This recipe was passed onto me by my Aunt Barb and she told me she first remembers eating it at her aunt’s home for Thanksgiving when she was a little girl. So it’s been in our family for over 40 years! When something has been around for 40 years and people are still making it, you know it’s good! Not a single Thanksgiving goes by withtout this dish on our table.
If you haven’t tried it yet, you probably need to.
modifying a classic
I know this recipe has already become a favorite for a lot of you out there since I first shared it, but I decided it needed a little make-over and some new pictures. I altered the recipe a bit based partly on your comments! It was no secret these were very sweet, so I played around with it and found I could cut down the sugar by quite a bit. (From one cup to 6 tablespoons!)
less butter & Sugar, but still amazing
I also cut down the butter by a couple of tablespoons in the sweet potatoes and a couple of tablespoons in the topping. So all in all I removed almost 2/3 cup sugar and a half a stick of butter, but it still tastes sweet and rich and perfect. Now you can spend those calories on an extra slice of pie. I also used fresh sweet potatoes after shocking some of you foodies by admitting that my family has been making this with canned ones for years.
Honestly folks? there’s not all that much difference in the finished product, so I say go with whatever your little heart desires (pssst, I almost always use canned.)
You’ll mix up sweet potatoes, butter, a little sugar, vanilla, eggs (I know what you’re thinking: this is sounding like pie) and the secret ingredient, sweetened condensed milk.
FYI, if you only want to make a half-batch, like to put in n 8×8 pan or pie plate (which is actually what I’m doing in these photos) then those mini cans of sweetened condensed milk are the exact amount you need- just one mini can. I show a picture of the mini cans in this post. Also refer to that post if you make a full batch, and you’re wondering how to use the other half of that can of sweetened condensed milk. Spread that out into a casserole dish.
Now the topping. OH THE TOPPING. In my family, we always double the topping. Three simple ingredients that are oh so amazing when they get all caramelized in the oven.
Sprinkle that on top. Seriously guys this whole recipe takes less than 10 minutes to whip up.
Bake it for about 40 minutes and the potatoes puff up and the topping turns into heaven.
They’re kiiiiinda amazing.
Chances are if you try them once, they’ll become a tradition!
Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes
Description
These candied coconut sweet potatoes will be the star of your Thanksgiving table! Creamy sweet potatoes with a caramelized coconut topping. To. Die. For.
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes (about 4 medium sweet potatoes or two 29-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter (no margarine), softened or melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 of a 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk (about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- If you’re feeling naughty you can double this part…
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until creamy. Spread in a 9×13 pan.
- Mix topping ingredients together until everything is incorporated and sprinkle over sweet potatoes.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until topping is golden brown.
Notes
- You can make these a day ahead of time and then bake when ready!
Questions & Reviews
How many servings does this make?
It’s a 9×13 pan, so you can visualize that way- it just depends on how much people eat. In general I’d say it’s enough for 8-12, depending on if they are adults/kids etc.
Can you do this in one of the 9×13 crockpots? My oven is way overbooked tomorrow ????
I saved this recipe back in 2010 and it’s still going strong in our house!!! I make them every Thanksgiving (and other special occasions!) My husband LOVES these potatoes. We are extra naughty and add marshmallows on top once it’s baked. A few minutes under the broiler and they are toasty marshmallow goodness!!! Thank you for this recipe – it’s now a tradition!!
I have doubled the recipe in hopes that I can freeze one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas. Would you recommend I cook it first w/out the topping and then freeze them. Then I can put the topping on when I bake it. Also, do you think they can be cooked from frozen for a longer time or would you recommend defrosting them first?
Thank you. I make this every year. This year I want to be less stressed and thought I would try freezing.
You could honestly do it any of those ways. I’ve never tried it so I’m not positive, but I would probably freeze pre-baked, thaw in the fridge overnight, and then bake per normal instructions. Let me know how it turns out!
Holy Mackerel! This recipe is the Holy Grail of sweet potato casserole recipes! Our search for the perfect recipe has come to an end!
I just made these for a Christmas dinner in London, England where we are living for 18 months, and where sweet potato casseroles are pretty much unheard of. They were a big hit!
Our family loves the Goodwood restaurant sweet potatoes and we’ve been searching for a recipe that was a good copy but I LOVE this even better! We tripled the casserole portion of the recipe and it worked great. We did add extra topping because it was for Christmas after all!
I will now FIND reasons to make these scrumdilyicious sweet potatoes! Thank you!
I just wanted you to know that I’ve made these every year since you posted them. I’ve always loved sweet potatoes, and these are by far my favorite that I’ve ever had. I’ll never go back! Happy Thanksgiving!
I know this is an old post, but I just made these for T-day 2016 and they were delicious and a HUGE hit. Will definitely make again. Followed your lead & doubled the topping. Yummy!!
We made these this year for the first time and everyone loved them!
