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This bourbon sweet potato casserole with buttery pecans has a little less sugar and butter for a boozy, not-too-sweet holiday side dish!
Sweet potatoes to me are an amazing vegetable. Such deep flavor, such a pretty color and seriously nutritious. ❤️
For regular weeknight dinners, I bake and serve them as is; we sometimes add a sprinkle or salt and pepper, but they really don’t need much.
Or maybe I make my maple cinnamon sweet potatoes or spicy sweet potato rounds, which are both a quick and easy way to prepare them.
And when it comes to Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, I like giving them a little something special, a little flavor boost, a little extra love.
But certainly not marshmallows.
Not to knock that classic combination for a sweet potato casserole, but I just don’t care for the sickly sweet version.
So I’m gonna skip the marshmallows, but I’m still going to ramp up the flavor and make this a special dish.
I’ve added some bourbon to give it a little depth and topped it with a buttery pecan crust that brings a bit of salty and savory to cut the sweetness, plus a great crunch to add some texture.
You’re going to go crazy for that topping!
I’ve also reduced the butter and sugar you’d normally see in a sweet potato casserole, but trust me, this is still plenty rich and plenty sweet.
It feels indulgent and fancied up, which is perfect for holiday fare, but it’s much more balanced. 👌
And can we talk about the aroma when the butter and brown sugar and bourbon hit the hot mashed sweet potatoes?
You’ll feel a little light headed as you stir that delicious mixture. 😉 And then you’re gonna top it with the pecan streusel of sorts, creating the perfect little crust for the sweet potatoes.
Holiday happiness in a dish!
Now, we all have heard that most of the alcohol evaporates and cooks off when cooking or baking.
But I did a little digging — I’m a health and nutrition editor, after all — and some studies have shown that not ALL of the alcohol evaporates.
Depending on the preparation, cooking method and cooking time, up to HALF of the alcohol content can remain in the final dish.
So if you’re concerned, keep this for just the adults at the table.
Make-ahead notes on this bourbon sweet potato casserole:
- You can prep this ahead! Make the casserole through step 4 in the recipe instructions below. Then cover and refrigerate.
- When ready to continue, remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator to come to room temp while the oven heats up.
- Make the pecan topping and add it to the top of the casserole just before baking.
- You’ll probably need to bake it for a little bit longer, about 35 minutes total.
My mom and I always do as much as we can ahead for our holiday table. Cause everyone should enjoy the holidays, cooks included 👍
And if you need some other ideas for holiday sides, my super quick + easy green beans with mustard butter sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and red onion and 15-minute easy cranberry sauce are all good picks!
Cheers to boozy sides — enjoy! And happy Thanksgiving!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out my new VIDEO for this recipe!
Bourbon sweet potato casserole with buttery pecans
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pierced with a fork
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup bourbon (or whiskey)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans (or sub walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for one hour. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 375.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off and place the potatoes in a large bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, bourbon and salt. Use a fork to mash the sweet potatoes and mix them well with the other ingredients.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in a greased 3 quart casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Stir well to combine then spoon the mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or hot.
Notes
You can prep the casserole ahead through step 4. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to continue, remove the casserole dish from the refrigerator to come to room temp while the oven heats up. Make the pecan topping and add it just before baking. Bake for 35 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 398 Total Fat: 25g Saturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 38mg Fiber: 6g Sugar: 15g Protein: 4g
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
November 24, 2015 at 2:51 PMI’m always immediately hungry after reading your recipes and seeing your (delicious) photos!! Thanks for sharing. Definitely pinning this!
Kathryn says
November 24, 2015 at 5:50 PMThanks so much, Pamela!! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Randiah says
November 26, 2015 at 5:42 PMI made this for a thanksgiving dinner and it is awesome!!! I used fireball whiskey and it is delectable. Will definitely be making this again
Kathryn says
November 26, 2015 at 7:26 PMSo happy to hear you loved it! Thanks Randiah! Happy Thanksgiving!
Tania | My Kitchen Stories says
November 28, 2015 at 5:48 AMJudging by all of the recipes that you have for sweet Potatoes you are a bit of an expert. I haven’t had sweet potatoes with either bourbon or brown sugar before, but I am sure it is delcious
Kathryn says
November 28, 2015 at 1:46 PMHaha, thanks Tania! I am a serious potato fanatic! Also a bourbon fanatic 😉 Hope you give it a try!
