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Sweet and creamy Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole, topped with a cinnamon spiced pecan crumble! Save precious cooking space by making this holiday side dish completely in the slow cooker.
Love sweet potatoes?! Try our Classic Sweet Potato Casserole, Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Sweet Potato Pie next!
Holiday-Ready Sweet Potato Casserole (No Oven Needed!)
This slow cooker sweet potato casserole is my little kitchen secret for a hands-off, crowd-pleasing holiday side dish that saves space in the oven (a true MVP move!).
It’s packed with tender sweet potatoes, a hint of cinnamon, and topped with a crunchy pecan crumble that I can’t resist sneaking little bits of. Whether it’s a cozy weeknight or a festive holiday spread, this casserole has that sweet-meets-savory charm that keeps everyone coming back for seconds.
And the best part? The slow cooker does most of the work, letting me focus on everything else…or maybe just sit back with a cup of coffee.
Why You Will Love This REcipe
- Slow Cooker: this allows you to save precious cooking space if needed when cooking a large holiday meal.
- Flavor: butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavored mashed sweet potatoes.
- Texture: the combination of creamy mashed sweet potatoes with the crunch of pecans on top.
- Decadence: sweet potato casserole has all the flavors and sweetness of a dessert that gets served as a side alongside the main meal.
Ingredients Needed
- Sweet Potatoes: start with whole sweet potatoes, then peel and chop them.
- Light Brown Sugar: adds sweetness and a depth of flavor, if you want more of a molasses flavoring you can substitute with dark brown sugar.
- Milk: use your milk of choice, dairy free options will work in this recipe.
- Eggs: these are used as a binder in this recipe to give structure and texture to the mashed potatoes.
- Butter: Makes our potatoes smooth and creamy.
- Pecans: For a bit of crunch on top. If needed you can omit the nuts and just make a brown sugar crumble for the top.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Vanilla: Gives warmth and flavoring.
How to Make Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole step-by-step
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Chop to a consistent size to help cook evenly. Add some water and cook the sweet potatoes until they are fork tender in the slow cooker.
- Strain the potatoes to remove the excess water. Return the potatoes to the slow cooker.
- Add the butter, milk, eggs, spices, and sugar to the sweet potatoes and mash until smooth and creamy.
- Smooth out the top of the sweet potatoes.
- Add the pecan topping and let cook in the slow cooker for an additional 30 minutes.
Variations
- Marshmallow Topping: you can leave off the pecan topping. Bake the casserole as directed in the recipe, then once it’s done, turn the heat off, top with marshmallows, put the lid on and let the remaining heat melt the marshmallows and serve once they are melted.
- Roasted Potatoes: want to amp up the caramelized flavor of the sweet potato? Roast them in the oven instead of doing the first cook with water in the slow cooker, then add to the slow cooker to continue cooking.
- Additions: want to add to the flavors? Simply add your favorites to this dish. Some ideas: maple syrup, vanilla, bourbon, ginger, fresh herbs.
FAQs
Eggs act as a binder, it enriches and provides structure to the casserole. Without the egg you will have more of a sweet potato mash instead of a casserole.
This particular recipe is made completely in the slow cooker to save precious cooking space in the oven and stovetop on holidays, so instead of baking our sweet potatoes we are cooking them in some liquid. Be sure to drain the excess liquid before adding the other ingredients to mash.
Yes, the casserole thickens up as it is allowed to cool.
More Holiday Side Dishes:
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potato about 3 large sweet potatoes
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
Topping
- 1 cup pecan halves roughly chopped
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Add to slow cooker with the 1 cup of water. Cook on high heat for 3 hours until the sweet potatoes are softened.
- Strain the potatoes to remove excess water, then return the potatoes to the slow cooker.
- Add the light brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, eggs, and whole milk. Mash the potatoes and mix with all the ingredients until smooth.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the ingredients for the topping. Stir to combine. Spoon onto the top of the sweet potatoes. Cover and continue cooking on high for another 30 minutes.
- Prop the lid slightly open and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes to help firm up the crumb topping.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes to help set and thicken.
Video
Notes
- Sweet Potatoes: start with whole sweet potatoes, then peel and chop them.
- Light Brown Sugar: adds sweetness and a depth of flavor, if you want more of a molasses flavoring you can substitute with dark brown sugar.
- Milk: use your milk of choice, dairy free options will work in this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published October 20, 2016.
Can this be doubled? I know some recipes aren’t good doubled.
Hi Lori, yes it can! Just be sure your slow cooker can hold the amount, and it may need to cook longer to soften the potatoes enough.