For those who are thinking of cutting back even more on the sugar -we left it and the sweetened condensed milk out of the whipped potatoes part completely. Oven roasted sweet potatoes with the called for butter, vanilla and eggs was plenty sweet enough. (ok, I added 1/2 t salt) For the topping I kept the sugar the same but upped the coconut to 2 cups.
Made these today and you weren’t joking. These are a new family tradition. Going to have them at Christmas too.
I’m tempted to add pumpkin pie spice and call it a dessert.
Also, how about using the leftover condensed milk with the coconut for the topping instead of the brown sugar and butter???
I want to try these this year, but I’m a little hesitant because of the lack of seasoning (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc that seems to commonly show up in these kinds of recipes). However, I also know you guys have never failed me before, so I’m INCHING towards trying them. You promise they’re good and don’t need that other stuff????
PROMISE. Best ever!!
Can I make these the day ahead and then put in the oven on Thanksgiving?
Yes, absolutely!
My sister-in-law made a recipe similar to this at Thanksgiving this year, and it was great! I usually don’t care for the candied sweet potatoes, but that coconut in the topping makes all the difference! Also, hers had chopped pecans in the topping as well, which I really liked. I actually had another helping of the sweet potatoes instead of cake for dessert.
I doubt you will see this to answer my question before tomorrow (yes I am a late planner this year lol) but what would happen if I added green apples to this is small cubes and cubed the sweet potato instead of mashed?? I also thought of pecans…any thoughts?
So I decided to give it a go and whip these babies up for Thanksgiving dinner. Why not try a new recipe out on a crowd, right? I mean, go big or go home! So the verdict? They were amazing! I got so many complements and recipe requests. Thank you ladies for posting such tasty yet achievable recipes. You are by far my number one go to for recipes. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Oh man. I only made a half recipe, and it was TOTALLY worth opening a whole can of sweetened condensed milk (besides, I’m totally eyeballing that hot fudge. mmm). I was a bit scant with the sugar but made up for it by accidentally adding about a third of the can instead of a quarter – but I still didn’t think the actual sweet potatoes were too sweet. However, with that crispy chewy delicious topping, it really was a treat. Soooooooooo delicious. Thank you for this winner. And next time I’ll probably make it with canned potatoes! (Because there WILL be a next time…)
THESE ARE SO GOOD! I made them for the first time today for Thanksgiving, and everyone loved them, sweet potato haters included! My husband already requested these for Christmas dinner.
My turkey is brining right now in your amazing recipe!! And I am so making these for tomorrow! Thanks for the tip Kate in the comments about making them ahead of time and then storing in the refrigerator! I am so excited!!! Happy Thanksgiving Ladies! xo
I make sweet potatoes like this, but I cut them into chunks, then toss them with the coconuts, nuts, butter. I think I’m going I’m going to try it this way this year and see what the family thinks. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
I don’t buy coconut often but is sweetened coconut flakes what I would normally find in the baking isle of the store? I guess I’ve never notice if the bag says “sweetened” or not. Thanks!!! this sounds so good. I’d like to add pecans to the topping!!!
Yum! Making this for Thanksgiving!
normally I am not a fan of sweet potatoes but….. these are just about heavenly! i love them and they will now become a Thanksgiving tradition! i would highly recommend!
Made this last night – loved it!! super sweet though, I’ll definitely cut back on the sugar next time. If I were to add cranberries to this to break up the sweetness and add some tang would I add whole fresh cranberries or would I have to cook them down in a sauce first?
I made these this Thanksgiving for my sister and her family. Her whole family was concerned, because I haven’t tried them before. I wasn’t worried, I’ve never made anything from your site that I didn’t like, so I knew it would be good. The sweet potatoes got rave reviews, and so did the apple streusel bars. Thank you!
Awesome, awesome!! Thanks for sharing!
These were so so good!! I’m holding on to this recipe for sure! I baked the sweet potatoes yesterday, and I’m glad I did because it took twice as long for them to bake! Not sure why…probably because I put them in a foil lines pan…? Anyways, this recipe will definitely visit my Thanksgiving table again!
Huge hit–I put some pecans in the topping too. This will be a tradition!
My husband always asks me to make yams/sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. I’ve never found a recipe that was worth making again the next year…until now. Everyone at our Thanksgiving table loved it and I can stop searching for the perfect sweet potato recipe. This is it!
OMG. I just made these today because I don’t like the marshmallowy sweet potatoes, but these were wonderful. Even my daughter who proclaimed I don’t like sweet potatoes, not even sweet potato fries because they’re too sweet liked these. Hubby thinks they’re more like dessert. I have a 2nd batch in the freezer to top & bake for an event in a couple of weeks, I had boiled up too many sweet potatoes.
I made these last year for a friend’s thanksgiving dinner party and brought a dish to the ward Christmas party, which turned into a request for me to make them for the Relief Society Christmas party. I am already getting requests for this year. These are truly the best!