Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole is buttery, creamy, and custardy with classic spices, vanilla, and a crunchy pecan topping. It’s the perfect Thanksgiving sweet potato side dish recipe.
My husband likes a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner, so turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes and gravy are all must-haves. Growing up, our families always served marshmallow-covered yams, but my husband and I never like them.
Several years ago, once I began cooking Thanksgiving for the family, I wanted to include a delicious sweet potato casserole for my mom. So I found one that used egg and cream with a crunchy pecan topping, and adapted it for the Instant Pot.
It was an instant hit and this dish has been on our Thanksgiving menu ever since.
I think you’ll love this quick and easy Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe as much as my family does.
Update: It’s nearly time to start planning holiday menus again, so I’ve updated this post with a new video, images and tips so you can bring perfect Sweet Potato Casserole to your gathering this year.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole in an Instant Pot
This sweet potato casserole recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Instead of the classic too-sweet, marshmallow-covered yams, this dish is custardy, smooth, and gently spiced.
You’ll cook the potatoes until they’re very tender, then mash them into a smooth custard with cream, butter, brown sugar, spices, and an egg to hold it all together. Finally, add a sweet potato casserole topping of crunchy and sweet pecans.
If you like a caramelized topping, you can pop the cooked casserole under the broiler or (air fryer lid) before serving. It only needs a minute or two to turn golden, sweet, and crunchy.
Can I Finish the Casserole in the Oven?
Yes! I like to make the whole dish in the pressure cooker, as it frees up oven space on Thanksgiving day.
If you’d like to do the second bake in the oven, you can bake the casserole at 325°F for 25 minutes. Then, if you like, turn on the broiler for a few minutes to caramelize the pecan topping.
How to Use a Sling to Place the Casserole into the Pressure Cooker
The best way to carefully place a filled cake pan or casserole dish into a pressure cooker is with a sling. Read my how-to guide on making and using a foil sling.
Once you master this simple technique, you’ll be making perfect pressure cooker cakes, casseroles, and cheesecakes like a pro.
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Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
This is the best Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole recipe for your Thanksgiving table, made with creamy potatoes, warming vanilla, fall spices and a sweet pecan topping.
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
- 2 large sweet potatoes, about 2 pounds
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Grease a 1 1/2-quart oven-safe baking dish or 7x3-inch cake pan.
- Peel the sweet potatoes. Halve lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
- Place a steamer basket in the pressure cooker pot. Add 1 cup water and the sliced potatoes. Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure and 8 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, turn the pressure cooker off and do a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes to a mixing bowl with the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg and cream and mix well.
- Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish.
- To make the topping, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour and pecans with a fork in a small bowl. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole.
- Place a trivet in the pressure cooker pot. Add 1 cup of water and use a sling to lower the casserole dish onto the trivet*.
- Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and a 15 minute cook time. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Optional: If you’d like to brown the topping, preheat your oven to broil and place your dish in the oven for a couple minutes, until the topping starts to caramelize and brown. You can also use your air fryer lid set to 350°F. The topping will brown quickly—check at 2 minutes, then again each minute after that until your casserole is done.
Notes
*Make a sling with a 20 inch piece of aluminum foil, folded three times lengthwise.
Adapted from a Paula Deen’s Sweet Potato Bake recipe.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 66mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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How many does this serve?
Hi Jen – 6 to 8 servings
I am new to the Insta pot what size oven safe Pyrex dish? Thank you for all the recipes.
Hi Elizabeth – About 1 1/2 quarts, just make sure it fits in the inner pot with space around the edges for steam. You could also use a cake pan. This one is my favorite for cooking in a 6 quart pressure cooker https://amzn.to/2oHNTxY.
After the 15 minutes on high pressure is up, do we do a quick release?
Thanks!
Hi Jeanie – yes, do a quick release. I’ve updated the recipe Thanks!
Thanks! Also, would the cooking time be the same if I used a Pyrex?
Yes if it’s an oven safe Pyrex.
Is it possible to finish the casserole by baking/broiling it in the oven instead of using the sling and finishing it off in the pressure cooker? If so, what time and temp? Love your recipes!
Thanks Darci! Yes, you definitely can. Bake it at 325 for 25 minutes.
I am new to pressure cooking. I don’t understand the part about a sling. So you don’t put the casserole ingredients into the pressure cooker pot?
Thank you.
Hi Cheryl – no, you’ll need to cook it in an oven safe casserole dish. Here’s more info about using a sling https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/how-to-get-a-pan-out-of-the-pressure-cooker/
Thank you. I will read about that. I’m excited to put my pressure cooker to use for the holidays.
Barbara,
Did you cover your bowl with foil while cooking the sweet potato casserole!
I’m making this for Thanksgiving!
Thank you for the recipe ?
Hi Mary – I didn’t cover it with foil. I’m making it for Thanksgiving again this year too. Hope you love it!
Thank you for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it. I’ve noticed that you often don’t include servings/serving sizes. How many people do you think this would feed?
Hi Lisa – Most of my recipes feed my family of six. If you were serving this as the only side dish, then I’d say it would serve 6-8, but if it’s Thanksgiving and there’s lot of sides, then probably 12 servings.
Sounds like a great recipe, but was wondering if you could delete the egg. My grandson is allergic to eggs and I like to make sure he can eat everything I make. Thanks!
Barbara – thank you for this recipe, it looks delicious! !! I also want to thank you for this site and your many fabulous recipes (that I can’t wait to try).
