Sweet potato casserole gets remade with a good dose of bourbon and 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 amazingly 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.
Certainly not marshmallows. Not to knock that classic combination, but I just don’t care for the sickly sweet casseroles.
But for the holidays, we want it to be special.
So I’ve added some bourbon to give it a little depth and a buttery pecan crust that brings a bit of salty and savory to cut the sweetness, plus a great crunch to add some texture.
I’ve reduced the butter and sugar you’d normally see in a sweet potato casserole, but this is plenty rich and plenty sweet. It feels indulgent and fancied up – perfect for holiday fare – but is 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.
A few make-ahead notes on this bourbon sweet potato casserole:
- Make the casserole through step 4 below in the recipe instructions. 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.
- Bake for a little bit longer, about 35 minutes.
Cause everyone should enjoy the holidays, cooks included 👍
Cheers to boozy sides — enjoy! And happy Thanksgiving!
Bourbon sweet potato casserole with buttery pecans
Sweet potato casserole gets remade with a good dose of bourbon and a little less sugar and butter for a boozy, not-too-sweet holiday side dish!
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pierced with a fork
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup bourbon (or whiskey)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon 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.
Recipe 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.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 398kcal Calories from fat 222 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 25g | 38% |
| Saturated Fat 8g | 40% |
| Transfat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 31mg | 10% |
| Sodium 366mg | 15% |
| Carbohydrate 38g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber 6g | 24% |
| Sugars 15g | |
| Protein 4g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
** What’s your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes? **
I’m always immediately hungry after reading your recipes and seeing your (delicious) photos!! Thanks for sharing. Definitely pinning this!
Thanks so much, Pamela!! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I made this for a thanksgiving dinner and it is awesome!!! I used fireball whiskey and it is delectable. Will definitely be making this again
So happy to hear you loved it! Thanks Randiah! Happy Thanksgiving!
Judging 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
Haha, thanks Tania! I am a serious potato fanatic! Also a bourbon fanatic 😉 Hope you give it a try!
Yum 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.
I need to get together with that fine lady for a plateful of these and a little cocktail to go with it 😉 Cheers!
I 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!
Hi 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!