This sweet potato soufflé features baked sweet potatoes whipped with butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cream for a rich, silky smooth base, then they're topped with a sweet and crunchy pecan streusel. It's a delicious side dish and a holiday classic!
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Why This Recipe Works
Most Thanksgiving and Christmas side dishes and main courses are savory and heavy. But this southern sweet potato soufflé is a sweet side dish, with a smooth whipped sweet potato puree as the base and a sweet and crunchy pecan streusel topping. It pairs nicely with all of the savory dishes in a traditional holiday meal and also has a great contrast of textures.
It's also perfect for making ahead, so it makes things a little easier on the big day!
Sweet Potato Souffle vs. Sweet Potato Casserole
A classic French soufflé uses whipped egg whites that are folded into the soufflé mixture to produce a light and airy texture. This isn't a true souffle since we use whole eggs, but incorporating the eggs makes a lighter and fluffier texture for the base.
In a traditional sweet potato casserole, there are no eggs mixed in with the sweet potatoes. So the texture of the sweet potatoes is thicker and heavier in a casserole.
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
- Sweet Potatoes - For this recipe, I recommend baking the sweet potatoes to enhance their natural sweetness. You can also peel, cut, and boil them if you prefer.
- Heavy Cream adds richness to the puree and produces a creamier texture. You can substitute half and half if needed, but I do not recommend using low-fat milk.
- Butter - The butter for the sweet potato filling and the streusel topping needs to be very soft. Sit it out at least an hour before preparing the dish to let it come to room temperature.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Note: The sweet potatoes must be baked and cooled before proceeding with this recipe, so plan accordingly!
- Bake the sweet potatoes in a 425°F oven for 1 hour until very soft. Let them cool to room temperature. Then, remove the skin from the cooled sweet potatoes. Add to a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the cream butter, white and brown sugars, vanilla, salt, and eggs to the bowl and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until very smooth, around 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, add the topping ingredients and stir together. Use a fork to cut the butter in until well combined and small crumbs have formed. You can use your hands for this if you prefer.
- Scrape the sweet potato puree into a 2½ quart casserole dish and spread evenly. Then sprinkle pecan topping over the potatoes in an even layer.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the soufflé is set and the top is browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Can I Make Sweet Potatoe Soufflé Ahead?
Sweet potato soufflé is an excellent choice for a Thanksgiving side dish because it can be prepared ahead the day before and then baked just before serving. To make ahead:
- Prepare the sweet potato puree in a mixing bowl as directed, then cover and refrigerate.
- Prepare the topping in a separate bowl, then cover and refrigerate it as well. These can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the fridge around 30 minutes before baking to allow them to come up to room temperature.
- Add the puree to your casserole dish, then top with the streusel topping and bake as directed.
Storage and Reheating
To store leftover sweet potato soufflé, cover the cooled casserole tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Alternatively, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Reheat leftovers in a baking dish covered with foil in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Smaller portions can be reheated in the microwave.
Marshmallow Topping Variation
This traditional southern sweet potato souffle recipe features a pecan streusel topping, but some people prefer to use a marshmallow topping or a combination of the two.
To make sweet potato soufflé with marshmallow topping, replace the streusel topping with mini marshmallows and bake the casserole for around 25-30 minutes until the topping is lightly browned.
This works if you need to make sweet potato casserole without nuts for dietary reasons, but you can also simply omit the pecans in the streusel if you want to make this recipe nut-free.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Yams and sweet potatoes are often confused with one another (or mislabeled). Sweet potatoes are larger with smooth, reddish skin and softer flesh. Yams are typically smaller and have dark brown, rough skin similar to tree bark. The flesh is lighter colored and starchier.
You can substitute canned sweet potatoes, but they are often packed in syrup. So, you must reduce or omit the sugar in the sweet potato puree if using canned sweet potatoes.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Soufflé Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Soufflé
- 4 Tablespoons butter, ½ stick, softened to room temperature
- 4-5 large sweet potatoes, around 6 cups mashed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy cream, or half and half
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter, ½ stick, softened
Instructions
Bake the Sweet Potatoes
- Bake the sweet potatoes in a 425°F oven for 1 hour until very soft. Then let them cool to room temperature. Remove the skin from the cooled sweet potatoes, then add to a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork or potato masher.
Prepare the Soufflé
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the cream butter, sugars, vanilla, salt, and eggs to the bowl and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until very smooth, around 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, add the topping ingredients and stir together. Use a fork to cut the butter in until well combined and small crumbs have formed. You can use your hands for this if you prefer.
- Scrape the sweet potato purée into a 2½ quart casserole dish and spread evenly. Then sprinkle pecan topping over the potatoes in an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the soufflé is set and the top is browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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