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Free up your oven space and make this Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole! Slow cooking all day caramelizes the sweet potatoes and infuses the Thanksgiving side dish with warm cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. All you need is 7 simple ingredients.
No Thanksgiving meal is complete without a side of sweet potato casserole. And while it’s hard to beat a classic sweet potato casserole that’s oven-baked until the marshmallows are golden brown and toasty, the ease of this slow cooker sweet potato casserole might be worth the change in tradition!
In fact, I love crockpot Thanksgiving recipes so much, I’ve figured out how to make the slow-cooker version of all of my favorites – Crockpot Green Bean Casserole, Crockpot Stuffing, Crockpot Butternut Squash, Crockpot Mulled Wine, Crockpot Apple Cider, and Crockpot Hot Chocolate, too.
So when you’re planning your big holiday meal this time of year, don’t forget the magic of the slow cooker.
Why You’ll Love this Slow Cooker Method
- No watery potatoes! Most traditional sweet potato casserole recipes call for peeling and boiling the sweet potatoes in a pot of water until fork tender. While this makes the potatoes incredibly soft, it also water logs them and waters down the flavor of the sweet potatoes.
By using the crockpot, these potatoes become soft with almost no water – similar to the sweet caramelization of oven-roasted sweet potatoes. - Saves oven space. If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll know how tricky it can be to time everything to fit in the oven. Skip the headache and switch to a crockpot casserole. It’s just as delicious and frees up valuable oven space for more important things like the roast turkey or meatloaf.
- Easy to make vegetarian and vegan. This traditional Thanksgiving side dish can work with virtually any diet.
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet potatoes: For this delicious side dish, you’ll need 4 pounds of peeled, diced orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. To keep the casserole from tasting watery, I recommend using fresh sweet potatoes, not frozen sweet potatoes.
- Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and depth of flavor that compliments the caramel-like undertone in the sweet potatoes. Both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar work well.
- Butter: Adds richness, creaminess, and a natural moisture that makes these potatoes luscious!
- Spices: To keep things simple and easy, I like to use a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice blend, plus additional cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, and black pepper.
- Marshmallows: Mini marshmallows will melt best. If you prefer a 100% pecan topping, omit the marshmallow topping and use 2 cups chopped pecans.
- Pecans: We love the nutty flavor and added crunch on our sweet potato casserole. If desired, you can omit, or swap in another nut, such as walnuts.
Substitutions
- Make it vegan/vegetarian: If you are dairy-free (like we are), this recipe works well with dairy-free butter. We like to use Miyoko’s Creamery and pick it up at Costco. Additionally, use vegan mini marshmallows. Dandie’s or Trader Joe’s have great store-bought options. Or, you can even make my homemade marshmallows recipe and cut the marshmallows into a mini size!
- Brown sugar substitute: Replace the brown sugar with 1/2 cup coconut sugar or 1/3 cup maple syrup.
- Pumpkin pie spice substitute: Replace with 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, allspice, and ground ginger.
How to Make Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Lightly grease the slow cooker bowl. Any cooking spray of choice will work. Or, use a pastry brush and lightly coat the bowl with a neutral tasting oil.
- Add ingredients to slow cooker. I have made this casserole two ways: one with the spices in the water on the bottom of the slow cooker insert and another with the spices on top of the diced sweet potatoes. I recommend keeping the spices on the top of the potatoes. When the spices are on the bottom, they have a chance of burning and get very sticky.
- Cook, covered, for 4 hours. Set the crockpot on high and cook for 4 hours. After this time is up the potatoes should be fork tender and the spices should be aromatic and fragrant.
- Mash the potatoes. Using a potato masher, thoroughly mash the potatoes and stir everything together so the spices are evenly distributed throughout.
- Top with marshmallows and pecans. Spread the mini marshmallows overtop the mashed sweet potatoes and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cook, covered, for an additional 30 to 40 minutes on high, or until the marshmallows are soft and gooey.
