Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole
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My Crockpot sweet potato casserole is one of the easiest classic sides you can make, and it frees up my oven on Thanksgiving! I use canned yams, so it’s in the slow cooker within 10 minutes. The yams turn into a creamy, buttery base with brown sugar and cinnamon, all under a crunchy pecan crumble and gooey melted marshmallows.
Crockpot sweet potato casserole with canned yams
I look forward to making a creamy and caramelized sweet potato casserole every Thanksgiving, but every year I was shifting pans around in the oven to fit in the casserole dish. I decided to give it a try in the slow cooker and with a few tweaks, it came out just as rich and buttery as the baked version! If you do have room in the oven, my easy sweet potato casserole uses the same canned yam shortcut.
This slow cooker sweet potato casserole version is just as easy as my 5-ingredient Crock Pot scalloped potatoes. And yes, I do love to dual-wield slow cookers on Thanksgiving day so I can keep my oven open as best as possible for that juicy turkey!
It’s a basic sweet potato casserole with three parts: canned yams on the bottom, a pecan crumble on top, and marshmallows over all of it. The smell of brown sugar and cinnamon filling the kitchen is one of the best parts of making it, isn’t it? It always takes me right back to Thanksgiving at home with my mom.
The key is getting a buttery, clumpy pecan topping that still has some crunch when you scoop it instead of going soft under the lid. That’s why I add it right at the start, so the butter and brown sugar melt into a sticky glaze over the pecans. The marshmallows don’t go on until the last hour, which keeps them soft and gooey without turning to mush. If you’re more of a pecan person, like my husband Ben, you can skip the marshmallows completely or swap in walnuts for a different crunch. It’s all about when each layer goes in.
This is a great recipe for beginner cooks or for when making my stovetop candied sweet potatoes or a sweet potato casserole with pineapple feels like too much work. And though it’s a Thanksgiving must for me, it’s just as easy to bring to potlucks, Friendsgiving, Christmas dinner, and Easter, since it travels and stays warm right in the slow cooker.
Table of Contents
Testing notes
The key to a successful creamy crock pot sweet potato casserole is to get the canned yams to get creamy and buttery while keeping the pecans crunchy all in the same scoop.
Canned yam prep: Drain the canned yams well, because leftover syrup makes the casserole watery. Then mash them until they’re mostly smooth for a creamy base.
Salted or unsalted butter: Salted and unsalted butter taste almost the same here, so this recipe uses salted butter with no extra salt. If you only have unsalted, add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the sweet potato mixture.
Brown sugar matters: Light brown sugar gives the base a caramelized flavor that tastes just like the baked version. Granulated sugar tastes flat in comparison, and dark brown sugar can make it too deep and rich.
Just one egg: One egg sets the casserole so it’s scoopable instead of runny. Adding more makes it firmer and turns it into something closer to sweet potato pie.
Keeping the topping crunchy: Add the pecan topping when you start the slow cooker so the butter and brown sugar melt into a sticky glaze. Steam dripping off the lid can make the pecans soggy, so stretch a clean kitchen towel over the crock under the lid and fold the ends up on top. That crunch against the creamy sweet potatoes is what makes this casserole so good!
Marshmallows: Add them in the last hour so they soften without turning to mush. A slow cooker heats from the sides and bottom, so they won’t brown on top. Use a kitchen torch or transfer the entire casserole into an oven-safe dish and broil it for a few minutes if you want that toasted look. If you skip the marshmallows, double or even triple the pecan topping instead.
Crock pot size and cook time: A 7-quart slow cooker works perfectly, cooking on low for 3 to 4 hours until the edges are set and the center no longer looks wet. If your crock pot is smaller than 6 quarts, halve the recipe and keep the timing the same. You can double the recipe in a 7-quart, but the sweet potato layer will be deeper with less room for toppings, so add an extra hour of cook time.
Make-ahead: Mix the sweet potato base a day or two ahead, spread it in the crock insert, and keep it covered in the fridge. Hold off on the pecan topping until right before you start cooking, because it soaks up moisture and gets soggy if it sits. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The topping softens in the fridge, so it’s at its crunchiest the day you make it.
