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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.

overhead photo of Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet n Savory Bacon Pecans

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.

raw sweet potato with steam

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!

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole before adding the pecans

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.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet n Savory Bacon Pecans before baking

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!

overhead photo of Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet n Savory Bacon Pecans with spoonful removed from casserole

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.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
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.

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Ingredients

Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans

US Customary - Metric

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. 
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overhead close up photo of Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet n Savory Bacon Pecans

This post was originally published on November 11, 2019
4.06 from 2006 votes (1,850 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I have to travel an hour away for a potluck style thanksgiving dinner. Can I ass mole all the ingredients and refrigerate over night and bake just before the party? Also, I want to make a vegan version as well. Is there anything that will substitute the milk and is margarine ok instead of butter? Thanks!

    Reply

    2. Yes! Assembling the night before works great! Use coconut milk and olive oil in place of the dairy ingredients. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?

      Reply

    1. I would do 325 for 20 minutes or until the center is warmed through. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

    1. This is delicious minus the bacon! I make it this way all the time. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

  9. I can’t wait to make this! How many people does your recipe serve? Trying to figure out how to scale the ingredients for a party of my size 🙂

    Reply

    1. This will serve about 8, 6 if you have big eaters. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        I am so excited to make this recipe!!! If I am scaling ingredients up 4x for ~16 people, should I increase temperature or cook time?

        Reply

        1. HI! Just increase the cooking time, but not the temperature. I am not sure how long though as I have not tested the recipe this way. I recommend using 2 baking dishes and cooking maybe 30 minutes to an hour longer. Again, not sure on these exact times though. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks!

          Reply

  10. So if I want to prep everything the night before would you go ahead and do the bacon and pecan mixture as well and then just pop it in the oven the morning of?

    Reply

    1. Yes, I would do the bacon and pecans. That will be great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?

      Reply

  11. So I tried to make this last night and the crumb topping turned out more like a dough. Do you know what could have gone wrong there and is there a way to fix it now?
    I am still going to eat it regardless because it smells and looks delicious, just good to know for next time!
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. HI! Sorry for the trouble. It is really hard to say what happened without knowing how you made this dish. Next time I’d try reducing the flour a bit, maybe to 1/4 cup? Sometimes the flour can cause the pecans to be more cakey. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

    1. Hi Sabrina! If there are a lot of drippings in the pan, I’d drain off some of it, but if there are only 2-3 tablespoons you can leave it in. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! 🙂

      Reply

    3. It is 1 1/2 cups pecans. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?

      Reply

  14. My niece made this last week when I was out visiting her. I have NEVER liked sweet potatoes before – but I loved this dish!! It was the best! As we avoid gluten and hybridized grains, we used instead of the flour, Einkorn flour from Young Living. Then for the Cinnamon & Rosemary we used a few drops of our Young Living essential oils (since we didn’t have fresh Rosemary, but always have the essential oils on hand for our health and for cooking. Makes it quick, easy and adds the medicinal effect of the essential oils). So not only was this the best, but we our slight alterations made it even more nutritious! I am anxious to try some of the other recipes on this site. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

    1. The added essential oils sounds awesome and I am thrilled you loved this dish, especially because you never liked sweet potatoes before!! Thank you so much Sara and Happy Holidays!

      Reply

  15. Holy crap, girl. This was amazing. Once again, you’ve blown me away. This dish is going to become a tradition. I made it exactly as the recipe says, no substitutes. THANK YOU!

    Reply