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Southern Sweet Potato Pudding with Pecan Crumble – The Ultimate Holiday Delight

Prepare to elevate your holiday dinner table with a true Southern classic: our irresistibly rich and creamy Sweet Potato Pudding. This isn’t just a side dish; it’s a cherished tradition, a culinary masterpiece that perfectly encapsulates the warmth and joy of festive gatherings. Imagine smooth, earthy sweet potatoes, blended to perfection with evaporated milk and eggs, then crowned with a glorious, nutty brown sugar pecan crumble. Baked until golden, crisp, and bubbling, every spoonful offers a symphony of flavors and textures. It’s everything you adore about Thanksgiving and Christmas, beautifully baked into one incredible, unforgettable dish.

Sweet potato pudding in a casserole dish — A golden-baked Southern Sweet Potato Pudding, ready for your holiday table.

What Makes This Sweet Potato Pudding Recipe Truly Exceptional

While holiday main courses like turkey or ham hold a special place, it’s often the cherished side dishes and decadent desserts that truly steal the show. Our Southern Sweet Potato Pudding is guaranteed to be that star. Set this creamy, crunchy delight on your table and watch it vanish almost instantly!

A Holiday Showstopper: Forget the ordinary sweet potato casserole; this pudding takes things to an entirely new level. Its deep, complex flavors and luxurious texture make it a dessert-like side dish that guests will rave about long after the holidays are over.
Unforgettable Flavors and Textures: This recipe delivers an incredible sensory experience. The base is a rich, velvety-smooth sweet potato custard, offering a comforting sweetness. This is perfectly complemented by the crisp, buttery, and nutty brown sugar pecan crumble topping, adding a delightful crunch with every bite.
Versatile Presentation: Beyond a single large casserole, this pudding can be elegantly portioned into individual ramekins. This makes for a more refined and personalized presentation, perfect for a fancier holiday meal or special occasion. Simply divide the sweet potato mixture into individual ramekins, top with the pecan crumble, and bake until golden.
Effortless Elegance: Despite its gourmet appeal, this recipe is surprisingly straightforward to prepare. With clear steps and common ingredients, even novice bakers can achieve a showstopping result that looks and tastes incredibly impressive.

Why Southern Sweet Potato Pudding is the Ultimate Holiday Side

Sweet potatoes have been a cornerstone of Southern cuisine for generations, especially during the fall and winter holidays. This pudding isn’t just food; it’s a taste of tradition, a warm embrace of comfort, and a celebration of seasonal bounty. It strikes a perfect balance between a hearty side dish and a decadent dessert, making it an ideal accompaniment to savory holiday meats while also satisfying any sweet cravings. Rich in vitamins and fiber, sweet potatoes offer a naturally wholesome base, transformed into an indulgent treat that everyone will love.

Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special gathering, this sweet potato pudding offers a unique blend of sweet, earthy, and nutty notes that resonate with the festive spirit. It’s a dish that brings families together, evoking cherished memories and creating new ones. Its vibrant color and irresistible aroma will make it a focal point on any holiday spread, inviting everyone to indulge in a truly heartwarming culinary experience.

Key Ingredients for Sweet Potato Pudding Perfection

Crafting the perfect sweet potato pudding starts with understanding the role of each ingredient. Here’s a closer look at the stars of this recipe:

Sweet Potatoes: The heart of our pudding! While fresh sweet potatoes are highly recommended for their superior flavor and texture, offering a deeper, more authentic taste, you can opt for canned sweet potatoes if you’re looking to save time and effort. If using canned, ensure they are packed in water, not syrup, to avoid altering the sweetness balance of the recipe. For fresh sweet potatoes, look for firm, unblemished tubers. Approximately 2 pounds will yield about 4 large or 5-6 medium sweet potatoes, which is ideal for this recipe.

Pecans: A true Southern staple, pecans are the unsung heroes of the topping, delivering an irresistible crunch and a distinct nutty flavor that beautifully complements the sweet potato base. Toasting your pecans lightly before chopping can further enhance their aroma and taste. If you or your guests have nut allergies or simply prefer a nut-free option, feel free to omit them. The brown sugar crumble will still provide a delicious texture and sweetness on its own, or you can substitute with toasted oats for a different kind of crunch.

