Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole (Ruth’s Chris Copycat Topping)
When you’re making a big holiday meal like Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, oven space becomes very valuable. Your ham, turkey, lamb, or prime rib needs to cook in the oven undisturbed so it comes out perfectly, and not everyone has two ovens — I know I don’t. That’s why I love making side dishes like this Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole with a Ruth’s Chris–style pecan topping. It frees up the oven and still gives you that classic holiday side dish everyone expects.
To make this a full holiday meal, you could also serve this with my make-ahead potato salads, macaroni salads, or pasta salads so everything is ready ahead of time and you’re not cooking everything at the last minute. If you do happen to have two ovens, you can also make my Family Sweet Potato Casserole in the oven instead, but if oven space is tight, this crockpot version is the way to go.
This is the ultimate shortcut to a quick but holiday worthy sweet potato side dish. I use Bruce’s Yams Cut Sweet Potatoes in Syrup for my crockpot sweet potato casserole recipe. Here is the trick: Drain them into a colander. Then, rinse cool water over them to get the syrup mostly off. Let them dry off a bit and blot with paper towels. Then Throw them in the bowl and start the recipe! SO SO SO GOOD! No-one will know you didn’t boil or bake the sweet potatoes first. NO ONE!
🤔 Common Questions
If you’re making sweet potato casserole in a crockpot, you really should add the eggs. The eggs help the sweet potatoes hold their shape and become more like a soufflé instead of being loose or runny. If you don’t want to use eggs, it’s better to bake the casserole in the oven instead.
Yes. Bake at 350°F for about 30–35 minutes.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Casserole
- Always rinse canned yams so the casserole isn’t overly sweet.
- The eggs help the casserole set and become more like a soufflé instead of runny.
- You can add raisins if you like a more traditional sweet potato casserole.
- This is perfect for holidays when your oven is full.
- You can make this earlier in the day and keep the crockpot on warm.
Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole (Ruth’s Chris Copycat Topping)
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Mixture
- 2 cans Bruce’s Yams 29 oz each, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs whisked
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- Optional: ½ cup raisins
Pecan Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup butter softened
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the canned yams very well. Do not use the syrup.
- Add the yams to a large bowl.
- Add the orange juice, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar and mash everything together with a potato masher.
- Add the softened butter and mix again until combined.
- Fold in the chopped pecans (and raisins if using).
- Stir in the whisked eggs.
- Spray a crockpot with cooking spray and add the sweet potato mixture.
- In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, chopped pecans, and butter until crumbly.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3–4 hours until set and hot.
- Serve warm.
Why This Recipe Works in a Crockpot
This recipe uses canned yams as a shortcut, but the key is draining and rinsing them well so the casserole isn’t overly sweet. Then we mix them with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, eggs, orange juice, and pecans and top everything with a brown sugar pecan crumble similar to the famous Ruth’s Chris sweet potato casserole topping.
Cooking this in the crockpot makes it incredibly easy for holidays, potlucks, or family dinners when the oven is already full.
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days
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