This sweet potato cornflake casserole is a homemade take on the old-fashioned recipe my mom made every Thanksgiving when I was growing up. Her version came from a newspaper clipping in the 1980s and called for canned sweet potatoes, a handful of warm spices, and a buttery, crunchy cornflake topping.
It was always one of my favorite things on the holiday table, and I’ve been wanting to give it a little makeover for years. It’s now getting its homemade glow up and it’s going to blow you away!
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The Nostalgic Sweet Potato Casserole Gets a Makeover!
My updated version of this sweet potato cornflake casserole starts with fresh sweet potatoes, simmered until tender and mashed with nutty brown butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, eggs, and warm spices. The filling bakes up rich and creamy (think sweet potato pie-like!), but the real magic is the topping: crispy cornflakes, toasted pecans, brown sugar, and even more brown butter. It gets beautifully golden and crunchy in the oven, giving you the perfect contrast of textures in every bite.
No canned sweet potatoes, pineapple, or marshmallows here—just a really good, old-fashioned sweet potato casserole made even better from scratch.
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Key Ingredients in Sweet Potato Casserole
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Sweet potatoes. The orange fleshed sweet potatoes are what you’re looking for here! We are using fresh instead of canned for this recipe.
- Corn flake cereal. Off-brand works just fine!
- Butter. We brown the butter to add an extra layer of flavor and depth to the casserole.
- Pecans. You can always omit the pecans in case of a nut allergy.
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds more richness and depth than plain granulated sugar.
- Spices. To make things simple, we’re using cinnamon and a pumpkin spice blend plus some freshly grated nutmeg.
- Eggs. Eggs help the filling set up to be almost like a sweet potato pie in texture.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cornflake Casserole
- Simmer the sweet potatoes. Cover the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes with cold water and bring them to a simmer until they’re fork tender. Then, drain them and let them sit in the colander for 10 minutes so that they’re not bringing excess water to the sweet potato casserole filling. No watery sweet potatoes here!
Jenny’s Tip: Keep a close eye on your butter as it browns! It can go from brown to burned very quickly so it’s best to stay close by and swirl the pan as it browns.
- Mix the filling. Use a hand mixer or a potato masher to gently mix the filling! It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth (a little texture is a good thing!) because we do not want baby food texture.
- Bake the filling. The filling gets partially baked without the cornflake texture so that it can cook all the way through without burning the topping! You can do this part in advance and then just finish the casserole in the oven with the topping before serving.
- Mix the topping. After the filling has baked for 30 minutes, mix together the pecans, corn flake cereal, brown sugar, and the rest of the brown butter. Add a pinch of kosher salt for balance and then top the casserole. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until everything is golden brown!
Make Ahead Instructions
There are several ways to take some of the day-of work off your plate when making this sweet potato casserole recipe! You could boil and mash the sweet potatoes up to 3 days in advance. Just keep them in an airtight container and let them come to room temperature before mixing.
The morning of, you can mix the sweet potato casserole filling and partially bake it. Then, just top it with the cornflake topping and finish baking to warm it through before serving!
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Casserole
This sweet potato cornflake casserole definitely deserves a spot at your Thanksgiving table! If you’re looking for some other favorites to fill out your menu, here are some of my favorite tried and true recipes!
- Mains. Herby Mayo-Rubbed Turkey, Buttered Cheesecloth Turkey, Bourbon Glazed Ham, or Maple-Bourbon Glazed Turkey.
- Sides. French onion mac and cheese, herby mascarpone mashed potatoes, brandied cranberry sauce.
- Breads. Brioche dinner rolls, pumpkin cornbread muffins, sage & gruyere biscuits.
- Vegetables. Gruyere creamed spinach, roasted delicata squash salad, homemade green bean casserole.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
Miso-Honey Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Brandied Cranberry Sauce
Creamed Spinach with Gruyere
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Bacon
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Sweet Potato Cornflake Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Filling
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes (about 4 large), peeled and chopped
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, divided
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg*
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
- 2 1/2 cups cornflake cereal
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Drain the sweet potatoes and let them cool for 15 minutes in the colander.
- Brown the butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Continue to cook the butter, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown and nutty smelling. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat proof measuring cup, scraping all of the browned bits into the measuring cup as well.
- Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10×8 or 2.5 qt baking dish.
- Make the sweet potato casserole filling. Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt and use a hand mixer or potato masher to mash and mix the sweet potatoes until somewhat smooth. Mix in the eggs, heavy cream, and half of the brown butter.
- Bake. Spread the casserole filling in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Make the topping. Just before the sweet potato is done baking, mix the corn flakes, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and remaining brown butter together until well mixed. Spread over the top of the sweet potatoes and return to the oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the corn flakes are golden brown. Rest for 15 minutes before serving.
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