Sweet potato casserole with pineapple and marshmallows

A spiced sweet potato casserole with crushed pineapple and bourbon, as well as a homemade marshmallow creme topping.

Yes, this casserole is every bit as delicious as it sounds.

I made this sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving two years ago, and it was a massive hit. I skipped it last year because of the bourbon (Joseph was still swimming around in my belly), but I had to share it with you before Thanksgiving this year! This is my favorite sweet potato casserole that I’ve had to date… it’s not sickeningly sweet like a lot of them tend to be, it’s moderately spiced and the pineapple gives such a fantastic punch of flavor that is both unexpected and totally amazing.

In addition to being totally delicious, I love how incredibly easy this casserole is to throw together. The most time consuming part is waiting for the sweet potatoes to bake in the oven. You could probably cheat and used canned sweet potatoes, but you’ll definitely be missing out on the wonderfully intense flavor of fresh sweet potatoes.

When I originally made this, I used my homemade marshmallow creme for the topping, but you could use store-bought marshmallow creme if you’d like, or even scatter whole marshmallows on top.

If you’re looking for a unique twist on sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, give this one a try. You’ll probably have guests fighting over the leftovers!

Four years ago: Sausage, Fig and Cranberry Stuffing
Six years ago: Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Crisp Squares

Pineapple-Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 2 hrs

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

A spiced sweet potato casserole with crushed pineapple and bourbon, as well as a homemade marshmallow creme topping.

• 5½ pounds (2.49 kg) sweet potatoes, about 6 jumbo sweet potatoes
• ½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) bourbon
• ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 8 ounce (226.8 g) canned crushed pineapple, undrained
• ½ (0.5 ) batch homemade marshmallow creme

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place potatoes on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake until tender, about 1½ hours. Once cool enough to handle, remove the peels (they should just slide right off).

• Add the peeled sweet potatoes to a food processor along with the brown sugar, bourbon, melted butter, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, eggs, and pineapple. Puree the mixture until completely smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice if needed.

• Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a 3-quart baking dish and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread with the marshmallow creme. Put the broiler on high and return the baking dish to the oven. Broil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Notes:

• You can use canned sweet potatoes that have been drained in place of fresh sweet potatoes. If you do this, put them straight into the food processor, no baking required. Easier, but not quite as flavorful!
• You can omit the bourbon if you'd like.
• The homemade marshmallow creme can be replaced with a store-bought version or even marshmallows.
• You can use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallow topping instead of broiling.

Nutritional values are based on one serving

Calories: 309kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 322mg, Potassium: 746mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 29660IU, Vitamin C: 6.8mg, Calcium: 82mg, Iron: 1.6mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Originally published November 16, 2015 — (last updated December 8, 2019)