Keeping it warm and travel: If it’s done before dinner, switch the slow cooker to warm and serve it within 1 to 2 hours. After that, the base starts to lose its creaminess and the marshmallows begin to break down. To bring it somewhere, cook it at home, keep the lid on for the drive, and plug it in on warm when you get there.
Types of sweet potatoes to use
Depending on whether you use canned yams or fresh sweet potatoes, you can skip a lot of peeling and boiling for this casserole. I’m partial to canned yams, but some people like starting with fresh, and the casserole works either way.
Canned yams: For me, they’re the best option, and I use them every time. They’re already cooked and soft, so there’s no peeling or boiling, and they mash up creamy in just a couple of minutes. I use a 40-ounce can of Bruce’s cut yams in syrup, and draining them well keeps the casserole from turning watery.
Other options
- Fresh sweet potatoes: If you go this route, you’ll need 4 to 5 medium sweet potatoes to replace one 40-ounce can. Peel, cube, and boil them until fork-tender, then drain and mash before mixing in everything else.
- Canned sweet potatoes: Most “yams” in U.S. stores are actually sweet potatoes, so canned sweet potatoes work the same as canned yams here. True yams have white flesh and rough skin, and they cook up starchier and less sweet.
How to make a Crockpot sweet potato casserole
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Pecan Crumble Topping
Make the topping
This is a simple topping made with everyday ingredients: brown sugar, butter, flour, and chopped pecans. I like using melted butter because it’s quicker, and the brown sugar sticks to every pecan. The flour helps it clump into a crumble instead of turning into a paste.
Stir everything together until it forms crumbles. If you’re skipping the marshmallows, double or even triple the topping so you still get crunch in every scoop. Walnuts work great in place of pecans if that’s what you have.
How to layer the casserole
Spraying the slow cooker insert with cooking spray before you add anything makes cleanup so much easier, since the edges of the casserole set up and can stick to the sides. You can also use a slow cooker liner if you’d rather skip scrubbing the crock altogether.
Sweet potato layer
Drain the canned yams well and mash them until mostly smooth. Stir in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and cinnamon, then spread the mixture evenly in the greased slow cooker.
Pecan topping
Sprinkle the pecan topping evenly over the sweet potatoes right before you start cooking.
Stretch a clean kitchen towel over the crock, set the lid on top, and fold the towel ends up over the lid so they stay away from the base.
Slow cooking and marshmallows
Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. When the edges are set and the center no longer looks wet, it’s done.
Add the marshmallows in the last hour so they soften without turning to mush. If you want them toasted, brown them with a kitchen torch right before serving.
More easy recipes for your Thanksgiving menu
- Spiral ham in the Crock Pot
- Boneless turkey breast
- Velveeta macaroni and cheese in the Crock Pot
- Green bean casserole with canned green beans
- Sage and sausage stuffing
- Sweet potato cornbread
- Pecan pie without corn syrup
Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams
Equipment
- Clean towel
- butane torch lighter optional
Ingredients
Sweet potato base
- 40 ounces canned yams, drained, (I use Bruce's cut yams in syrup)
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pecan crumble topping
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons flour
Marshmallow topping
- 8 ounces mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 7-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
Make the sweet potato base
- Drain the canned yams well and add them to a large bowl. Mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until mostly smooth.40 ounces canned yams
- Add the salted butter, light brown sugar, 1 large egg, and ground cinnamon. Mix well, then spread the mixture evenly in the slow cooker.1/4 cup salted butter, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Make the pecan crumble topping
- In a small bowl, combine the light brown sugar, chopped pecans, butter, and all-purpose flour. Stir until it forms crumbles.6 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1/3 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup salted butter, 2 tablespoons flour
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes.
Slow cook the casserole
- Stretch a clean kitchen towel over the crock, set the lid on top, and fold the towel ends up over the lid so they stay away from the base. This keeps the pecans from getting soggy.
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the edges are set and the center no longer looks wet.
- In the last hour, sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the top, then cover again with the towel and lid so they soften without turning to mush.8 ounces mini marshmallows
- Serve warm right from the slow cooker!
Notes
Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
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