Paula Deen Sweet Potato Bake

Paula Deen Sweet Potato Bake is a creamy, spiced casserole topped with brown sugar pecan crumble. Ready in about an hour, it feeds 6 to 8. The dish sits on every Southern holiday table for a reason: sweet potatoes, butter, and cinnamon under a crunchy topping that shatters with a fork.

The topping makes or breaks this dish. Brown sugar, flour, melted butter, and pecans mixed with a fork should form a crumbly mixture, not a paste. Too much stirring turns the topping dense and chewy. Keep it loose so it bakes into the kind of crunchy shell that makes people reach for seconds.

Cook and mash the sweet potatoes a day ahead to save time. Use a hand mixer to get the filling silky smooth before pouring it into a greased dish. Let the bake cool 10 minutes after it comes out so the filling sets and slices hold together.

Paula Deen Sweet Potato Bake

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Course: Side DishCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

620

kcal

A smooth, cinnamon-spiced sweet potato filling baked at 325 °F under a crumbly pecan streusel made with brown sugar, flour, and melted butter.

Ingredients

• Sweet Potatoes:
  

• 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
  

• 1 cup sugar
  

• ⅓ cup Butter melted
  

• 2 eggs
  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

• ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
  

• ¼ cup heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk

• Topping:
  

• 3 tablespoons Butter, melted
  

• 1 cup brown sugar
  

• ⅓ cup Flour
  

• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

• Sweet Potatoes:
• Preheat and mix: Preheat oven to 325 °F. Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, spices, 1/3 cup butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream, mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish (1 1/2 quarts). Add topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Topping:
• Make the topping: Mix together 3 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, flour and nuts with fork; sprinkle over top of casserole.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, KitchenAid 5-speed hand mixer, OXO Good Grips nylon potato masher, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use canned sweet potatoes instead of fresh?

Yes, drain them well and mash until smooth. Canned sweet potatoes have more moisture, so skip the heavy cream or reduce it to 2 tablespoons. The flavor will be slightly less rich than fresh, but the texture will still work.

How long does sweet potato bake last in the fridge?

Covered tightly, it keeps 4 to 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the whole dish at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes. The pecan topping softens after a day, so broil it for a minute to bring back the crunch.

Can I assemble this the night before and bake it the next day?

Make the filling and refrigerate it, but keep the topping separate in a bag or bowl. If the topping sits on the wet filling overnight, it absorbs moisture and bakes flat. Add the topping right before the dish goes in the oven.

Why did my topping sink into the filling?

The filling was too loose. Make sure you drain the sweet potatoes well after boiling and beat them until thick. If the mixture looks soupy, leave out the cream. A firm filling gives the topping something to sit on while it bakes.

Do I need to peel the sweet potatoes before boiling?

Boil them whole with the skins on, then peel after they cool enough to handle. The skins slip right off cooked sweet potatoes. Peeling before boiling lets too much water absorb into the flesh, which dilutes the flavor.