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Our 2019 Thanksgiving Menu and Guide.
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Switching things up this Thanksgiving with this Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans. The classic sweet potato casserole we know and love, but topped with sweet and savory bacon pecans. These sweet potatoes are buttery, hinted with cinnamon, and lightly sweetened. The pecan streusel topping is just a touch spicy, perfectly sweet, herby, and a little salty too. When baked together the potatoes and topping create the perfect balance and make for the BEST sweet potato casserole. Make these ahead of time for an easy holiday side dish that everyone will love.
It’s the second week of November and I very much have Thanksgiving on my mind. Anyone else?
It’s been a little tricky to get my menu fully planned, photographed, and written up in between traveling for HBH Super Simple. But I’m excited to finally say that I will be sharing my full menu this week! Are you guys in planning mode? Hoping so, because I have some good recipes coming, and it all starts with this casserole.
I’m sure I have said this before, but when it comes to Thanksgiving I really love a traditional menu. Herby roasted turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, popovers, vegetable sides, and of course, sweet potato casserole. Some of you may be surprised to hear this, since I love to share all kinds of different recipes, but when it comes to both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’m all about tradition. And the older and more traditional the better.
The classics keep things simple and perfect every time. It’s why we look forward to the holidays so much. All the traditions!
That said, every year I try to create a few new dishes that are spins on the classics. They still feel like the classics, just updated a bit. My brothers only care about the turkey, mashed potatoes, and rolls, so I keep those basic (but good). But when it comes to the vegetables? I have some room to play with, and have a little fun.
Enter this sweet potato casserole. It’s just like my grandma’s sweet potatoes, but with a sweet, savory, and salty pecan crumble topping…that everyone loves.
Let’s talk about the sweet potatoes…
Like most sweet potato casseroles, this bourbon sweet potato casserole is so simple and easy to make. The longest part of the process is roasting the potatoes. But nothing is hard and you might even have all the ingredients on hand right now.
So…start with the sweet potatoes. Yes, you can buy canned sweet potatoes, but I highly recommend roasting fresh potatoes for best flavor and color. If you have an instant pot, you can cook the potatoes quickly in there. If not, go the oven route. It’s my preferred method.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, peel away the skins (then use them to make these sweet potato skin chips) and then mash. Then add in a touch of light brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and a splash of bourbon, and that’s it. This is my grandma’s base recipe and it never fails. Simple, but so delicious, and not overly sweet, which I think is really nice.
Question: are you a sweet or savory, sweet potato casserole person? I prefer a savory casserole…with just a touch of sweetness!
Now about those bacon pecans…
While the potatoes are roasting, start working on the bacon pecans.
Oh, these bacon pecans. Basically, this is a topping of candied bacon with pecans, and it’s incredibly delicious. Sweet and savory with a little crunch from the pecans, and saltiness from the bacon. I added sage and a little rosemary to bring in some savory flavors and balance out the sweetness. These herbs may sound like an odd addition but go with me on this because it’s so GOOD.
Also, if rosemary isn’t your thing, or you’re worried it may overpower the other flavors, then simply leave it out. My dad’s not the biggest rosemary fan. He sometimes complains that it’s overpowering. Use your best judgment here and go with your own personal taste.
Put it all together…
Last up, layer the topping over the sweet potatoes in a casserole dish and bake. It’s simple, nothing too fancy, and so EASY. While this bakes, your house will smell incredible, just like Thanksgiving should. You’ll soon find out that every bite is just as delicious as it smells.
These potatoes are sweet and buttery and the topping is crunchy. It’s the sweet potato casserole your Thanksgiving table needs. Promise.
And finally, you can easily prepare this ahead of time and freeze, and yes, it travels well too. If you’re on side dish duty this Thanksgiving, this is your dish!
If you make this bourbon sweet potato casserole with sweet ‘n’ savory bacon pecans, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 426 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- kosher salt
Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper using more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until soft and tender. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, slice them in half and allow to cool.2. Meanwhile, make the bacon pecans. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain onto a paper towel. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, pecans, butter, cayenne, sage, and rosemary (if using). Stir in the bacon.3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Peel the skins away from the flesh of the sweet potato. Add the sweet potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mash well. Mix in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, butter, eggs, and bourbon until combined. Season with salt.4. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over top. 5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pecans are golden. Serve warm topped with flaky sea salt.
Notes
To Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole through step 4. Cover and store the assembled casserole in the fridge for up to 2 days. To bake, remove the casserole from the fridge while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
This post was originally published on November 11, 2019
Thank you! Massive hit this thanksgiving with the whole family!
Yay! Thanks Maggie
Hey there! I’m loving this recipe as I’m making it! Just one thought. I realized I misread the instructions and it may be helpful to others if you clarify the step with the topping. I thought I was supposed to add all the topping ingredients to the pan of bacon fat after removing the bacon. Didn’t see that it said bowl at the end of the sentence. :/
Hey Stephanie! Sorry for the confusion. I will look over the recipe now. Hope you love the sweet potatoes and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Can you prep this for the oven and leave it overnight in the fridge? Keep the topping separate? Trying to balance my Thanksgiving prep! Thank you!
