Fluffy sweet potato souffle with a crunchy pecan topping is a family favorite that is a must have for all holiday meals. It’s the perfect side dish filled with fall flavors that uses simple ingredients and can even be made ahead of time to reduce the stress on Thanksgiving day. The best part is that one batch feeds a crowd!
I don’t think I can recall one Thanksgiving dinner that I didn’t serve some type of sweet potato dish on the holiday table. But no surprise there, because this time of year is when this ingredient really shines! We also love candied yams with marshmallows and sweet potatoes with pecan streusel, and while they look very similar they are not the same!
This year we are ditching the traditional cranberry sauce and going with cranberry jello salad. We’re also having my famous doctored up stovetop stuffing, with a citrus turkey brine for our roasted turkey, and to end our feast, mini pumpkin cheesecakes.
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🍠Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- sweet potatoes – fresh is the best!
- light brown sugar and maple syrup – adds more sweetness.
- salt, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract – gives the souffle a nice spice and a little more flavor.
- heavy cream – half ‘n’ half or whole milk can be used in place of the cream.
- unsalted butter – if using salted butter, omit the other salt.
- eggs – bring them to room temperature so it’s easier to add more lift to the souffle.
Pecan Streusel Topping Ingredients:
- light brown sugar – pack when measuring.
- flour – we used all-purpose.
- salt – deepens the flavor a bit.
- ground cinnamon – some like to add nutmeg as well.
- unsalted butter – keep the butter cold.
- chopped pecans – could also use walnuts.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
This delicious side dish is topped with an amazing pecan streusel, but you can also add a little dusting of powdered sugar.
Substitutions and Variations
- Marshmallows – some like to add a thin layer of mini marshmallows over the crunchy topping during the last few minutes of baking.
- Canned sweet potatoes – we prefer fresh sweet potatoes because the grocery store carries them year round, but canned sweet potatoes will work. Just drain off as much liquid as possible.
- Baking dishes – we made this sweet potato souffle recipe using an 8×8 pan. To double use a 9 x13-inch baking dish.
- Cooking the potatoes – the microwave method is a good idea when you want to save time. You can also roast them on a baking sheet for 35-40 minutes at 450 degrees or peel, cube, and boil them until tender.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 1: Prick holes all over each potato using a fork. Microwave them for 15 minutes, flipping them half way through. Cool for 30 minutes or until you can handle them.
Step 2: Slice in half and scoop out the orange flesh into a separate bowl. Toss the skin.
Step 3: In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer/blender/food processor, add the all of the ingredients for the sweet potato filling and blend until desired consistency is reached.
Step 4: Add the filling to the casserole dish.
Pro Tip: For a silky smooth texture, use the blending method; if you like a little more texture in your sweet potato souffle, stick with mashing via fork or potato masher.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt, and pecans together.
Step 6: Cut the butter into the topping and work to turn the mixture into a pecan crumble using your hands.
Step 7: Sprinkle the pecan topping over the mashed sweet potatoes and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Step 8: When done, the top will be toasted and golden brown and the souffle will puff slightly. If it’s only puffed around the edges cook for 5-10 more minutes. Cover with foil if needed to keep it from over-browning.
SERVE: Scoop and serve with your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and holiday turkey!
Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe Tips
- Using an electric mixer or blender adds more air to the souffle for the best results of getting the lighter texture that they are known for.
- It’s hard to get hand mashed potatoes to a very smooth texture, but this is a personal preference.
- Cooling the sweet potatoes before mixing with the other ingredients ensures they are not too hot to handle and they won’t scramble the eggs.
Fun Fact
Apparently a Thanksgiving table isn’t complete without potatoes. Americans will buy about 50 million pounds of sweet potatoes and 214 million pounds of regular potatoes. – AJC
Recipe FAQs
The main difference between yams and sweet potatoes lies in their origin, appearance, and texture. Sweet potatoes can have orange, white, or purple flesh. On the other hand, yams, have a rough, scaly skin and starchy, often white or purple flesh. Yams have a little more earthy flavor while, sweet potato flesh is naturally sweeter. However, most “yams” you may see in the stores are probably sweet potatoes.
Keep leftovers covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing.
More Delicious Fall Favorites
If you try this Sweet Potato Soufflé Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Sweet Potato Souffle
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3.5 lb. sweet potatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup heavy cream can substitute half ‘n’ half or whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan Streusel Topping Ingredients:
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook sweet potatoes. You can peel, cut into pieces, and boil them until tender. Or prick holes all over with a fork and bake them at 450°F for about 45 minutes. Microwaving is my preferred method. Prick holes in the skins and microwave all together for about 15 minutes, flipping/rotating potatoes half way through cook time.
- Sweet potatoes should pierce easily with a fork when done. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes or until they can be handled. For roasted/microwaved sweet potatoes, slice in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Discard the skin.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a food processor/blender, add all remaining ingredients for the souffle filling. Mash or puree until desired texture.
- Spread sweet potato mixture in a 2 quart baking dish.
- Prepare the streusel topping by whisking together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and pecans.
- Cut pieces of butter into the mixture and work together with your fingers to make a sand-like crumble.
- Sprinkle the crumble over the top of the sweet potatoes in the baking dish.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and toasted. The souffle will puff slightly although it’s more difficult to see under the crumb topping. The puff should be uniform across the top of the souffle (if it’s puffed just around the edges, bake 5-10 more minutes so the center cooks as well.) Cover the top with aluminum foil, if needed, to prevent over-browning of the crumb topping.
Notes
Nutrition
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