Velvety roasted sweet potatoes beaten into a fluffy frenzy with butter, sugar, and eggs, then showered with a crunchy pecan topping and baked until golden, this Sweet Potato Souffle with pecan topping has the distinct habit of stealing the side dish show.
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Why You’ll Love This Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe
- Crowd Appeal. We all have our sweet potato preferences when it comes to what to pair with Thanksgiving Turkey! While I prefer something more savory (like Glazed Sweet Potatoes), I know others are more inclined to a sweeter dishes like Sweet Potato Casserole and Candied Sweet Potatoes. This souffle is the perfect middle ground. It’s sweeter than Mashed Sweet Potatoes but it’s nowhere near as cloying as a sweet potato souffle with marshmallows recipe (save that for Sweet Potato Pie!).
- Simple But Impressive. Though the word “souffle” suggests a dish that’s fussy (and you can allow your friends to assume as much), this simple sweet potato souffle recipe is EASY (even easier than Cornbread Stuffing). Despite its uncomplicated prep, this dish feels special!
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes. While most recipes require that you boil, drain, and mash the potatoes first, I found I could cut down on the sugar significantly if I roasted the sweet potatoes, AND the dish tasted better! Roasting concentrates the sweet potatoes’ natural sugars, making the souffle taste sweeter and working with what this vegetable gives us naturally (I also use this trick for Roasted Sweet Potatoes).
5 Star Review
“This sweet potato souffle is absolutely delicious! The BEST sweet potato side dish ever! It’s also great as a healthy dessert. I’ve made it twice and will certainly make it again and again.”
— Angela —
How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe
The Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes. My fave holiday side! They’re a nice change of pace from your classic Mashed Potatoes recipe. Use orange sweet potatoes, which are sweeter than white or purple.
- Eggs. The key to the fluffy sweet potato souffle’s airy texture.
- Pecans. I love the texture, crunch, and nutty flavor pecans lend to this not-too-sweet topping. (They are also an excellent excuse to bake Pecan Pie Bars.) Youc can also make sweet potato souffle with walnuts, or if you prefer a sweet potato souffle without nuts, you can omit them.
- Butter. Butter adds rich, necessary holiday flavor to both the sweet potatoes and the pecan topping. You can either use room temperature or melted butter.
- Milk. Helps make the sweet potato mixture extra creamy. I used 1% milk, but you can use any milk you have on hand.
- Maple Syrup. Using maple syrup in combo with the usual sugar makes the sweet potato souffle even better; it’s a divine pairing with sweet potatoes and pecans.
- Vanilla. Vanilla is surprisingly wonderful in sweet potato bakes.
- Cinnamon. Cinnamon and sweet potatoes are a dream team. (Hello, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes.)
- Flaked Coconut. While optional, I love the touch of extra nuttiness it adds to the topping. The flavor is not strong, so even if you are not typically a coconut fan, you will likely enjoy it here.
The Directions
- Roast the Sweet Potatoes. Bake until tender. (See How to Bake a Sweet Potato for more.)
- Scoop out the Flesh. Add it to a mixing bowl.
- Add the Remaining Ingredients. Get ready to mix!
- Beat. Stop once smoothly combined.
- Assemble the Casserole. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
- Prepare the Pecan Streusel Topping. Sprinkle it over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake. Bake the sweet potato souffle in a 350 degrees F oven for 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then ENJOY!
How to Make this Recipe in Advance
This is a great make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving or any holiday.
- Up to 1 day in advance, prepare the filling and place it in the baking dish.
- Make the topping and refrigerate separately.
- When ready to bake, let the filling come to room temperature. Top with the streusel and bake.
- You can also bake this fully 1 day in advance, then rewarm it in a 350°F oven.
What to Serve With Sweet Potato Souffle
- Turkey. At Thanksgiving, serve with Spatchcock Turkey, Dry Brine Turkey, or Air Fryer Turkey Breast.
- Chicken. Sweet potato souffle would pair wonderfully with Air Fryer Chicken Breast, Apple Cider Chicken, or Rosemary Chicken Thighs.
- Vegetarian Main. For a meatless main that pairs well with sweet potato souffle, try Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Instant Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash, or Grilled Cauliflower Steaks.
- Pork. Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, Pork Chops with Apples, and Baked Pork Tenderloin would all be tasty with this sweet potato dish.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Overdo the Sugar. Don’t be tempted to add extra sugar to this recipe, and measure carefully too. Roasting sweet potatoes releases their natural sugars, and using additional sugar (on purpose or accidentally) can cause the souffle to be runny once baked.
- Bake This in a Table-Worthy Dish. While some dishes can be easily transferred to a different piece of serveware, this souffle is best served in the dish it’s baked in. So, make sure to use something you feel comfortable serving in.
