Next Post
Our 2019 Thanksgiving Menu and Guide.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
I am hosting a large family group for Thanksgiving and one guest is highly allergic to eggs. This recipe looks amazing. I’m wondering if I could make it without the eggs?
Hey Robin! You can omit the eggs and use and additional 2 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons milk. That should be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
You come up with very appealing flavor combinations. Photography and styling are exquisite, but I think testing and verification of recipe elements may be beneficial. The nuts in this recipe were great, but the other elements did not come together well, and the dish was a disappointment. I wonder if weights rather than sizes, e.g., medium, may help with regular results. —I googled and settled on a particular weight for medium, but in the dish I made, there were just too many sweet potatoes. Also, the sage and bacon just didn’t come together as I had hoped. No one wanted to take this one home.
I made your Pomegranate Avocado Salad with Candied Walnuts, and the flavors in that were a hit. The recommended amount of greens seemed off (too much, even when I halved it) —maybe rather than cups, a weight might be a better measure?
I also made your White Christmas Mojito Punch (didn’t use sugar, though), and that was great. I am thinking about making the Pomegranate Ginger Paloma, but per my calculations, each individual drink will be rather large at about 320 to 400 mi each. I hope this feedback is helpful. I am returning to your site per the flavor combinations and phenomenal presentation…
Ho Elaine, thanks for the feedback. I test my recipes multiple times before posting to ensure they will work for most everyone. So sorry you are having trouble. happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Are the cook times and temp the same if you make it the day before and refrigerate it? Do I need to let it come to to room temp before putting in the oven? Thanks!!
HI! I would recommend bringing the casserole to room temp and then baking as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
This is my go-to family carry-in contribution. Perfect in every way. Everyone raves about this dish and I look like the Queen of Thanksgiving side dishes. Thank you, Tieghan!
Thank you so much Annika! I am so glad you loved this recipe so much!
What size dish do you make this in? I am going to make it for Thanksgiving 2018!
Hey Jenny! I recommend using a 9×13 inch baking dish. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Looks scrumptious!!! Where did you get the dish from?!!
HI! It’s an old casserole dish from West Elm. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Hi there! this looks amazing, cant wait to taste it 🙂 I just have a quick question, can I sub the flour with a starch or gf flour?
HI! I am sure a GF flour blend will work great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
O M G! I saw this on your home page just before Thanksgiving and had to make it. EVERYONE said these were the best sweet potatoes they had ever had. So I made them again for Christmas with a different group of people. Again, everyone thought they were amazing! These are so easy to make. I prepared them ahead of time and popped them in the oven just before dinner. This is now my signature holiday dish. The only change I made was a little less cayenne pepper when there were going to be a lot of kids. Otherwise absolutely perfect. BTW, I will be making your tenderloin recipe for New Years. Thank you for the wonderful recipes.
That is so amazing! Thank you Christina, I hope you love the tenderloin just as much ?
This has become a Thanksgiving staple in addition to my work Holiday potluck staple. The only thing I want to do now is figure out how to perfectly makes this with my instant pot so I can bring that to work and let it warm up for the first half of the day before the potluck! Since there are never microwaves big enough for a casserole dish. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Sarah!
This was dangerously good and easy to make! Loved the Cayenne Pepper; it added the right amount of kick. I also found that the bourbon helped when consumed as your cooking. I was told that just the sweet potato alone was the best. It will be part of Thanksgiving and Christmas menu from here on out.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you Alberto!
I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday and it was the hit of the day! I am not a huge sweet potato fan but even I couldn’t wait to dig in to this. The TOPPING! So amazing. This is going to be a recipe I pull out year after year.
That is so great! Thank you Carla, I am so happy you enjoyed this dish!
Hi / Me again! Obvious family gathering stress is setting in. Please ignore my previous question/post.
Your directions are clear and aI need a cocktail!
I am glad you found the answer! Thank you Janet, I hope you loved this!
Sorry if you’ve answered this previously.
The recipe has us adding the brown sugar to both the pecans and the potatoes. How are we splitting the measurement?
Can’t wait to taste this!!
Thanks!!
HI! It is 3/4 brown sugar for both the pecans and the sweet potatoes. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I am REALLY excited about making this for Thanksgiving! I have all the ingredients…how far in advance do you think I can make the casserole and keep it in the fridge before cooking it?
Happy Thanksgiving!
HI! You can keep this in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! ?
I am allergic to sage but this sounds freaking amazing! Think it will be ok if I omit it? Or do you have a suggestion for a substitution?
HI! You can omit the sage or use your favorite herb. Thyme or rosemary would be amazing! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