Looking to shake up your holiday side dishes? This Pineapple Sweet Potato Casserole will blow your mind! Creamy sweet potatoes are topped with juicy pineapple rings, crunchy pecans, and tart, dried cranberries, all covered in a buttery blanket of brown sugar glaze.
First published October 15, 2023. Last updated to add information and tips, plus improve readability November 19, 2024.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
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🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- With just five easy minutes of prep, this homemade Southern dish features a delicious twist on your favorite traditional recipe.
- It's decadent enough to add to your holiday feast but quick enough to make for weeknight dinners when you're craving something magical.
- Learn to get the perfect, creamy sweet potato consistency, and find out why pineapple is a great addition to this Christmas dinner classic!
The best part of the holidays is the cherished recipes passed down through generations, creating traditions and memories that last a lifetime.
What makes family gatherings even more special is the time spent together.
That's why I love recipes like this (and my pineapple casserole recipe) that I can make ahead of time and require no prep on the actual day. This easy pineapple sweet potato casserole lets you cook in advance, so you can relax and focus on making joyful holiday memories with your loved ones.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Canned yams or canned sweet potatoes will work just as well as fresh, cooked sweet potatoes—use whatever you prefer.
- Want to keep the dish a little less sweet? Adjust the amount of brown sugar in the potatoes and the topping. You can reduce it by up to half.
- Only have walnuts in your pantry? That's okay! Feel free to use those, or you can skip nuts completely for an allergy-friendly dish.
- Some people like to use mini marshmallows for added sweetness—it is the holidays, after all! Add them during the last few minutes of baking.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Whip the sweet potatoes, butter, and eggs. Spread in a greased casserole dish and top with pineapple rings.
Sprinkle the pecans and dried cranberries on top of the casserole.
Dust with brown sugar and pour the melted butter and cinnamon on top.
Bake until heated through.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
If you have a few extra minutes don't just melt the butter, let it turn a golden brown. It will add even more flavor to this dish!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
You can assemble this a few days ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate to keep holiday prep easier.
Refrigerate
Refrigerate leftobver pineapple sweet potato casserole in an airtight container and enjoy within four to five days.
You can also just cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap—I do this when I'm too tired to wash dishes!
Freeze
To freeze, I suggest sealing the casserole with a layer of plastic and then a layer of aluminum foil. It will keep well for about three months.
Reheat
To enjoy your leftovers, place the frozen casserole in the fridge overnight to thaw. Then, reheat small portions in the microwave or use the oven 'til it's warmed through.
Marye's Tip o' the day
In the United States yams are just another name for sweet potatoes. Canned yams? Nope, those are sweet potatoes. So feel free to use canned yams or fresh sweet potatoes as you wish.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- If you use fresh yams or sweet potatoes, be sure to wash and peel them.
- Here's a tutorial on how to cook sweet potatoes several different ways.
- On the other hand, you can use canned yams to make prep faster. However, be sure to drain them of the liquid really well.
- Set the pineapple rings on a paper towel-lined plate while you prep the rest of the dish to get rid of excess moisture.
- Save the pineapple juice and use it to make pineapple sangria or easy Hawaiian BBQ chicken. Keep it in the fridge for a week or freezer for months.
- To make this recipe ahead of time, store the sweet potato filling in an airtight container for up to three days. When you're ready to bake, add the toppings and throw it in the oven!
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Not exactly, no. Yams actually have a white interior and are a little less sweet than sweet potatoes. Thankfully, what's often marketed in US grocery stores as canned yams are actually sweet potatoes—so you can use them both interchangeably in this casserole recipe.
Nope! Drain and pat dry some crushed pineapple. Then, stir it into the sweet potato mixture. I don't think it's quite as pretty this way, but it'll still taste fabulous!
Technically you can but the texture and structure of the sweet potato casserole will be very different without them.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
This dish has so much flavor that you can substitute canned yams that have been well drained for fresh sweet potatoes without much loss of flavor.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
Use leftover mashed sweet potatoes in place of pumpkin in pumpkin bread or in this sweet potato rum cake. Just remove the pineapple and toppings and they can be used in place of pumpkin in most recipes.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
This easy sweet potato casserole with pineapple rings, pecans, and dried cranberries is a holiday game-changer!
It’s packed with all the cozy Thanksgiving flavors you love and offers a not-so-boring twist on the classic recipe. Let’s be honest, there’s always room for one more delicious side dish on the table!
Am I right?
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Pineapple Casserole
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 40 ounces cooked yams, drained if canned
- ½ cup butter, melted, divided use
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 20 ounces pineapple rings in juice, drained and reserve the juice for something else.
- ¼ cup chopped pecans, more to taste
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, more to taste
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Spray a 6-cup casserole dish with no-stick cooking spray.
- Whip the sweet potatoes with ¼ cup butter, and eggs until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer mixture into the casserole dish and top with pineapple rings.
- Sprinkle the cranberries and pecans evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
- Mix the cinnamon and remaining butter and drizzle over the top.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until casserole is heated through.
Notes
- If you use fresh yams or sweet potatoes, be sure to wash and peel them.
- On the other hand, you can use canned yams to make prep faster. However, be sure to drain them of the liquid really well.
- Set the pineapple rings on a paper towel-lined plate while you prep the rest of the dish to get rid of excess moisture.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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Pineapple Sweet Potato Casserole
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Ellina Chernobilsky says
Sounds delicious!!! Making it today for a Thanksgiving feast with my family. Thank you for an easy and yammie recipe.