Expert tips for making an easy sweet potato casserole

“A crazy sweet potato dish with a marshmallow gratin!” is how author Beth Le Manach’s husband describes a beloved Thanksgiving side in “Entertaining 101: 101 Recipes Every Host Should Know How to Make”(Le Manach Media, LLC, 2025) .

The book offers recipes and expert tips for appetizers, brunch, main entrees and cocktails. In one chapter, Le Manach offers specific menu plans by holiday or seasonal party, such as an entire Thanksgiving feast with every step starting two days prior to the day of.

With nearly every dish on a Thanksgiving table being on the savory side, this sweet one balances them out all by itself.

Canned or fresh sweet potatoes — which are better?

We won’t have to debate this one; in Le Manach’s cookbook, she explains why she uses canned Princella sweet potatoes in syrup.

“I have tried to make this dish with fresh sweet potatoes, only to have the most disappointing results! But my own mother warned me: It only works with canned sweet potatoes. (The Princella brand sold at nearly every American supermarket does the trick!).”

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Is sweet potato casserole a side or dessert?

Along with the friendly debate whether dishes should be called dressing versus stuffing or potato gratin versus scalloped potato, add this one to keep your discussions sweet and light: Is sweet potato casserole a side or dessert?

Since it’s served during the meal and not at the end, there’s no question it’s a side dish, no matter the sugar content.

How to make sweet potato casserole in advance

Le Manach shares a game plan for how to make this recipe one day ahead. She follows the instructions up until the marshmallows are to be added. Then, she covers the casserole with foil and refrigerates it. When she is ready to reheat, she keeps the foil on, and bakes at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until hot, then adds the marshmallows.

Marshmallow tip for the sweet potato dish

Le Manach keeps extra marshmallows on hand in case the first batch burns. Just scrape them off and redo step 5 of the instructions; nobody will know the difference.

How many times can you say you were able to wipe the canvas and start over?

Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 4 40-ounce (1.13 kg) cans Princella sweet potatoes in syrup
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) salted butter
• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
• 1 10-ounce (283 g) bag mini marshmallows

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. Transfer 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of syrup from each can of sweet potatoes (8 tablespoons/120 ml total) into a large Dutch oven. Drain the sweet potatoes and then add them to the pot.
3. Set over medium-low heat. Add the butter and mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. The longer the sweet potatoes heat in the Dutch oven, the more the lumps will soften. Add the heavy cream, nutmeg and salt. Continue to beat until most of the lumps disappear. (They will also soften and dissolve while baking, so don’t feel you need to get rid of all of them at this stage.)
4. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch oven-safe casserole dish. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the casserole is hot throughout.
5. Top with an even layer of marshmallows and place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t walk away; the marshmallows will burn quickly! If they do burn, simply scrape them off and add a fresh layer.