With a rich and creamy sweet potato base and a crunchy, buttery pecan streusel topping, this salty-sweet Sweet Potato Soufflé is a decadent show-stopper that'll have your Thanksgiving table swooning for more. If you thought you didn't like sweet potato casserole, think again -- holiday side dishes do not get more delicious than this.
The word "soufflé" might mislead some into believing this is a tricky dish to make, but rest assured, this Thanksgiving side dish couldn't get any easier. It begins with fragrant sweet potatoes roasting in the oven. Once they're cooked, they go into a mixing bowl, along with butter, eggs, milk, and sugar. Then, it's off to the baking dish and it all comes together with a sprinkle of streusel.
SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE INGREDIENTS
This Sweet Potato Soufflé Recipe consists of two main parts. The base and the pecan streusel topping. The base of the casserole is made up of:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Unsalted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Evaporated Milk
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Kosher Salt
For maximum flavor, use sweet potatoes from the produce aisle, not from a can. Roasting them increases the flavor tremendously and is extremely easy to do. We use this method for our sweet potato cake as well!
You also want to take care to use unsalted butter in this dish as it will give you more control over the sodium in your finished dish. Make sure your butter is cold, and not at room temperature for this recipe. As for the light brown sugar, it has a rich molasses flavor to it and is the perfect complement to sweet potatoes!
Evaporated milk (not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk) is milk that has been through a heating process, removing about 60% of its moisture. Therefore, it is rich, thick and an overall great product for adding creaminess to Sweet Potato Soufflé, as well as great dairy flavor, without all of the extra water content. However, if you would like to sub in half-and-half or cream, feel free to do so.
And, last but certainly not least, you'll need three eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Eggs are essential in a Sweet Potato Soufflé Recipe, adding body to the base of the casserole and binding the ingredients together.
And, of course, we can't forget about that buttery, decadently delicious pecan streusel topping, and it just might be our favorite part. Three out of five ingredients are duplicates from the list above, keeping your grocery list short and sweet. For the Sweet Potato Soufflé's streusel topping, you'll need:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Light Brown Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Melted Butter
- Chopped Pecans
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE
- Bake the Sweet Potatoes - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the sweet potatoes evenly with canola oil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 50 minutes or until fork-tender. Then, remove them from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Lower Oven Temp and Prep the Pan - Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and have ready a greased 9x13” casserole dish or a standard-sized au gratin dish.
- Make the Sweet Potato Soufflé Base - Cut a slit down the sweet potatoes lengthwise and remove the skins. They should peel right off. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and mash. Then, stir in the sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt. You could also use a hand mixer on medium speed to mix the filling ingredients if desired. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the casserole dish and spread evenly across the bottom.
- Make the Streusel - To make the topping for your Sweet Potato Soufflé, add the brown sugar, flour, and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold butter, and using a pastry blender or a fork, work the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles tiny, coarse peas and is well-blended. You could also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to mix the streusel. Stir in the pecans.
- Assemble and Bake - Add the topping evenly over the sweet potato mixture and your Sweet Potato Souffle is officially ready to bake! Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!
RECIPE TIPS
- Don't skip out; you must roast the sweet potatoes! We promise -- there will be no regrets! It makes such a huge difference over using canned sweet potatoes or yams.
- Be patient and wait until the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle. Watch out; the steam from the interior of the potatoes is hot. Slice the potatoes down the center shortly after they come out of the oven, wait for them to stop steaming, and then peel the skins away.
- Butter temperature matters. Make sure your butter is cold for the topping!
- Don't stop mixing your streusel topping until the dry ingredinets no longer appear dry! Otherwise, your streusel will appear sandy on the top.
- Take care not to overbake! You arent at much risk of the filling drying out, but you certainly don't want your pecans to burn!
STORING LEFTOVERS
You can keep leftover Sweet Potato Souffle covered or transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This is a Southern-style Sweet Potato Souffle, not an actual souffle. You'll have no trouble separating egg whites here, and you definitely won't have to worry one bit about any collapsing!
Yes, if you'd like to freeze leftover souffle, transfer it to an airtight container, seal, and freeze for up to 3 months.
The standard topping for a Sweet Potato Souffle is a pecan streusel, but you could also use a standard crumb topping without the nuts or even a crisp topping for this recipe!
Although we highly recommend roasting real-deal sweet potatoes for this recipe, you can use canned yams (drained, of course) if you are in a pinch for time.