Hey Emily! Yes! That will work great! Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this! Thanks!
This sounds like something that could only come to you in a dream!
Def making this for Thanksgiving!
I hope you and your guests love it Stephanie! Thank you!
They are so good!
Thank you! (:
First I would consume all the nuts on the top after that the potatoes. Wonderful images once again and I can’t wait to eat this. It has actually gotten incredibly cold below for November wish you are doing far better and also the barn is moving along.
Thank you!! SO happy you like it!!
The cold is creeping up on us too fast!
Hello! I was wondering if this would still be good without the bacon? Or could I use something else?
Thanks!
Hey Ashley! You can just omit the bacon, no big deal. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! 🙂
I made this for Christmas and served it again the next day as leftovers. My entire family nearly cried when it was gone! I can’t imagine that there is a better sweet potato dish out there! This is going to be on my Christmas and Thanksgiving menus from here on out!
So happy the recipe was well enjoyed by everyone!! Thanks and happy New Years!
This looks amazing! Two quick questions… One, do you leave the bacon grease in the skillet after removing the bacon and add the other ingredients to the bacon grease? And two, do you think it would be okay to substitute a honey bourbon or would that make it too sweet. We’ve got a bottle of Jack Daniels Honey, I think, and I was wondering if that would work? Thanks!!
Hey Dani, If there is more than two tablespoons bacon grease, I would drain some of the grease out of the pan. Yes, I think the honey bourbon will be great. Hope you love this and happy holidays! 🙂
Ok now I am a bit confused by the last question. When I made this over Thanksgiving, I cooked the bacon, let it cool and added it to the rest of the topping ingredients and then spread that (uncooked) topping mixture over the top of the casserole snd then baked the whole thing. Was I supposed to add the topping ingredients to the bacon pan and cook it before placing on top? I did not ever see where to cook those ingredients first.
Ahh…I missed the words “to a bowl”. I thought it meant to add all those ingredients to the skillet! Thanks, Leah K!
Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help!
Have a Merry Christmas! 🙂
First off, I absolutely love your blog. You’ve shared some incredible recipes that have become family favorites (oh and my 11 yo niece shares your name!).
Anyway, this recipe was the first thing that hasn’t turned out for me. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I followed all the directions but I’m wondering are you supposed to cook the topping before you put it on the sweet potatoes or does it go on just mixed from a bowl? I topped the casserole with the pecan, flour mixture uncooked and ended up with raw flour after an hour in the oven. I then attempted to save it by scraping off the topping and cooking it like a candy mixture which made a thick toffee like sauce (rather gummy not as delicious as it sounds). It ended up being pretty tasty anyway but totally nothing like your pictures and I really doubt either of those outcomes were intended.
Please help! I’d love to revisit this and get it right as it is all of my favorite things in a casserole dish. Thank you!! 🙂
Hey Brittany!
Oh no!! The topping is supposed to be mixed together in a bowl and the spread in an even layer over the sweet potatoes, then bake. Did you possibly forget the butter in the pecan mixture?
Sorry for the trouble!!
I cooked this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit. It was so delicious. Will definitely cook this again. Thanks for sharing.
So happy it was a hit! THANK YOU!
So I made this for a friendsgiving get together. I followed the recipe exactly, but when the group started to eat it the casserole was extremely spicy. It still tasted great but it was very spicy. I didn’t know if anyone else had this experience.
Hey Sarah,
Did you you possibly add more spice than called for? I have not heard of this being too spicy. Sorry for the trouble, but I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!!
I’m definitely making this for Thanksgiving! But I need to feed way more than 6. If I double your recipe will it still fit in a 9×13? P.s. Your caprese quinoa recipe has become a staple at our house!
Hi!! It will, but I would recommend using two dishes for more even cooking. Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving!
I just made this for a church Thanksgiving potluck. It was one of several sweet potato dishes there – and I’m pleased to say mine was the first one gone. It is FANTASTIC!!! You won’t be disappointed. Just to keep things simple, I used canned yams (pre-cooked and easy to mash), and backed off just a little bit on the cayenne pepper and the bourbon (hello church ladies…). But I did add a little extra bacon. This is one TASTY dish. I also really liked how the photos above looked with the whole pecans, so I did not chop mine. Was really beautiful coming out of the oven. Will be making it for the family Thanksgiving – and I’m going all in on the cayenne and bourbon. Run to your kitchen – and make this now.
YEAH! That is awesome! So happy this was a hit, thanks!!!
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Definitely making this to bring to the in-laws on Thursday!! Who doesn’t love a bacon pecan crumble!??! Thanks!! 🙂
Thanks Kelsey! Have a great Thanksgiving!