Hot Honey Sweet Potato Casserole
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Bring the sweet heat to your meal with this Hot Honey Sweet Potato Casserole! This easy recipe takes a classic holiday side dish and gives it a bold, flavorful twist with spicy honey and a crunchy corn flake pecan topping. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, creamy and crunchy. Guaranteed to become your new favorite Thanksgiving tradition!
Why this will be your new favorite side dish
Growing up my grandma would always make a traditional sweet potato casserole piled up with marshmallows. Even as a kid, it was too sweet for me! Over the years, I’ve just veered away from making this classic dish for the holidays. But this year, I had an idea to make it swicy!
The sweet and spicy trend that is so hot right now is my favorite. Combining different flavors to put a new spin on a traditional dish is kind of my thing! Here’s why I know this will become your new favorite side dish at the holidays, and beyond!
- It’s a sweet and spicy twist on a classic! The hot honey adds the perfect kick to balance the natural sweetness of the potatoes, giving this Thanksgiving favorite a modern, flavorful upgrade.
- It’s easy to make! It only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time to prep this casserole, with no complicated steps required, making it perfect for a holiday meal, or even an easy weeknight dinner.
- It’s a crowd-pleasing holiday side! Creamy, crunchy, sweet, and spicy, this dish stands out on any holiday spread and is guaranteed to have everyone asking for seconds (and the recipe!).
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this sweet potato casserole recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sweet potatoes – you’ll need 3 pounds of sweet potatoes to make this recipe. I recommend weighing them at the grocery store before you buy them. Or if you buy a large bag, you can use a small kitchen scale to weigh them at home.
- Hot honey – for this recipe you can purchase prepared hot honey, like Nate’s hot honey pictured above, or you can make your own hot honey at home. If making your own at home, you’ll want to combine 1/2 cup honey with 1/4 cup hot sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
- Unsalted butter
- Ground cinnamon – to season the sweet potatoes and the crunchy topping.
- Salt
- Corn flakes
- Pecans – these nuts are a popular topping for a traditional sweet potato casserole. In this recipe, I combined them with corn flakes for a crunchier topping that still has the flavor of pecans. If you’d like to have a more pecan-forward crust, you can adjust the ratio of corn flakes to pecans.
Optional additions: if you can’t bare the thought of a sweet potato casserole without marshmallows, feel free to add mini marshmallows on top of the crunchy topping. I tested this recipe with and without marshmallows and preferred the version without, but this is a personal preference. If you’d like more sweet with your heat, add 1/2 cup brown sugar to the mashed sweet potatoes. I tested this recipe with the added sugar and it was too sweet for me, but once again, this comes down to personal taste.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Once the water is boiling, add the sweet potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain them from the water and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add hot honey, butter, cinnamon, and salt. Use an electric hand mixer, or potato masher, to mash everything together.
- Prepare the casserole. Grease a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the dish.
- Prepare the topping. Crush the corn flakes and pecans together, either in a food processor, or in a large plastic zipper bag, using a heavy rolling pin to crush them. Melt butter in a medium bowl, add hot honey, cinnamon, and the corn flake/pecan mixture, stir to combine. Sprinkle this topping evenly over the casserole.
- Bake the sweet potato casserole. Place the casserole in a preheated 375°F oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little extra hot honey, if you’d like. Serve immediately.
Make-ahead tips! Once the sweet potato casserole has been assembled, you can leave it on the counter at room temperature for up to an hour before baking it. You can also make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge, covered, for 24 hours before baking it.
More side dish recipes
Try these other popular side dish recipes that are perfect for the holiday season, Thanksgiving, or family dinners throughout the year!
Hot Honey Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- ¾ cup hot honey, divided (see notes below)
- ¾ cup butter, divided
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups corn flakes
- ½ cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Place the peeled, cubed sweet potatoes in the boiling water. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink.
- In a large bowl (or in the pot the potatoes were cooked in), add the cooked sweet potatoes, ½ cup hot honey, ½ cup butter, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Use an electric hand mixer, or potato masher, to mash everything together.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Melt the remaining ¼ butter in a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup hot honey and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Crush the corn flakes and pecans together, either in a food processor, or in a large plastic zipper bag, using a heavy rolling pin to crush them. Mix this mixture into the melted butter and hot honey mixture.
- Sprinkle the crunchy topping evenly over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with extra hot honey, if you’d like, before serving.
Notes
- This recipe will easily serve 8-12 people, depending on how many other side dishes you’re serving with the meal.
- You can purchase pre-made hot honey in a bottle, or make your own at home. Making your own means that you can determine just how hot you want it to be! The spice level of pre-made hot honey will vary between different brands. I recommend combining ½ cup honey with ¼ hot sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot). You’ll want to bring the honey and hot sauce to boil in a pot on the stove over high heat. Once boiling, reduce it to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and use it in this recipe once it’s cooled.
- This recipe is gluten free when made with gluten-free corn flakes. Some corn flakes cereals contain malt syrup or malt extract, which makes them not gluten free. Be sure to check the label if you’re on a gluten-free diet.
- Store sweet potato casserole leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat a single portion in the microwave for 2 minutes. Or to reheat more than one portion, transfer it to a casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil, and heat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
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One Comment on “Hot Honey Sweet Potato Casserole”
I made this and it was so great! Reminded me of the pot luck version, but so much healthier and tastier without all of the marshmallows! Easy too.