Sweet Potato Puree is a staple on many Thanksgiving dinner tables. I grew up with the classic roasted sweet potatoes with marshmallows melted on top. As a kid, it always looked enticing, but I was never really a fan. So as an adult I always let someone else bring the sweet potatoes. That was until about 15 years ago.
Many years ago my college friends and I started celebrating Thanksgiving together. We would come together with a week or so before the holiday and do our own pot-luck dinner. Everyone brought something and it was always so fun to taste other people’s version of the Thanksgiving classics that we all loved and wanted.
One year, my friend Kristine brought sweet potatoes and I just skipped over them because historically I wasn’t a fan. She stopped me and said you have to try them, they’re so good! I reluctantly took a small helping. Well, she was right! They were delicious, creamy, sweet, and not what I expected. I actually liked them very much. So that is how this recipe was born. I’ve changed it slightly from her recipe, but it remains very true to the original.
How to make Sweet Potato Puree
You’ll start by peeling fresh sweet potatoes, and chop them into cubes. Boil them for about 15 minutes until they are fork-tender and let cool slightly in a large bowl. Then you will add milk, eggs, butter, and spices to the sweet potatoes and mix until creamy. Pour into a baking dish and then add the pecan topping.
What’s in the Pecan topping?
This pecan topping is so easy to make and it’s really what makes this sweet potato puree so so good. Mix softened butter, original Special K cereal, brown sugar, and chopped pecans together and sprinkle over the top of the pureed sweet potatoes and bake until golden brown and crispy.
Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams
Do you know the difference? Because they are in fact different. Growing up, my mom always called the side dish covered in marshmallows at Thanksgiving, Yams. But I know they most definitely were not. The confusion makes sense because American grocery stores use the names interchangeably. A sign for Yams can oftentimes be found over a mountain of sweet potatoes. Don’t be fooled! If you are looking for Yams they are probably not at Ralph’s or Vons!
Yams (pictured below on the left) are usually white inside and have the texture of a regular white potato. The skin is also bumpy, tough, and brown- kind of like a tree trunk. Authentic yams are also not easily available to buy in your local grocery stores.
Sweet Potatoes, (pictured below on the right)on the other hand are readily available and easy to find, especially in the fall months. Their reddish-brown skin is recognizable as is the soft orange flesh inside. You most commonly find them served up with marshmallows melted on top at Thanksgiving or cut into strips served like French fries.
Sweet Potato Puree
Sweet potatoes are whipped together with brown sugar and spices then finished with a crunchy pecan topping. This side dish is a must-have at your next holiday dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh sweet potatoes. Peeled & Chopped then boil until fork tender.
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Cup of Eagle brand canned milk
- 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 cup Special K cereal
- 1/2 Cup brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp. Soften butter
- 1/2 Cup chopped pecans
- Chopped dates (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease a square glass baking dish with butter.
3. Peel & chop sweet potatoes.
4. Add sweet potatoes to a large pot. Fill with water until potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 min.
5. Drain Potatoes in a colander. Let cool slightly then add to a medium-sized bowl.
6. Add remaining ingredients to sweet potatoes. With an electric hand-mixer beat on low until smooth.
7. Poor sweet potato mixture into greased dish.
8. Combine all toppings in a bowl.
9. Spread across the top of sweet potatoes.
10. Bake potatoes uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and topping are golden brown.
Notes
- Fresh vs Canned? This recipe calls for fresh sweet potatoes, but if you cannot find them or they are not accessible to you, try using canned sweet potatoes! They are a good substitute. You won't need to boil them first so just skip that step in the instructions.
- Be sure to get canned evaporated milk and not condensed milk. They are not the same thing!
- Nut allergy or you don't like nuts? That's ok! If you want to leave the nuts off the topping it's just as good without them.