You see, I purchased an electric pressure cookwe 3 years ago based on an infomercial (which was my first and last infomercial purchase!!!). The recipes that were included when it arrived were NOT those shown on tv. Actually I’ve never heard of half the ingredients that were listed on the recipe cards. Needless to say, I was disappointed and have never used it. Finding your recipes, and the detailed instructions, has prompted me to dust off my pressure cooker and MANGIA!!! Thank you
Thanks Lori-Anne – I’m so glad I could help you learn to love your pressure cooker. Have fun!
Yams and sweet potatoes are two completely different things, so the terms are not interchangeable. We eat sweet potatoes. Yams – not likely at all. See the link below and show off your smarts! Try baking sweet potatoes, then just let each family member add butter, a little brown sugar and cinnamon, and they will love them all their lives! Wonderful nutrition! Or cut them into smallish cubes and roast them – they become naturally sweet! Or cut and fry them just like french fries – delicious!
http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-yams-and-sweet-potatoes-word-of-mouth-211176
I have loved sweet potatoes all my life and am thrilled all that goodness is available year-round now, so we enjoy them once or twice a week. But never, ever, with marshmallows. Yuck.
Hi Barbara – good info, and I’m aware of the difference. But nobody calls it Yam Casserole, and nobody is going to find my recipe by Googling Pressure Cooker Yam Casserole. So sometimes you just have to roll with it. 🙂
Thanks for these great pressure cooker recipes. Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Nette – No, I don’t think you’d be able to find a bowl that would fit in the pressure cooker that would hold double the ingredients. You could certainly steam double the sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker and finished it in the oven, or finish it in the pressure cooker in two batches. Thanks!
We made this for Thanksgiving this year in my brand new Instant Pot. Quite honestly, it was my favorite dish on the table! It was just a little putsy to make but that probably could have been remedied by planning ahead with the prepping. Delicious! I have started a file in my Paprika app with all your pressure cooker recipes I want to try. I think next up might be the key lime pie! Yum. Thank you for all these recipes designed for the pressure cooker. Please keep them coming!
I made the original and than I made a lighter version. The original to me was similar to pie. Very yummy. The second version – instead of brown sugar I used 1/2 cup of orange juice and instead of heavy cream used an equivalent amount of rice milk, instead of melted butter Used an equivalent amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.I kept the topping as written. Not as sweet yet it was tasty.
Made the above casserole and it was excellent. I added more potatoes and did not add the nuts. A real keeper.
I forgot to read through the comments about cooking it without the topping if you make this ahead of time and am making the whole thing early. Gonna pop it in the oven and broiler at dinner time and hope for the best!
Contest entry? Hope I got it right. Good luck to everyone!
I am new to pressure cooking, and I am hoping to use it This thanksgiving. Can I use any casserole type dish in my pressure cooker or are there special types of dishes for pressure cooking? Your recipes look so yummy!
Thanks Ruth – any dish that fits and is oven safe should work. Enjoy!
Thank you Barbara! I can’t wait to try these recipes!
I love your recipes! I’ve used a stovetop pressure cooker for years and am new to an electric model which I love for so many reasons. Please keep your wonderful recipes coming. I haven’t been disappointed yet.
Thanks Linda – that’s so nice!
Yes indeed, that full oven with turkey and other goodies is always a dilemma when cooking Thanksgiving dinner for sure…i have 2 ovens, managed to fill both and still need room to cook one more thing off. Thank goodness for the pressure cooker-and you coming up with these great ideas!
I’ve never had sweet potato casserole in any form-just sweet potatoes mashed with a little butter make me happy-my Mom and daughter too. This does look good…..almost like sweet potato pie without a crust.
Thank you Barbara! 🙂
You’ve got it right, it’s very much like a sweet potato pie without a crust. Only you get to eat it with dinner. 🙂
Thank You so much for this recipe! Our oven quit working recently and we only have the broiler working. If we can’t get it fixed by Thanksgiving I was wondering how I was going to fix my Sweet Potato Casserole which is almost identical to yours except it also has Rice Krispies in the topping. This recipe will be great. One question. Will a glass bowl shatter under the broiler?
Thanks Debbie – rice krispies would add a nice crunch. Be sure and use an oven safe dish and don’t keep it under the broil for more than a few minutes.
Thank you again Barbara. My Instant Pot will be getting a good workout. I plan to do 2 small turkey breasts in it then put them low in my oven on broil to crop the skin. A small ham will go into my old slow cooker and put into oven with the turkey. While all that is cooking in the oven then resting I will do this casserole and add the rice krispies before putting it into the oven with rolls to heat. That’s my plan if the oven doesn’t get fixed. I’m so glad I spent the extra money for the Instant Pot. It gets a lot of use.
Sounds like you have a fabulous dinner planned. What would we do without our Instant Pots 🙂
I’ve been making the Pioneer Woman’s version of this, and I absolutely love it. It’s really like a crust-less pie. Whatever it is, I love it. The pressure cooker conversion is brilliant, once again.
Thanks Debby!
This looks awesome! I have two questions though, how many would you say this recipe will serve? (i’m guessing 4-6) and could it be made ahead and re-heated before the meal? (We are driving 6 hours to our destination for Thanksgivng) I’d like to prep this and take in a cooler with us. Thanks for all your work and wonderful recipes to be made in our PC’s.
Thanks Tamara! I would say it serves 6 – 8. I would probably cook the sweet potatoes and add everything except the egg. Then when it’s about 30 minutes before dinner, beat in the egg and top it with the pecan topping and cook it in the pressure cooker.
Hi,
I followed your link to Paula Deen’s original recipe, and she only has it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 15 minutes of pressure cooking on High seems like a lot – basically, everything except the egg is already cooked, so I would think 5 – 7 minutes would be enough. A typo, maybe?
Hi Annette – no it’s not a typo. When you’re cooking pot in pot like this the cook time is longer than when you’re just cooking in the pot.