Evaporated Milk: This is the secret to the pudding’s incredibly rich and creamy texture. Evaporated milk is thicker and more concentrated than regular milk because about 60% of its water content has been removed. This results in a velvety consistency and a subtly caramelized flavor that enriches the pudding significantly. It is crucial not to confuse it with condensed milk, which is much sweeter. If you don’t have evaporated milk on hand, you can easily make your own: simmer 2 cups of regular milk over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to about 1 cup. This simple trick ensures you always have this key ingredient ready.

Eggs: Eggs act as a crucial binder, giving the pudding its characteristic custardy texture and helping it set beautifully. They also contribute to the overall richness and golden hue. Using large eggs is standard for this recipe, ensuring the right balance of moisture and structure.

Sugar: A combination of brown sugar in the crumble and granulated sugar in the pudding provides balanced sweetness. Adjust to your preference, or use alternatives like Brown Swerve or coconut sugar for a different flavor profile or dietary need.

Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla brightens all the flavors, adding a comforting aroma and depth to the sweet potato mixture.

Chef’s Tips for a Flawless Sweet Potato Pudding

Achieving sweet potato pudding perfection is within reach with these expert tips:

Enhance the Flavor Profile: For an even deeper, more complex flavor, consider incorporating warm spices into both the sweet potato mixture and the crumble topping. A pinch of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or a ready-made pumpkin pie spice blend can truly elevate the pudding, infusing it with comforting holiday aromas. Start with half a teaspoon and adjust to your taste.
Prevent Over-Browning: If you notice the brown sugar pecan topping browning too quickly during baking, simply cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil. This will protect the topping from burning while allowing the pudding underneath to cook through evenly. Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes if you desire extra crispness.
Achieve the Perfect Sweet Potato Texture: Ensure your sweet potatoes are cooked until very tender before mashing. They should be easily pierced with a fork. Overcooking them slightly is better than undercooking, as raw bits will lead to a lumpy pudding. For the smoothest consistency, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to thoroughly mash and combine the sweet potatoes with the other wet ingredients. Avoid overmixing once eggs are added, however, to prevent a tough texture.
Room Temperature Ingredients: For a seamlessly smooth pudding batter, ensure your eggs and evaporated milk are at room temperature. This helps them incorporate more uniformly into the sweet potato mixture, preventing curdling and resulting in a more cohesive and creamy final product.
Don’t Skimp on Butter: For the most delicious crumble, use cold, cubed butter. This allows you to cut the butter into the dry ingredients effectively, creating pockets of butter that melt and steam during baking, resulting in that wonderfully crisp and crumbly texture.

Overhead view of sweet potato pudding in a casserole dish — A delicious sweet potato pudding with a golden pecan crumble.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

Planning for holiday meals can be hectic, but this sweet potato pudding can be prepared in advance to ease your workload:

Make-Ahead: Prepare the sweet potato pudding mixture up to 2 days in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator. You can also prepare the pecan crumble topping and store it separately in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to bake, pour the pudding mixture into your greased baking dish, sprinkle with the cold crumble, and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time if starting from cold.
Storage: Leftover sweet potato pudding should be covered tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerated. It will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing: This pudding freezes beautifully! Once baked and completely cooled, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. To reheat from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 325°F (160°C) until heated through, about 20-30 minutes, covering loosely with foil if the topping starts to brown too much.
Reheating: For best results, reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) until warmed through.

