Creamy mashed sweet potatoes topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel. This holiday side dish will be met with rave reviews.
Good news: yes, this is as delicious as it looks. And no, it’s not too soon to start thinking about our holiday menus. I mean, if there was ever a year to eat ALL the comfort food, this is it.
This Sweet Potato Souffle has some similarities to my popular Sweet Potato Casserole, but there are a few differences that sets this one apart. The potatoes are extra creamy and slightly fluffy and the topping is loaded brown sugar streusel (no marshmallows in this version).
Sweet potato souffle: recipe overview
Sweet potatoes: The base of this recipe is mashed sweet potatoes. The potatoes are sweetened and combined with eggs, milk, butter, and a touch of vanilla. Mixing the sweet potatoes with a hand mixer or food processor creates a light and fluffy texture that is incredible.
Brown sugar topping: This quick and easy topping is a combination of brown sugar, flour, pecans, cinnamon, and butter. It bakes up crunchy and sweet, adding texture to every bite of this souffle.
Bake: This souffle bakes for about 35 minutes. Once the potatoes are warm and the topping is golden brown, you can dig in.
Make ahead instructions
- Prepare the sweet potatoes and place in the baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Prepare the topping (do not add it to the sweet potatoes). Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Bake: Cover the sweet potatoes with foil (no topping yet) and heat in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes, until warmed all the way through. Remove the foil and sprinkle the topping over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 20-30 more minutes (uncovered), until the topping is golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can I omit the pecans in the streusel topping? Yes! You can omit the pecans or swap them for another nut (finely chopped walnuts or almonds would be delicious).
- Can I use canned yams? I haven’t tried it, but I would assume so. Drain the canned yams really well and mash them (you will need 4 cups mashed). Proceed with the recipe at step 3 (under “sweet potatoes”). Note: canned yams are often packed in syrup, which will make them sweeter to start with. You can reduce the sugar in the sweet potatoes by half if you’d like.
- Can this recipe be doubled? Yes, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Can I make this ahead? Absolutely! See my tips above or in the recipe card.
More holiday recipes
Cherry Pecan Cheeseball – A fantastic appetizer, always a hit!
Cranberry Cake – This fluffy and flavorful cake can be breakfast or dessert.
Pumpkin Pie Bars – Even easier than pumpkin pie!
Apple Crisp – Juicy apples and a brown sugar topping, perfect with a scoop of ice cream.
Maple Pecan Pie – The best pecan pie ever (no corn syrup).
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – Part pumpkin pie, part cheesecake, super delicious!
Cranberry Salad – Creamy, sweet, and tart fruit salad.
Recipe
Sweet Potato Souffle
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes:
- 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes*, about 2.75 pounds
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup cream, half and half, or whole milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- couple pinches salt
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans, optional, but highly recommended
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
Sweet potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes (you should have around 10 cups). Place in a large pot, cover with water, and boil until tender (about 7 minutes, depending on the size). Drain well, return to the pot, and mash the potatoes. You should have around 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes.
- Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, cream/milk, melted butter, vanilla and salt. Add the egg mixture and the mashed sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Mix with a hand mixer (or process with a food processor) until the mixture is smooth and combined. Pour the potatoes into the baking dish.
Topping:
- Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and pecans (I use a fork). Add softened butter and use your fingers to blend the butter into the flour mixture until well combined (it should resemble wet sand).
- Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potatoes and bake in the middle of the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
Notes
- Prepare the sweet potatoes and place in the baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Prepare the topping (do not add it to the sweet potatoes). Cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Bake: Cover the sweet potatoes with foil (no topping yet) and heat in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes, until warmed all the way through. Remove the foil and sprinkle the topping over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 20-30 more minutes (uncovered), until the topping is golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
John H.
Hi, Tried your recipe yesterday with a few changes.
1 I used Bruce’s caned yams.
2 Included two tablespoons of bourbon.
3) I did not include the streusel topping ( Watching the blood sugar)!
I have a stand mixer and beat the yams into a fluffy composition and removed them. Then added the remaining ingredients into the mixer and beat them into a frothy consistency and folded in the sweet potatoes. Lacking a baking dish I used a buttered cast iron skillet and the last few minutes I switched to the broiler to give it a orange and golden top crust.
Everyone went back for seconds.
Molande
One of everyone’s favorite this thanksgiving 🥰 definitely making this more often
Allison
I’m so glad! Enjoy!
Michael H.
What should I do if I only have salted butter on hand? I would think using it but not using any salt in the recipe might balance it out.
Allison
You can reduce the added salt by half. Enjoy!
D. Young
Can I use margarine instead? And if so, what brand of margarine would you recommend?
Allison
I don’t recommend margarine. The flavor and texture of the butter really adds to the dish.
Tiger
I made this souffle for Thanksgiving and it, along with the braised dark meat was everyone’s favorite dish. I will add that I baked the sweet potatoes not boiled which makes them a lot more flavorful and used hard candied pecans instead of the crumble but the souffle was VERY successful and easy. Highly recommend. Thanks for this awesome recipe. Also don’t be afraid to leave in the oven for a little longer to make sure it rises perfectly.
Allison
Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Jenna
Made this for thanksgiving and WHAT A HIT! It was perfect. The sweetness, the texture, the topping, everything! I cant wait to make it again! Also, I did honey baked pecans….yes!
Allison
I’m so glad. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Sabina
Made this as a side dish for dinner today. It was absolutely delicious and a hit with everyone. I will definitely make this again for the holidays.
Allison
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Alex
ABSOLUTELY delicious! Silky smooth, perfectly sweet, and a surprising flavor depth!
It was an instant hit at the Thanksgiving gathering! Several requests for the recipe!
Allison
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Carmen
These were such a big hit at Thanksgiving that my mom requested them again for Christmas dinner. So easy to make!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Delores
My name is Delores I made this Sweet Potatoe Soufflé today Saturday 4-9-22 it came out so good and delicious thanks for the recipe I will be doing it again for Thanksgiving.
D. L.
My family loves this recipe! I made this for Christmas and it was eaten quickly. I just remade this again tonight for dinner. It was eaten quickly again. The only changes I made was to leave out the pecans and substituted flour for almond flour.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Frank
Hi Allison,
Made this for Easter dinner (4/17/22). Some observations:
1) It seemed like the topping was never going to brown in the time suggested. I broiled it to get the Browning.
2) I may bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. As one reader suggested, they are more flavorful and less runny.
3) Probably will try adding maple syrup, cinnamon, and use dark brown sugar for the potato mix to give it more sweetness and flavor.
4) When I filled an 8×8 baking dish with the potato mixture, there wasn’t enough room for the topping. Switched to a 9×9.
Overall, not a bad recipe. Thanks for your great site and variety of recipes!
Sabina
Made this as a side dish for dinner today. It was absolutely delicious and a hit with everyone. I will definitely make this again for the holidays.