I recently watched Trisha Yearwood make this Sweet Potato Souffle recipe on her show as I was working on another recipe. It looked so good that I could not help but turn the oven on to bake the sweet potatoes that I bought for a soup recipe that I wanted to try this week. Oh well, I guess I will make the soup some other time…

It ended up being so good that I had to share. This Southern-style sweet potato souffle (or some also call “sweet potato casserole”) is the perfect side dish for your holiday table. Made with heavy pecan topping it is truly delicious. It is surely one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.

Sweet potato souffle with a spoon on the side in a casserole dish

Table of Contents

The best part is that with a little bit of advance prep, it can be put together in just about 10 minutes to bake right before serving. Intrigued? Let’s break it down.

Trisha Yearwood's Sweet Potato Soufflé in a plate with a spoon on the side

Recipe Ingredients:

This recipe has two sets of ingredients. The first set is the pecan topping and the second one is the sweet potato casserole part aka the souffle.

Pecan Topping:

pecan topping ingredients

To make the pecan topping, you will need:

  • Pecans
  • Dark brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
  • All-purpose flour
  • Unsalted butter (or coconut oil) at room temperature

Sweet Potatoes:

ingredients for sweet potato casserole recipe

To make the fluffy sweet potato souffle you will need:

  • Unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Large eggs
  • Sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Whole milk
  • A pinch of salt.

How to Make Sweet Potato Souffle?

The process of making this sweet potato souffle recipe starts with roasting the sweet potatoes and then making the souffle. Here are the steps:

person showing how to prick and scoop sweet potatoes
  1. Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork in several places and place on the sheet pan. Roast for about an hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into a sweet potato comes in and out easily. I usually turn them halfway through to make sure they are roasted evenly. Let them cool 10-15 minutes and remove the flesh using a spoon. Place it in a large mixing bowl.
person showing how to make sweet potato mixture for the recipe
  1. Prepare the sweet potato filling /mixture (aka the bottom layer): Mix together the sweet potato flesh with eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and a pinch of salt. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to do this (I would not recommend using a food processor for this.) Transfer the mixture into an 8X11 or 9X13 oven-proof casserole dish (or large soufflé dish) that is greased with butter.
person showing how to make the pecan topping and assemble the dish
  1. Make The Pecan Topping: Mix together roughly chopped pecans, all purpose flour, butter, and brown sugar. It should look like a streusel topping.
  2. Assemble & Bake: Distribute the sweet potato souffle topping evenly over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes. Pecans coated with brown sugar and butter give the sweet potatoes a surprising “streusel” like crunch. With every bite, you will want to eat more. Guaranteed.
Half eaten Sweet Potato Souffle - The best recipe for your Thanksgiving Table

FAQ:

What is the difference between sweet potato souffle and casserole?

For questions like this, I usually go to big recipe sites like Food Network and All Recipes. When you look at their sweet potato souffle and sweet potato casserole recipes, you’ll see that they are pretty much the same thing. From what I understand, most people use the terms sweet potato souffle and sweet potato casserole interchangeably.
However, I have seen some other recipe sites differentiate their sweet potato casserole recipe by adding all-purpose flour into the sweet potato mixture to make it fluffier.
To be honest, I do not see the need to add in any flour and I think this Southern-style sweet potato souffle recipe is perfectly fluffy without it.

Is Sweet Potato Souffle a Dessert?

I usually serve this as a side dish to serve with Turkey for Thanksgiving. However, it is perfectly sweet enough to serve as a dessert.

Can I Serve This Recipe Cold or At Room temperature?

You sure can. I think it tastes very good when it is chilled or when it is served at room temperature.

Recipes Tips & Tricks:

  • Ingredient substitutions: You can substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar for the topping. However, I do not recommend doing so for the sweet potato layer.
  • Let baked sweet potatoes cool down before making the mixture: It is imperative that you let the sweet potato flesh cool down before mixing it with eggs. If it is too hot, the residual heat might turn your eggs into scrambled eggs.
  • Use different nuts: I think we can all agree, a true Southern style sweet potato souffle is made with pecans, you can also use walnuts in this recipe.
  • Greasing the baking dish: In her original recipe, Trisha, uses a tablespoon of melted butter to brush the casserole dish. During my recipe testing, I found this step to be unnecessary as the cooked souffle didn’t stick to the dish.

Make ahead & Storage Instructions

  • To Make Ahead: You can prepare every component of this baked sweet potato soufflé recipe a day in advance and bake it right before serving. To do so:
    • Roast the sweet potatoes, let it cool for 20 minutes, and prepare the sweet potato casserole layer (the bottom layer). Place it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
    • Make the pecan topping, place it in a separate airtight container, and keep it in the fridge.
    • Assemble right before serving: Spread the sweet potato mixture in an oven-proof casserole dish. Top it off with the pecan crumble topping.
    • Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes or until bubbling.
  • Storage: What to do with the leftovers? I doubt you’ll have any leftovers, but if you do, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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Other Recipes you might also like

Other Thanksgiving side dishes you might like

While prepping for Thanksgiving day, if you need an easy-to-make but delicious side dish /dessert with amazing flavors you have to try this Trisha Yearwood Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. I promise it will not disappoint.

Adapted from this recipe.

