Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
This sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is the soft, spoonable kind that a lot of Southern families call sweet potato souffle. Boiled sweet potatoes get mashed with butter, a little sugar, cinnamon, milk and an egg, then go under a blanket of mini marshmallows that bake up puffed and golden. It takes about 10 minutes of hands-on work and 6 simple pantry ingredients besides the marshmallows, and one pan serves 4.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: sweet potatoes or yams, sugar, butter, cinnamon, milk, egg, marshmallows
- Why You'll Love It: With an always-enticing combination of sweet and savory flavors, no Southern Thanksgiving table is complete without this sensational sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.
The sweet potatoes are only lightly sweetened, so the marshmallows on top bring most of the sugar and the casserole doesn’t go overboard. If your family is more of a crunchy topping crowd, Grandma’s old-fashioned sweet potato casserole has a buttery pecan and coconut topping instead.
Why This Sweet Potato Souffle Works
Mashing the sweet potatoes while they’re hot lets the butter melt right in, and stirring the egg in last gives the casserole a light, almost fluffy texture once it bakes. That’s where the souffle name comes from.
Mini marshmallows spread out in an even layer and toast faster than big ones, so the sweet potatoes underneath heat through by the time the top is browned.
What You Need for Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Sweet potatoes: Two large ones, or yams. You can also use canned yams (see the FAQ below).
- Sugar: White sugar, or swap in light or dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted both work.
- Cinnamon: Pumpkin pie spice works too.
- Egg: Gives the casserole its soft, souffle-like texture.
- Mini marshmallows: If you only have large marshmallows, cut them into pieces with clean kitchen scissors.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- I prefer to boil the sweet potatoes because it’s the fastest, but you can also bake them whole for about 45 to 60 minutes and scoop out the centers.
- Don’t add the egg while the sweet potatoes are piping hot or it will start to cook and turn into little bits of scrambled egg. Stir in the milk first so the mixture cools down a little.
- For a richer casserole, use heavy cream in place of the milk.
- Want a little crunch with the marshmallows? Sprinkle a handful of chopped pecans on before the marshmallows go on.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
1Peel and cut the sweet potatoes
Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks and put them in a pot.
2Boil and drain
Cover with water and cook until fork tender. Drain in a colander, then put the sweet potatoes back in the pot.
3Add the butter, sugar and cinnamon
Add the butter, sugar and cinnamon to the hot sweet potatoes so the butter melts right in.
4Mash
Mash everything together with a potato masher or mixer until smooth. Mooshy, mooshy, mooshy!
5Stir in the milk, then the egg
Stir in the milk first, then add the egg and mix it in right away so it blends smoothly instead of cooking in the warm sweet potatoes.
6Spoon into a baking dish
Spread the sweet potato mixture into a pie plate or baking dish.
7Top with marshmallows and bake
Spread mini marshmallows across the top and bake at 350°F until the marshmallows are puffed and browned.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Souffle
This one belongs on the Thanksgiving table next to oven roasted turkey breast or a brown sugar glazed baked ham, with crockpot cornbread dressing and plenty of turkey gravy. Round out the sides with green bean casserole, Meme’s mashed potatoes, Jiffy corn casserole and homemade cranberry sauce.
To make it ahead, assemble the casserole without the marshmallows up to 48 hours early, then cover and refrigerate. Add the marshmallows right before it goes in the oven.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet Potato Casserole FAQs
Can I use canned yams?
Fresh sweet potatoes give the best flavor, but canned works in a pinch. Skip the boiling step, drain about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of canned yams and put them in the pot before adding the other ingredients.
What is the difference between sweet potato casserole and sweet potato souffle?
Most Southern cooks use the names for the same dish. A souffle usually has egg mixed in, which makes it lighter and fluffier, and that’s how this one is made.
Can I freeze sweet potato casserole?
Freeze it without the marshmallow topping in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the fridge, add fresh marshmallows and bake until browned.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes or yams
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 cups mini marshmallows or enough to cover the top
Instructions
- Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes. Cover with water and cook until tender. Drain, then mash sweet potatoes with a potato masher or mixer.2 large sweet potatoes or yams
- Add butter, sugar, cinnamon, and milk. Stir well. Add egg and blend well. If you add the egg to the hot and mashed sweet potato, it will begin to cook before it is blended and you will have scrambled eggs in your mixture.1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg
- Pour the sweet potato mixture into an ovenproof casserole dish or pie plate and cover with marshmallows. Place in a 350-degree oven and cook until marshmallows are puffed and slightly browned.2 cups mini marshmallows
I made these for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas. This is the best sweet potato recipe I have ever made. Thanks for a great recipe!
I would add and have been known to add several other items to my marshmallow sweet potatoes…..I guess it the persons back ground. I also like to change things up a bit to make them my own. this recipe is a basic one that even my mom started out with. so as the next generation grows up they charge things up….to there taste but sometimes it nice to go back to the ole favorites.
So very true Jennifer! Isn’t it great that we can add things and change them to suit our own tastes?! And it’s fun to watch how the next generation changes our recipes up. 🙂