a simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. They are done cooking when they are very tender to pierce with a fork. Then drain the potatoes and mash like usual in my recipe!
Can You Make Sweet Potato Casserole Ahead of Time?
Yes, I actually love making this recipe ahead of time. If I plan to cook it later in the day, I just add all of the ingredients to the dish and let it sit in the fridge until I’m ready to bake it.
If I need to prepare it a day or two ahead of time, I bake it without the marshmallows and pecans, then store it in the fridge. When I’m ready to reheat it, I just heat it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees until warmed through and then add the topping as usual.
Can I Double This Recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams?
I have doubled this recipe multiple times! My Friends-giving celebrations typically have 30 people, so I need to make a double batch for it.
I use a 2QT dish and double all the ingredients. Since there are more sweet potatoes, it will take a little longer to cook at 350 degrees F. I find about 45 minutes does the trick before adding the topping.
How to Store Leftover Canned Sweet Potato Casserole
I find that I usually don’t have leftovers because my family and friends eat it all up, but in case there are, they will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.
How to Reheat Sweet Potato Casserole
I’ve only needed to reheat this when I have the full casserole sitting in the fridge made ahead of time. Just cook it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes until warmed throughout.
Small portions can be reheated in the microwave watching the marshmallows very carefully to make sure they don’t explode.
Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Casserole?
Yes, I have frozen my recipe a few times now and it works out great. Bake the sweet potato casserole, but remove it before putting on the topping. Then let it cool and cover it tightly before freezing. I recommend freezing it no longer than 3 months.
If I am freezing leftovers, I remove any marshmallows from the top as they do not taste great after being frozen and then thawed.
More Easy Holiday Dinner Recipes
- Cake mix pumpkin bread
- Cornbread stuffing
- Grape salad
- Corn casserole
- How to cook a spiral ham
- Green bean casserole without mushroom soup
- Roasted whole chicken
- 5 ingredient squash casserole
- Easy orange cranberry sauce
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams
Ingredients
- 1 40 ounce canned cooked yams drained
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces miniature marshmallows
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Drain the canned yams, transfer them to a large mixing bowl, and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
- Spread the mashed sweet potato mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and top with the marshmallows and chopped pecans.
- Turn on the oven broiler and return the dish to the upper-middle rack. Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until marshmallows are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use fresh sweet potatoes by peeling 4-5 medium sized sweet potoatoes, covering them in a large pot of water and simmering them for 15-20 minutes until very easily pierces. Drain before using.
- Reheat this casserole in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
I would like to try this but have a question. Thank you ahead of time for your recipe and tome to respond! The article is about sweet potato casserole which is what I am looking for, yet the recipe is for yams, so is it the same recipe for either? Why does the recipe say yams?
Hi Marie, great questions. For some reason, the US likes to use the terms yams and sweet potatoes interchangeably. You will want the canned orange sweet potatoes that are typically called yams in store.
Can this be frozen and reheated?
I do not recommend freezing it, but it can be refrigerated then reheated!
This can be frozen; I have done it before. Mix all the ingredients together (except the marshmallows). Scoop the mix into a gallon size zipper bag, get all the air out and seal it. Next you want to lay it flat on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer. Once it’s frozen you can take the cookie sheet out place the flat bag anywhere in the freezer. To thaw, place it on a paper towel or dish towel and place in refrigerator. Once thawed, you will have to mix well and place in the container you want to cook it in. Cook per directions in this article.
Can I put pecans in with the mix? Making this tomorrow. Sounds delicious.
I recommend only putting the pecans on top to keep their crunchiness. If you put them in the mix, they will get softer, but if you don’t mind that — go for it!
I made 2 40oz canned yams…..how long should I cook it for? Pretty much doubled the recipe? Should I cook for an hour on 325 or still 350?
Hi Samantha, it depends on what size dish you’re cooking it in. I’ve tripled the recipe in a 13×9 pan and it was done cooking in 35 minutes. If you’re still cooking it in a smaller dish, I would allow about 60 minutes at 350 degrees. It is done cooking when the casserole reaches 165 degrees F with a thermometer.
Can you make this a day early and then bake it the next day instead of the same day?
Yes! Just mix it all and place it in the fridge covered tightly. Then uncover and bake the next day.
This recipe is great but my mom had a little twist that I still use: add small bits of pineapple and cut back on the brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness. This adds a nice fresh twist.
Yum! This sounds similar to the pineapple version I have as well!