- Avoid Canned Yams if Possible. This recipe was designed for using freshly baked sweet potatoes, but if it’s an emergency you can try making sweet potato souffle with canned yams. Because canned yams (or canned sweet potatoes) come pre-sweetened, I recommend leaving out most of the sugar and maple syrup from the filling to start. Once it’s mixed, you can taste it and adjust if you’d like your filling sweeter (remember, the topping is sweet too).
Sweet Potato Souffle
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Video
Southern sweet potato soufflé is an easy Thanksgiving side dish! Roasted sweet potato filling is topped with an irresistible pecan streusel.
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Ingredients
FOR THE SOUFFLE:
- 5 large sweet potatoes (about 7 cups once mashed)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted or at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon increase to 1 teaspoon if you LOVE cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup milk (I used 1%)
FOR THE TOPPING:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups pecans finely chopped
- ¼ cup flaked coconut optional (I used unsweetened; sweetened will work too)
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. With a fork, poke holes in the outsides of the sweet potatoes. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes (timing will depend upon the size of your sweet potatoes), until very tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 casserole dish or similar 2 ½ quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the peels. Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and place it in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also use an electric hand mixer.)
- Add the butter, eggs, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and milk.
- Beat until smoothly combined.
- Scoop into the prepared baking dish.
- Next, prepare the topping. In a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter. Sprinkle the chopped pecans, coconut, brown sugar, flour, and salt over the top. Stir until evenly moistened and combined. Scatter the streusel topping over the sweet potatoes in an even layer.
- Bake the sweet potato souffle until the topping is lightly browned and your kitchen smells amazing, about 40 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then enjoy warm.
Notes
- TO STORE: Sweet potato soufflé may be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350°F or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze souffle in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Up to 1 day in advance, prepare the filling and place it in the baking dish; prepare and refrigerate the topping separately. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to add the topping and finish the recipe. You can also bake the dish 1 day in advance, then reheat in a 350°F oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 10)Calories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 68mgPotassium: 651mgFiber: 6gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 24535IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 2mg
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Very easy recipe to follow, and I’m going to love the results!
Hi Danielle! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi Erin! I always love your recipes and want to make this for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, we only have one oven and so I was wondering if it is possible to make this recipe the day before and then reheat it right after the turkey comes out of the oven while it rests. You mentioned that this recipe can be reheated at 350F, but it did not say for how long. Do you have any other suggestions?
Hi Sarah! You can make it ahead of time. TO STORE: Refrigerate souffle in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.
TO FREEZE: Freeze souffle in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Hope this helps!
This looks incredible – can’t wait to try it at Thanksgiving! Similar to Sarah’s comment above, I’m making it ahead of time and then reheating it in the oven. How long do you suggest reheating at 350F? Thanks so much!
Hi Michelle! Allow to come to room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then reheat for 15 minutes or until warm.
Recipe was delicious! I don’t like sweet potatoes too much but this recipe was so good and perfectly balanced.
This souffle looked so perfect for our Thanksgiving dinner — I made a double recipe in two 9×13 pans (I have that much confidence in Erin’s recipes). I’m taking both trays to my cousin’s home tomorrow for everyone to enjoy. I baked it this evening and will refrigerate overnight, and then will bring to room temp until about 15 minutes before dinner. I think I’ll only need to re-heat for 15 minutes. I took a quick taste and loved the fluffy texture, the light sweetness, and the crunchy pecan topping. Thanks again, Erin, for providing just the right dish!
Hi Judy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Very easy and took only few minutes. The family loves it. Will make it again. Thanks
Hi Sami! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This sweet potato soufflé is absolutely delicious! The BEST sweet potato side dish ever! It’s also great as a healthy dessert. I’ve made it twice and will certainly make it again and again.
It’s one of my favorite recipes. Thanks for sharing this Erin.
Hi Angela! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I added a little nutmeg to mine and a little more cinnamon and it turned out great. I will be making this one again as a side dish this coming Christmas.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a HUGE hit! It was so easy to put together. The maple syrup really added a depth of flavor to the sweet potatoes. The topping was delicious- we all loved the coconut as an addition. Thanks for a delicious recipe that we all loved!
Hi Melissa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Yummy and can be made gluten free! I have a niece who is on a gluten-free diet, so I modified the recipe slightly,using a GF flour.
Excellent choice for Thanksgiving this year! Everyone was impressed. I didn’t tell them how easy they were to make. The only thing that I changed is that I used cane sugar instead of granulated sugar. I will be making it again for Christmas.
This is my husband’s favorite dish during Thanksgiving! More like a desert though, but you can easily adjust the amount of sugar. Easy to make
We made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a HUGE hit! The maple syrup added a great flavor to the sweet potatoes and we LOVED the coconut in the topping. This is now a fan favorite we will be making again! Thank you!