4 MORE THANKSGIVING RECIPES YOU NEED
Easy Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes:
- 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Scant ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Coat sweet potatoes evenly with canola oil. On a rimmed baking sheet, roast sweet potatoes for 50 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350° and have ready a greased 9x13” casserole dish or a standard-sized au gratin dish.
- Cut a slit down the sweet potatoes lengthwise and remove the skins. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and mash using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed. Then, add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt and mix until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish and spread evenly across the bottom.
- To make the topping, add the flour, sugar, and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the cold butter, and using a pastry blender or a fork, work the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles tiny, coarse peas and is well-blended. Stir in the pecans.
- Add the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
4 MORE SWEET POTATO RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows is the perfect substitution for Sweet Potato Souffle at the Thanksgiving table! How to make a gorgeous marshmallow topping, as well as tips for making your sweet potato casserole in advance!
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes are an easy side dish featuring baked sweet potatoes mashed with creamy Mascarpone cheese.
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes are made with easy, roasted sweet potatoes, goat cheese, chopped sage, and honey walnuts!
- Sweet Potato Wedges is an easy and delicious side dish recipe for sweet potatoes cut into wedges and seasoned with smoked paprika and roasted.
Raia Todd says
I've never had a sweet potato souffle before. Sounds delicious! Sorta like a sweet potato pie or casserole...
Sonia says
Oh my goodness this looks and sounds so delicious and inviting! Can't wait to try it 🙂
Sara says
Years ago I had a coworker bring a dish like this to our Turkey Day potluck and then she left the company before I got the recipe. I've been on the hunt ever since. Until now! This was so spot on. Light fluffy potatoes and that topping?? SO good. Thanks!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Sara!
Beth says
Ok, this looks amazing!! I"m not going to lie, I tend to take more topping than sweet potatoes, but this looks so delicious, I may take 50/50!
Andrea Metlika says
This looks so creamy and fluffy and love the pecan streusel topping.
Irina says
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I was looking for some Sweet Potato Soufflé recipe, recalling the same meal I ate at our friend's last year. This time I am gonna serve this deliciousness by myself:)
Anita says
A good sweet potato dish is a must for Thanksgiving. This looks so delicious and pretty, and it's not difficult to make. Thanks for sharing, Kelly. 🙂
Tayo says
Yes, this is definitely a show stopper! It looks delicious and I am sure it will taste amazing. I'll be adding this to my holiday table. Thank you!
Krissy Allori says
Oh wow. Move over old stale sweet potato recipes. There is a new dish in town. My family is going to flip over this.
Cathleen says
I am totally new to having sweet potatoes baked into desserts, but I am really wanting to try it out! This looks so perfect for Thanksgiving!!
Brenda says
This is delicious! I’ve made them before but this is my favorite recipe by far!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Brenda! I really think this might be the best sweet potato dish I've ever made...or had!!!
Holly says
I have been making this for years as I hate the old fashioned marshmallow topped sweet potatoes! The only thing I do different is add a little orange juice in when whipping them. It adds a little citrus tang and everyone loves it.
Nora says
Question! Do you add the 8 table spoons of butter to the potatoes? And add 6 to the topping? I don’t see in the recipe where to add the 8 table spoons.
Kelly Anthony says
Hi, Nora! Yes, the 8 tablespoons of melted butter should be added to the sweet potato base and the cold butter is cut into the streusel topping 🙂
Ashley says
Question- about how many pounds of sweet potatoes is this? I have a bag of sweet potatoes but they’re really tiny!
Kelly Anthony says
Hi Ashley! It's right around 3 pounds of potatoes 😉
Annette says
This was a big hit at Thanksgiving! I put some mini marshmallows on top also it was awesome!! Staying on the menu for Christmas!!
Laurie says
Can you bake sweet potatoes and freeze to make later
Kelly Anthony says
I have not tried this myself, but I can't see why not!
Laura says
Can the base be made a a couple days ahead of time and be refrigerated?
Kelly Anthony says
You could do the potatoes and mash them a couple of days in advance, but because of the eggs and sugar, you probably wouldn't want to combine it all!
Laura says
Oh no! I did; put it in the fridge. The day I bake it. I hope it’s OK. I’ll let you know.
Heather says
I made this recipe and it is absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Heather!!!