Yam Casserole – Creamy yams with fall spices and crunchy, buttery pecans create a decadent Southern classic! Delight your family with the perfect balance of crunchy, creamy, and sweet in every forkful. It’s a holiday staple you’ll want to make all year long!
Baked yam casserole has been a staple on my holiday table for many years. I learned how to make it soon after moving to the States. And now it’s a family-friendly dish that’s always the star of the holiday table.
However, a few years ago, my guys started craving this Southern specialty more often. And, of course, I was happy to oblige! It’s comforting and delicious, making any meal a smashing success. And it also happens to be super affordable and lightning-fast to put together!
Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams
What’s the difference, you might ask? I understand it can be confusing. In the United States, yams and sweet potatoes are often used interchangeably for sweet potatoes. So yam casserole and sweet potato casserole are the same thing.
However, true yams (Dioscorea) are quite different from sweet potatoes. They’re dry and starchy with rough skin, comparable to regular potatoes. If you’re worried about confusing them, scratch the surface with your fingernail. True yams are usually white inside, while sweet potato yams are generally orange.
Recipe Ingredients
- Yams – The superstar of this side dish, yams (sweet potatoes) have a smooth texture and gorgeous orange flesh. The yellow and lighter-colored sweet potatoes also work fine.
- Butter adds a rich flavor and creates a lovely caramelly sauce when combined with the sugar.
- Brown Sugar – Provides a touch of sweetness and a beautiful amber color. You can reduce the amount of sugar if you prefer your casserole more savory than sweet.
- Maple Syrup – You can’t beat pure maple syrup’s earthy, woody flavors! However, if you don’t have maple syrup, you can substitute it with corn syrup or honey.
- Flavorings – Cinnamon and cloves give this casserole its warm, fall flavors. And vanilla extract adds an extra touch of coziness.
- Pecans top things off with texture, crunch, and nuttiness.
How to Make Yam Casserole
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Wash, peel, and dice the sweet potatoes into ¾-inch cubes or bite-size chunks. Place the sweet potato cubes in the prepared casserole dish. (Photo 1)
- Mix – In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the butter melts, then stir well. (Photos 2-3)
- Assemble – Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes in the casserole dish, add vanilla, and stir to coat. (Photo 4)
- Cook – Cover the casserole pan with aluminum foil, transfer it to the oven, and roast for 30 minutes. (Photo 5)
- Chop – While the sweet potatoes are roasting, roughly chop the pecans. After your casserole has baked for 30 minutes, add the chopped pecans. Give everything a good stir, then roast for an additional 15-20 minutes uncovered until the sweet potatoes are very soft and the liquid in the casserole dish has reduced to a sticky candy coating. (Photo 6)
- Serve hot, and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Nut Swap: No pecans on hand? You can use any of your favorite nuts, such as walnuts, cashews, almonds, or pistachios.
- Casserole Add-Ins: Customize your casserole by throwing a handful of raisins in with your spices. Or top the casserole with mini marshmallows or grated coconut for the coconut lovers in your family!
- Go Citrusy: Add a splash of orange juice and zest to the yams with the pecans for a burst of freshness.
- Go Savory: You can reduce the amount of sugar and sprinkle course sea salt on top if you prefer savory over sweet. Additionally, you can snip some fresh rosemary and sprinkle it on top of the casserole for a fresh, herbal note.
- Cooked Sweet Potatoes: I love making extra mashed sweet potatoes and using them for the filling. Mix the filling ingredients, replacing the fresh sweet potatoes with mashed ones, and top them with pecans. Bake it for 20-30 minutes until nice and hot.
Tips and Tricks
- Look for small or medium-sized sweet potatoes to get the ultimate creamy casserole. They should be firm and have smooth skin without any soft spots.
- No time to chop the pecans? Just throw them in the food processor and blitz them! It’ll save time, and the pecan pieces will be smaller and more uniform.
- If you refrigerate the unbaked casserole, take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Room-temperature casseroles cook more evenly.
Make-Ahead Instructions
When planning a holiday feast, I prepare the yams a day or two before. You can wash, cut, and keep them in the fridge until needed. Or you can prepare and assemble the casserole and keep it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. When ready to bake, allow it to come to room temperature and follow the baking instructions.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Yam casserole is super delicious fresh from the oven! Serve it as a side dish, or top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
And leftover casserole stores beautifully in the fridge for four days covered in plastic wrap. And you can freeze it for up to four months.
Reheat leftover yam casserole in a baking dish in the oven for approximately 20 minutes at 325℉/160℃. Or you can reheat smaller portions in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
FAQs
You can, although you may want to reduce the amount of sugar since canned yams tend to be sweet. Assemble the filling but skip the initial 30-minute baking. Top it with the pecans and bake until the pecans are toasty, 20-30 minutes.
This one is! It has no flour, and the ingredients are all naturally gluten-free.
Some yams may be stringy at times due to growing conditions. If that happens to you, try boiling them a little before making the casserole. That should soften the fibers for less stringy sweet potatoes.
What to Serve With Yam Casserole
Pairing this casserole with baked spatchcock turkey, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole creates a showstopping holiday feast. No holidays on the horizon? This scrumptious casserole can be served with baked chicken leg quarters or breaded pork chops any night of the week.
More Tasty Sweet Potato Recipes to Try
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Easy Sweet Potato Souffle
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Delicious Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Cajun Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Conclusion
This easy-as-can-be yam casserole is a welcome addition to the dinner table any night of the year! Are you hungry for more simple side dish recipes? Follow me on Instagram to get new ideas each week!
Watch How to Make It
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Yam Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (1.3k) sweet potatoes
- 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (53g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Wash, peel, and dice the yams or sweet potatoes into ¾-inch cubes or bite-size chunks. Place the sweet potato cubes in the prepared casserole dish.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds, until the butter melts, then stir well.
- Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes in the casserole dish, add vanilla, and stir to coat.
- Cover the casserole pan with aluminum foil, transfer it to the oven, and roast for 30 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, roughly chop the pecans. After baking it for 30 minutes, add the chopped pecans, give everything a good stir, and roast for 15-20 minutes more uncovered. The sweet potatoes will be soft, and the liquid in the casserole dish will reduce to a sticky candy coating.
- Serve hot, and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Look for small or medium-sized sweet potatoes to get the ultimate creamy casserole. They should be firm and have smooth skin without any soft spots.
- No time to chop the pecans? Just throw them in the food processor and blitz them! It’ll save time, and the pecan pieces will be smaller and more uniform.
- If you refrigerate the unbaked casserole, take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking. Room-temperature casseroles cook more evenly.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
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