Hi Melissa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This recipe was EASY to make/follow AND the results were YUMMY! Folks who normally don’t eat the “Sweet potato dish” at our Thanksgiving gatherings tried it and it was a hit, even with the “nay-sayers”; this recipe will be added to one of our holiday dinner favorites – thank you!!
I didn’t have pecans so I added walnuts, hand broken – not “finely chopped” – and the substitute worked just fine.
Hi Christie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This dish is the perfect way to serve sweet potatoes at the holidays. It’s elegant and delicious and the light airy texture of the sweet potatoes melds so well with the sweet crunchy topping.
So happy to hear that Ethel, thank you!
I always make it during the Holidays and it will also be on our Easter table for our after church dinner. I always make two batches, one for dinner and the other for the guests to take home alone with leftovers.
That’s amazing Judith, thanks for sharing!
This was great! I made one today just to see if it would be an ok dish to take to my in-laws Thanksgiving dinner. OMG, it was better than what I thought it would be.
That’s so great to hear, thank you Maeve!!!
I made it yesterday as a test run as I’m finalizing my Thanksgiving menu. It tastes so GOOD! Leftovers were great too. Definitely a keeper.
So so pleased to hear it Liana!
I made this last year (2022) and am making it to bring to a Thanksgiving this year ! Its VERY good! I’m not a huge fan of the marshmallow casserole but this has that VIBE while being much more elevated and VERY tasty! The make ahead options are *chefs kiss*
A repeat dish is the best compliment I could receive, thanks Tara!!
Fantastic! This year I hosted a Friendsgiving for my friends before Thanksgiving. I decided to try your recipe and doubled everything and made extra toppings. Omg it was devoured. Everyone loved it! I plan to make this again for Christmas. Highly recommended.
So happy to hear! Thank you!
I would love to make this recipe for Thanksgiving this year but need it to be nut-free. Would I adjust the butter, flour, or sugar when leaving out the pecans?
Hi Meghan! It should be okay as is. Would love to know how it goes!
I usually top sweet potato mixture with marshmallows but wanted something different for the holiday. It turned out great.
Wonderful to hear!
I made this today for dinner and it was soooo good. As a kid I was never fond of sweet potato so I wasn’t familiar with what it was supposed to taste/look like, but my husband has always been the expert and it’s his favorite holiday dish. I’m happy he requested this…we both loved it!
Family and friends loved these sweet potatoes! They were gone on Thanksgiving, I had to make more to go with the leftovers!!! So easy and delicious. Not too sweet. My family loves this dish. Although I have made a few changes to the recipe based on what my family likes eating.
Thanks for sharing!
To die for! I don’t even like sweet potatoes, and I make this every year! Definitely worth trying. It was the hands down family’s favorite dish this year. I was short on pecans and added some hazelnuts instead. It was so good I don’t think I’d change this either.
This got so many compliments today! Absolutely delicious! I was a little pressed on time so I microwaved the sweet potatoes, and it still turned out fab!!! Thanks so much, this will be the new sweet potato tradition dish!!!
HOORAY! So glad to hear it Jaime!
It was delicious!! Everyone loved it!!!
Hooray, thank you Melissa!
Made this recipe for the first time for Thanksgiving this year! Not only did I receive verbal compliments, but there were no leftovers—the biggest compliment of all! The recipe was easy to follow and enhanced the sweet potato flavor.
My aunt told me this is now my “signature dish” for holidays to come!
Abbie, this is the best news, thank you!
Absolutely 💯 came out almost perfect 👌 for my Thanksgiving dinner with my family! I added my own twist a little bit but this was delicious 😋 😍
Great to hear, thank you Rachel!
This is by far the best sweet potato recipe I have made. The eggs make it fluffy and the topping adds flavor and crunch. Don’t wait till next year to try it.
Thanks so much, Lori!
Any ideas for a different topping? My husband doesn’t eat any type of nut
Hi Debera, you can omit them. Enjoy!
Marshmallows
We absolutely loved it! Usually I end up taking most of my sweet potatoes home but with this recipe people were asking for leftovers!
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Colleen!
the best sweet potato souffle! my go to dish to bring to Thanksgiving, it’s always gone!
Yay! Great to hear Whitney! Thank you!
This is a yummy sweet potato dish. Not too sweet and the texture is quite nice. I gave it 4 stars because the pecans and coconut in the topping were raw tasting and chewy, even after baking for 40 minutes. I’ll make this again, but next time I will toast the pecans and the coconut before using in the topping.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the topping, Shannon. Normally the butter mixed with the other topping ingredients will get bubbly and crunchy when cooked. I would bake the souffle for a little longer to achieve this texture. Hope this helps!