Serving Suggestions and Delicious Variations

This Southern Sweet Potato Pudding is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed in many ways, both as a side and a dessert:

Classic Serving: Serve it warm directly from the oven. The contrast between the hot, creamy pudding and the crisp, sweet topping is simply divine.
Dessert Delight: For an extra special treat, serve individual portions with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, a dollop of fresh whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Spice It Up: Don’t hesitate to add extra warmth to your pudding. A generous dash of ground ginger, a pinch of cloves, or even a hint of cardamom can add wonderful depth to the sweet potato base.
Bourbon or Rum Infusion: For an adult twist, a tablespoon or two of bourbon or dark rum added to the sweet potato mixture will introduce a sophisticated warmth and complexity that pairs beautifully with the sweet potatoes and pecans.
Marshmallow Topping: If you prefer a classic sweet potato casserole style, replace the pecan crumble with a layer of mini marshmallows during the last 10-15 minutes of baking, or until they are golden brown and gooey.
Nut-Free Crumble: As mentioned, you can easily make this nut-free by omitting the pecans from the topping. The brown sugar and butter crumble alone is incredibly delicious, or you can add toasted shredded coconut for a tropical twist.

Sweet Potato Pudding

Prep:

15 minutes

Cook:

1 hour

Total:

1 hour 15 minutes

Classically Southern sweet potato pudding is a must-have for your holiday dinner table. Rich, earthy sweet potatoes mixed with evaporated milk and eggs until creamy, then topped with a nutty brown sugar pecan crumble and baked until crisp and hot. This is everything you love about Thanksgiving baked into one incredible dish!

Cheryl Malik

Print Recipe

8 servings

Ingredients

For the Topping

⅓ cup all-purpose flour (see Notes for Gluten-Free option)
⅓ cup brown sugar (or Brown Swerve or coconut sugar)
3 tablespoons cold butter (cubed, see Notes for Dairy-Free option)
½ cup chopped pecans

For the Sweet Potato Pudding

2 pounds sweet potatoes (rinsed, peeled, and diced into even 1″ chunks; see Notes)
1 cup evaporated milk (see Notes for Dairy-Free option or homemade instructions)
½ cup sugar (or granular Swerve or coconut sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Equipment

Medium bowl
Fork
Large pot
Colander
Large bowl
Hand mixer or stand mixer
2-quart baking dish, greased

Instructions

For the Topping

Place all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cold butter cubes, and chopped pecans in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mix and mash the mixture until crumbled, similar to a streusel topping. Place the mixture in the fridge until ready to bake.

For the Sweet Potato Pudding

Add diced sweet potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil over high heat and boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with the tines of a fork. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175°C).
Drain the sweet potatoes thoroughly, then transfer them to a large bowl. Add evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix ingredients together until just combined and smooth.
Add eggs, one at a time, to the sweet potato mixture, mixing gently after each egg until just combined. Repeat until all eggs have been incorporated into the mixture. Avoid overmixing.
Transfer the sweet potato mixture into your greased 2-quart baking dish. Top evenly with the cold brown sugar pecan mixture, spreading it out into one consistent layer.
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the topping is beautifully crisp and crunchy, and the pudding is set. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Sweet Potatoes: The quantity of sweet potatoes may vary based on their size. Two pounds typically equate to about 4 large or 5-6 medium sweet potatoes. Ensure they are well cooked for a smooth pudding.
Make it Gluten-Free: Easily adapt this recipe by substituting regular all-purpose flour with a high-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
Make it Dairy-Free: For a dairy-free version, use full-fat coconut milk (from a can) as a substitute for evaporated milk and dairy-free butter in both the pudding and the crumble.
Homemade Evaporated Milk: If you don’t have evaporated milk, you can make it at home. Simmer 2 cups of regular milk (whole or 2%) over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to approximately 1 cup.

Recipe yields approximately 8 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the precise weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed, weigh the finished dish (excluding the container), and divide by 8.

Nutrition Information

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

You’ll Love These Holiday Recipes Too!

Looking for more delicious dishes to complete your festive spread? Explore these other popular holiday recipes:

Keto Cranberry Sauce
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Italian Green Beans
50+ Keto Thanksgiving Recipes
Instant Pot Turkey Stock

We hope this Southern Sweet Potato Pudding becomes a cherished part of your holiday traditions for years to come. Its comforting flavors and delightful textures are sure to bring smiles to everyone around your table. Don’t forget to leave us a review below if you loved this recipe as much as we did!

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