This lighter sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is made with golden raisins, crushed pineapple, and warm spices, topped with pecans and mini marshmallows.
Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This is my lightened-up, classic sweet potato casserole sweetened naturally with pineapple and golden raisins. I’ll admit, for a long time, I never understood the whole marshmallow-topping thing. I was always more partial to my Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping or a cheesy Sweet Potato Gratin. But after making this recipe, I totally get it! This sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is the perfect mix of sweet and savory, and the colors and textures are just beautiful.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Casserole
This easy sweet potato and marshmallow casserole recipe will make a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving side dishes along with Cranberry Pear Sauce, Green Bean Casserole, and Brussels Sprouts Gratin. Here’s what makes this version so special.
- A classic, made lighter. This sweet potato casserole uses crushed pineapples, honey, and golden raisins for added sweetness instead of refined sugar.
- Dairy-free and gluten-free. There’s no milk, butter, eggs, or flour in this recipe, making it a perfect dairy-free, gluten-free side dish option for holiday dinners.
- Satisfying contrasts. The combination of fluffy mashed sweet potatoes, seasonal spices, and pillowy, gooey toasted marshmallows is satisfying and so comforting. I also couldn’t resist adding crushed pecans for extra crunch!
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are the ingredients needed to make a warm and comforting sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes: I use about 5 medium-sized sweet potatoes. You can boil or bake the sweet potatoes before you mash them.
- Golden raisins and unsweetened crushed pineapple are a lighter way to sweeten the casserole while creating a lovely texture in the sweet potato mash.
- Added sweetener: This can be 1 teaspoon agave, honey, maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, to boost the warm, seasonal flavors. You could also use pumpkin pie spice.
- Chopped pecans and mini marshmallows for the casserole topping.
How To Make Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Here are the simple steps to make a sweet potato casserole that the whole holiday table will swoon over. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Cook the sweet potatoes. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into large chunks. Then, boil the potatoes in a pot with water until fork-tender. Afterward, drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Alternatively, you can bake the sweet potatoes in the oven or make Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or hand mixer until they’re fluffy and smooth. Fold in the raisins, agave (or your choice of sweetener), spices, and pineapple.
- Assemble the casserole by spraying a round baking dish (pie, casserole, or ramekins) with oil. Fill the dish with the sweet potato mixture, then top the sweet potatoes with marshmallows and pecans.
- Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Smooth, lump-free potatoes: Mash the sweet potatoes while they’re hot so they’re light and fluffy, not lumpy and gluey.
- For extra richness: There’s no butter needed for this recipe, but if you want to add some, stir in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter into the sweet potato mash mixture.
- Substitute the marshmallows: If you want to omit the marshmallows, make a sweet potato casserole with pecans by adding more chopped nuts mixed with some brown sugar. You can also skip the nuts and marshmallows altogether and make a broiled sugar topping as I do in my Mashed Sweet Potatoes Brulée recipe.
- Make single servings: Try my Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows for a personal-sized version inspired by this recipe.
- Flavorings: Add a dash of vanilla extract, or try adding bourbon for more depth of flavor.
What to Serve With Sweet Potato Casserole
The sweetness of this casserole pairs perfectly with any of the savory serving suggestions below.
Holiday Mains
Sweet potato marshmallow casserole is a favorite holiday side dish at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
Vegetable Side Dishes
Try one or more of these easy veggie dishes to round out the meal.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate leftover sweet potato casserole for up to 3-4 days. Store the cooled casserole in an airtight container. I don’t recommend sweet potato casserole for freezing since the texture won’t be the same after it’s thawed.
- To reheat, warm the casserole in the oven or reheat individual servings in the microwave until they’re hot throughout.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- Pie Dish
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes, about 5 medium, peeled
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 tsp agave, or honey, brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch allspice
- 8 oz can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 tbsp chopped pecans
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Cut sweet potatoes into large chunks; boil potatoes in a large pot covered with water until potatoes are soft if pierced with a fork. Drain and return to the pot.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Mash the sweet potatoes and add in raisins, agave, spices and pineapple.
- Lightly spray a pie dish, casserole dish or even individual ramekins with oil, spoon in sweet potatoes.
- Sprinkle with pecans and marshmallows.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
