Browned Butter Sweet Potato Casserole

Published November 16, 2015. Updated March 11, 2020

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Sweet Potato Casserole – a classic fall recipe upgraded with rich browned butter!

Buttery mashed sweet potatoes are topped with crisp cornflakes and melty marshmallows and toasted. It must try side dish!

Sweet Potato in a white casserole dish. One scoop is removed to show sweet potato layer. It's topped with rows of crushed cornflakes and pecans then alternating rows of mini marshmallows.

A Must Have Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe!

This sweet potato dish has the best of everything and just the right amount of contrast with it’s creamy sweet potatoes, gooey melty marshmallows and that finishing crisp you get from the cornflakes and crunchy pecans.

Simply put this casserole is heavenly!

Who know the word casserole and heavenly could ever go together in the same sentence but it just does with this one. Try it and see for yourself! It might just become a family favorite for your family too!

Single serving of sweet potato casserole being scooped onto a white serving plate.

Can I Make This Ahead of Time?

For make ahead you can prepare the sweet potato portion the day before and refrigerate but wait until the following day to add the butter to the topping and wait to add the topping to the casserole until you’re just ready to bake and serve so it doesn’t go stale.

Showing how to make sweet potato casserole. Staring by baking sweet potatoes.

How to Make Browned Butter Sweet Potato Casserole

  • Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and mash.

Mashing sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl.

  • Brown the butter in a saucepan.
  • Add to sweet potatoes along with sugars and salt and mix.

Adding sugars, salt and melted browned butter to sweet potatoes in mixing bowl.

  • Blend in milk and eggs.

Adding eggs and milk to sweet potatoes in mixing bowl.

  • Spread mixture into an even layer in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

Spreading sweet potatoes into an even layer in baking dish.

  • Mix cornflakes, pecans, and melted butter and brown sugar.

Making cornflake pecan topping for sweet potato casserole.

  • Spread mixture into rows over sweet potatoes. Bake 30 minutes.

Spreading topping into rows over sweet potatoes layer.

  • Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes add marshmallows between cornflake rows and bake 5 – 10 minutes.

Adding mini marshmallows to sweet potato casserole in rows.

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5 from 10 votes

Browned Butter Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole - with browned butter! A perfectly buttery and sweet layer of mashed potato potato is topped with crisp cornflakes and melty marshmallows. It's the perfect side dish in the fall and during the holidays!
Servings: 12
Prep30 minutes
Cook1 hour 40 minutes
Ready in: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes

Topping

  • 2 cups (128g) crushed corn flakes*
  • 1/2 cup (54g) chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup (55g) packed light-brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp (42g) salted butter, diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cups (148g) miniature marshmallows

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork and transfer to a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake about 1 hour, or until very tender when pierced with a fork.
  • Meanwhile melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and allow to brown, swirling pan occasionally.
  • Remove potatoes from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350. Cut each in half and scoop out flesh into a large mixing bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
  • Pour in 1/2 cup browned butter, using a rubber spatula to scrape excess butter from pan, add granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light-brown sugar and salt then using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together until well combine. 
  • Add in eggs and mix until well blended, then pour in milk and mix until well blended. Pour mixture into a buttered 13 x 9 baking dish and spread into an even layer.
  • Brown remaining 3 Tbsp butter in a saucepan. Pour crushed cornflakes into a mixing bowl, along with chopped pecans and 1/4 cup light-brown sugar and mix to combine. Pour browned butter over mixture and toss to evenly coat. 
  • Spread mixture into diagonal rows over mashed sweet potato mixture leaving about a 1 1/2-inch gap between rows. Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes (if it's browning too much near the end you can tent with foil if needed).
  • Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes, then spread marshmallows between rows of corn flake topping. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows are melty and lightly golden if desired about 5 - 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes

  • *Begin with about 4 1/2 cups cornflakes and crush to 2 cups.
  • Note that if you are making this in advance to refrigerate then bake the following day, don't add the corn flake topping until baking or it will become stale. Also I'd recommend placing cold casserole in cool oven and let it preheat with oven.
Nutrition Facts
Browned Butter Sweet Potato Casserole
Amount Per Serving
Calories 451 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 69mg23%
Sodium 353mg15%
Potassium 709mg20%
Carbohydrates 75g25%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 27395IU548%
Vitamin C 6.8mg8%
Calcium 85mg9%
Iron 4.6mg26%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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73 Comments

  • Mary

    Hi! Just out of curiosity, why do you dice the butter into one inch pieces if you are browning it?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      For even melting. If you don’t dice it then some of the butter starts to heat quicker than that that’s still working on melting. I’ve just found it works best to dice it first. Good question :).

  • Beth

    Hello! I made this last year and it was phenomenal! I’m remaking it this year, but I’ll be premaking it. I was wondering if it’s ok to mix the butter with the topping ahead of time, then put the topping in baggies for the next day, or if I should wait and mix the butter with the corn flake mixture when I’m re-heating the casserole? Thanks!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I would wait to add the butter to the topping until the next day so that it’s not stale-ish. I’m so glad you made it last year and enjoyed it :)!

  • sadie

    Hi jaclyn, today will be my first time making this. I’m making this dish for an event, and I need to make enough to feed a hundred people or more. Can I make it in a disposable pan, and what suggestions do you have for me since it would require more ingredients.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Yes you should be fine to do it in disposable pans, you’d probably be fine to do double batches if you can find a pans large enough (basically twice as big as a 13×9). Then as far as the recipe goes I’d keep all the ratios the same, just plan accordingly for the number of servings you need (and even though you will be serving 100 people or more I might count on a little less because not everyone likes sweet potatoes (crazy people :)).

  • Mollie

    Hi Jaclyn! This will be my first year cooking Thanksgiving diner (the whole thing…ek!) I can’t wait to try this recipe – it looks incredible and I absolutely love the presentation. I have a hardware question for you. Is it imperative that I use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes or would a fork suffice? Thanks!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      A fork would probably work okay it might just take a lot longer. I hope you love it if you do make it Mollie!

  • Talia

    Can I substitute almond milk for the milk? Same measurement? And I know this is blasphemy, but my boyfriend is Kosher, what’s the ratio if I do it with margarine instead. Or maybe coconut oil… because margarine is gross.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Yes you could sub almond milk (I would use unsweetened) and the coconut oil would probably be fine but I would reduce it by a few tablespoons (and not brown it of course).

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I think that would be fine, I would just keep the topping separate until ready to bake though. And be sure it’s fully thawed before you bake it.

  • MICHELLE

    JUST WONDERING HOW NECESSARY THE EGGS ARE? DO WE REALLY NEED THEM? ARE THEY MORE FOR HOLDING THE CASSEROLE TOGETHER, OR SOME OTHER REASON?
    THANKS!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      They are to hold the casserole together they act as a binder. Not sure how this would turn out without them?

    • Jaclyn

      Hi Julie, I would recommend doubling the recipe placing it in two 13×9 baking dishes, you’d likely just bake them for the same amount of time side by side. I hope you love it =)!