Serving Suggestions
This crockpot sweet potato casserole is a staple on our holiday table. It’s the perfect side dish to serve during the holiday season and is often served with a few other holiday staples, such as:
Vegetarian Holiday Mains
- Lentil Meatloaf or Beyond Meat Meatloaf
- Mushroom Wellington
- Cabbage Steaks
- Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Side Dishes
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
- Crockpot Stuffing
- Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
Recipe FAQs
Can I double this recipe?
8 pounds of sweet potatoes will not fit comfortably in a 6 qt slow cooker. 6 pounds is the limit, so you can comfortably 1.5x this recipe. If you are cooking for a larger crowd, you may want to consider using 2 crockpots, or a larger 8 qt+ crockpot.
Can I make this casserole in the Instant Pot?
I have not tested an Instant Pot version of this sweet potato casserole, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I find sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot to taste incredibly watery. Instead, you may like this regular Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe.
I don’t have a potato masher. What else can I use to mash the sweet potatoes?
If you do not have a potato masher, no problem. You can mash the sweet potatoes with a large fork, or, use an electric hand mixer set to a LOW speed. Alternatively, you can transfer the sweet potatoes to a food processor and pulse until creamy.
Will this recipe work with canned sweet potatoes?
Yes, this recipe will work with canned sweet potatoes, but it is important to note that many brands of canned sweet potatoes are canned in syrup. For this reason, I would omit the added sugar and only add additional sweetener to taste at the end. If you prefer to use canned sweet potatoes, use two, 29 ounce cans.
Storage Instructions
Leftover sweet potato casserole will keep for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For longer term storage, it can also be frozen in individual portions using Super Cubes for up to 3 months.
Before covering and storing, let the sweet potato mixture cool to room temperature.
Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 6 qt. crockpot
Ingredients
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch to 2-inch cubes ($2.88)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar ($0.24)
- ½ stick unsalted butter 4 tablespoons (vegan or regular) ($1.20)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.48)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ($0.06)
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ($0.05)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ($0.01)
- 5 ounces mini marshmallows for topping (vegan or regular) ($0.82)
- 1 cup chopped pecans for topping ($2.84)
Instructions
- Lightly grease the slow cooker bowl with cooking spray.
- Add all ingredients, in order, besides marshmallows and chopped pecans, to your slow cooker. Cook, covered, on high for 4 hours.
- When time is up, mash sweet potatoes with a potato masher and stir everything together so the spices are evenly distributed.
- Place mini marshmallows on top. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the marshmallows. Cook, covered, for another 30 to 40 minutes on high, or until marshmallows soften and become gooey.
- Make it vegan/vegetarian: If you are dairy-free (like we are), this recipe works well with dairy-free butter. We like to use Miyoko’s Creamery and pick it up at Costco. Additionally, use vegan mini marshmallows. Dandie’s or Trader Joe’s have great store-bought options. Or, you can even make my homemade marshmallows recipe and cut the marshmallows into a mini size!
- Brown sugar substitute: Replace the brown sugar with 1/2 cup coconut sugar or 1/3 cup maple syrup.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Replace with 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, allspice, and ground ginger.
- Canned sweet potatoes: This recipe will work with canned sweet potatoes, but it is important to note that many brands of canned sweet potatoes are canned in syrup. For this reason, I would omit the added sugar and only add additional sweetener to taste at the end. If you prefer to use canned sweet potatoes, use two, 29 ounce cans.
Notes
- Storage instructions: Leftover sweet potato casserole will keep for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For longer term storage, it can also be frozen in individual portions using Super Cubes for up to 3 months.
- Re: doubling the recipe: 8 pounds of sweet potatoes will not fit comfortably in a 6 qt slow cooker. 6 pounds is the limit, so you can comfortably 1.5x this recipe. If you are cooking for a larger crowd, you may want to consider using 2 crockpots, or a larger 8 qt+ crockpot.
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
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