Sweet Potato Soufflé
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Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe

4.95 from 19 votes
By: Aysegul Sanford
Yields6 servings
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
My adaptation of Trisha Yearwood’s Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe. Roasted sweet potatoes mixed with sugar, milk and egg mixture, topped off with a pecan-heavy streusel topping and baked in the oven for a warm and sweet treat. Whether you make it for your Thanksgiving table or for any other special occasion, this recipe is guaranteed to impress.

Ingredients 

For the Souffle:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, (4 oz. or 1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon (to grease the casserole dish)
  • 5 medium sweet potatoes, you need 5-6 cups flesh
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, (Or cane sugar)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk, (or almond milk)
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the toppings:

  • 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup brown sugar, (or coconut sugar)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, (2oz. or 1/2 stick)

Instructions 

To Bake The Sweet Potatoes:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
  • Using a fork, poke the sweet potatoes and place them on a foil (or parchment) covered sheet pan. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in a potato comes in and out easily. (The original recipe states to bake it for an hour, but it took me 15 more minutes. Keep an eye on it after an hour.)
  • Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes. Do not turn the oven off.

To Make the Sweet Potato Souffle (aka the bottom layer)

  • Using the 1 tablespoon of butter, generously grease an oven-proof casserole dish (I used an 8X11 pyrex but 9X13 would also work). Set aside.
  • Peel the sweet potatoes and place the flesh into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer).
  • Add the rest of the butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and kosher salt in the bowl. Mix until they are all combined.
  • Place the mixture into the buttered baking dish.

To Make the pecan topping:

  • Mix together pecans, brown sugar, flour, and 1/4 cup butter in a small bowl. Use a fork to incorporate all the ingredients.

To assemble & bake:

  • Spoon the pecan topping over the sweet potato mixture evenly making sure to cover the top fully.
  • Bake it in the oven for 40 minutes. Let it cool down for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

How to make it ahead? You can prepare every component of this baked sweet potato souffle recipe a day in advance and bake it right before serving. To do so:
  1. Roast the sweet potatoes, let it cool for 20 minutes, and prepare the sweet potato casserole layer (the bottom layer). Place it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
  2. Make the pecan topping and place it in a separate airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
  3. Assemble right before serving: Spread the sweet potato mixture in an oven-proof casserole dish. Top it off with the pecan crumble topping.
  4. Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes or until bubbling.
What to do with leftovers? Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container (after they come to room temperature) and be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 778kcal | Carbohydrates: 125g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 809mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 85g | Vitamin A: 27313IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @foolproofliving or tag #foolproofeats!

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About Aysegul Sanford

Hello Friend! I'm Aysegul but you can call me “Ice." I’m the cook/recipe-tester/photographer behind this site.

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4.95 from 19 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




46 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe was truly amazing. I am a big fan of Trisha Yearwood and thats what drew me to and I am glad it did because it was wonderful.
    I made a few changes though. I used 2% milk and brown sugar (for the topping). I only had salted butter and it worked fine. I also added half a cup of coconut shreds into the topping. My family loved it. I will make it for Christmas as well.
    Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply

    1. This makes me so happy to hear Joan. The coconut addition on top is genius. Thanks for sharing your experience. Cheers!

      Reply

  2. Made this for Thanksgiving. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I cut the sugar in half in the soufflé and in the topping and it was perfect. I also used erythritol as a sugar replacement instead of sugar (granulated and brown) and used gluten-free flour, so this was sugar-free and gluten-free! Noone could tell a difference. I want to try it with Okinawan sweet potatoes (purple) next. Have you ever made it Okinawan sweet potatoes?

    Reply

    1. Hi Angela,
      Thanks for sharing your experience. I have never used erythritol in my cooking but I will try next time I make this sweet potato casserole recipe.
      I have never used Okinawan sweet potatoes before. I don’t even know where to find them.
      I just did a quick Google search and it revealed that they are very good for you. I’ll be on the look out for them next time I visit our local farmers market and share it here if I get my hands on them.
      Cheers,
      Ice

      Reply

    1. Hi Ruth,
      Honestly, I have never tried freezing this. However, a quick Google search revealed that you can freeze cooked sweet potato casserole after it comes to room temperature.

      It is hard for me to say that it will work 100% without trying but I would highly recommend:
      1. Bringing it to room temperature before freezing
      2. Making sure that it is fully covered with stretch film (to prevent freezer burn)
      3. Thaw overnight in the fridge a day before you are planning to serve.

      I hope this helps. I’d love to know how it turned out if you freeze it.

      Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season.
      Aysegul

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely amazing!! I made it for Thanksgiving, it was such a hit with our family it was requested at Christmas & now for Easter! Definitely my go to recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this!!

    Reply

    1. Oh this is wonderful to hear Megan. I am making it for Easter as well.
      So happy to hear that you and your family liked it.

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    OMG….yummy! I added a half cup of sweet coconut shreds and a little bit more melted butter to the topping mixture. Thank you for this awesome recipe! It was a hit.

    Reply

    1. I am thrilled to hear that you liked it Velma. I love the addition of coconut shreds on top. I have to try it next time I make it. Thanks for coming by!

      Reply

  6. Looks fantastic. If I wanted to make it as a side dish could I leave out a little of the sugar and a little of the butter so it’s not quite as rich? I would think so.

    Reply

  7. I just made this for Easter…It is so so yummy and very sweet..The topping is delicious..My family loved it..Thanks for a great recipe…

    Reply