Quinn Caudill says
December 4, 2015 at 11:26 AMYum Kathryn. My mother-n-law would these sweet potato’s Makers Mark is her favorite:))
Recipe looks awesome. Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday. Hope to see you again next week.
Kathryn says
December 4, 2015 at 8:52 PMI need to get together with that fine lady for a plateful of these and a little cocktail to go with it 😉 Cheers!
Lynz says
November 21, 2016 at 4:50 PMI was going to make this for Thanksgiving this year, but was feeling lazy and wanted to use canned yams! Is this something you have ever tried? I bought two giant cans and wasn’t sure if I should use one or two cans.
Thanks for your help! Love your site!
Kathryn says
November 21, 2016 at 7:27 PMHi Lynz! I have not substituted canned yams in this recipe before, but you could certainly try it as a shortcut. I’m not sure how much is in your cans, but I’m thinking you’ll need at least 5 cups worth of mashed yams – enough to make a decent layer in the bottom of your casserole dish. Would love to hear if you try it!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
October 11, 2017 at 1:03 AMThis sweet potato casserole looks wonderful!!
Kathryn says
October 11, 2017 at 1:59 PMThanks! It’s such a great one for Thanksgiving! 😊
Megan @ Megunprocessed says
October 13, 2017 at 2:19 AMThis looks so tasty! Love sweet potato casserole!
Kathryn says
October 13, 2017 at 6:41 AMMe too – such a classic on Thanksgiving!
Carolyn Ingram says
October 13, 2017 at 8:30 PMThis sounds incredible!
Kathryn says
October 15, 2017 at 9:16 AMThanks so much Carolyn! I hope you give it a try!
Jenny Morehead says
November 19, 2017 at 10:04 AMRecipe says cook time 1 hr 25 min but then in the details says 25-30 min. So do you cook 1 hr 25 min first then the 25-30 is if you are re-heating?
Kathryn says
November 19, 2017 at 10:36 AMHi Jenny! The total cook time is 1 hours 25 minutes, which includes the time to bake the sweet potatoes. Once you’ve assembled the casserole, you bake it for 25-30 minutes. Hope you enjoy it!
Jenny Morehead says
November 19, 2017 at 4:48 PMMakes sense now. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving.
Ruth says
November 21, 2017 at 10:12 AMI have made my sweet potato casserole like this, start to finish for 47 years. Everyone loves it! Maybe I put a little more bourbon. This is the first time that I have run across the recipe in print.
Love the potato’s baked, not boiled, they have richer flavor.
Kathryn says
November 21, 2017 at 10:07 PMI love that this has been a long-time dish of yours Ruth! I just adore the way the bourbon bumps up the flavor of the sweet potato casserole and I completely agree with you that baking the sweet potatoes gives them a much richer flavor. I think it really helps caramelize those natural sugars. I hope you have such a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Mary says
November 22, 2017 at 10:06 PMThank you for coming up with a recipe that isn’t so sweet. I dislike marshmallows on any vegetables. Husband is diabetic. I made it tonight with Makers Mark. I used a guava instead of brown sugar. It’s fantastic.
Kathryn says
November 24, 2017 at 10:22 AMI’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this Mary! I’m with you – I don’t need marshmallows with my veggies so I’m glad this was a good option for you, too. And I love the idea of using guava!
Rosemary says
December 10, 2017 at 10:05 AMCan the alcohol be simmered in a small saucepan before adding to the recipe to lower the alcohol content even more than the approx. 40%. What’s your opinion of bourbon whiskry extract to replace the real deal? I’ve never used such a product.
Kathryn says
December 11, 2017 at 6:42 AMHi Rosemary, if you are concerned about the alcohol content and don’t have any bourbon or whiskey on hand to use, I’d suggest just leaving it out altogether.
Susan says
April 28, 2019 at 8:36 AMWe had this with our Easter ham, and my husband raved about it. I think this will be our go-to sweet potato recipe for the future. Cooking at this temperature gave the pecans a chance to toast and added to their flavor. I do always bake sweet potatoes in the microwave so the total cooking time is significantly less. Great recipe–glad I found it!
Kathryn says
April 29, 2019 at 2:54 PMOh yay, I’m so happy you all loved it! Thanks so much for taking the time to come and leave a comment! 😊