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You know that famous sweet potato casserole from Ruth’s Chris Steak House? You can make a delicious copycat right at home! Creamy sweet potatoes topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crumble. It’s practically dessert in disguise! And I’m here for it!
Why You’ll Love This Ruth’s Chris Copycat
- Is It a Side Dish or Dessert? With creamy sweet potatoes and that sweet, crunchy pecan topping, it could pass for either! No judgment if you go back for seconds!
- Make It Ahead: Get it ready up to 3 days before your holiday dinner, so you have one less thing to worry about!
- Ruth’s Chris at Home: Skip the steakhouse! Make this famous sweet potato casserole at home, and pair it with a steak and my Ruth’s Chris Chopped Salad for the full experience!
A Reader’s Review
“I made this for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit I am making it for Christmas!!! When it is cold it is like pie!!”
Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients
- Add Marshmallows: For a gooey topping, sprinkle 1 cup of mini marshmallows over the casserole during the last 5 minutes of baking, then cook until golden brown.
- Swap the Nuts: If you’re not a fan of pecans, try walnuts or almonds instead. You can also leave the nuts out entirely!
- Add Some Spice: For a little extra warmth and flavor, mix a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice into the sweet potatoes.
- Use Canned Sweet Potatoes: If you’re short on time, drain and mash canned sweet potatoes, then measure out 3 cups.
How to Make Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
My favorite part of Thanksgiving is always the sides! Serve this sweet potato casserole with my roasted turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. It’s a holiday meal everyone will love!
- Prep: First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Then spray a 1½–2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Make the Filling: In a large bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and melted butter. Then spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Make the Topping: In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, melted butter, and chopped pecans until combined. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake: Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the casserole is set and the topping is lightly browned.
How to Prepare Sweet Potatoes for Casserole
You’ll need cooked, mashed sweet potatoes before making the casserole. Here are four ways to prepare them!
- Roast: Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake at 400°F for about 1 hour, until tender. Cool, peel, and mash.
- Boil: Peel and cut into 1-inch pieces. Boil for 20–30 minutes until tender, then drain and mash.
- Microwave: Pierce with a fork and microwave for about 15 minutes, or until fork-tender. Cooking time varies depending on size.
- Instant Pot: Place pierced, unpeeled sweet potatoes on a trivet with 1 cup of water. Pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes (10 for smaller potatoes). Quick release, peel, and mash.
Alyssa’s Pro Tip
Make It Extra Creamy! Use a food processor for a smooth, creamy sweet potato filling, just like you’d expect from a steakhouse! If you prefer a little more texture, a fork or potato masher works great, too.
Must-Have Kitchen Tools
- Potato Masher: Makes it easy to mash your cooked sweet potatoes.
- 1½–2-Quart Casserole Dish: Perfect for baking this sweet potato casserole.
- Mixing Bowls: You’ll need one for the filling and another for the pecan topping.
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Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes about 3-4 large cooked sweet potatoes
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup melted salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs, ½ cup milk, ½ cup melted salted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
- To make the topping, combine ½ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup flour, ⅓ cup melted butter, and 1 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle over the top.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked through and the top is lightly browned.
Video
Notes
- Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bake as directed when ready to serve.
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the cooled casserole in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Warm in the oven at 300°F for 10–15 minutes, or until heated through. Individual servings can be microwaved in 15–20-second intervals.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this recipe for my companies Friendsgiving Potluck for two years now and it’s always such a hit!!! I send out this recipe multiple times. Thank you!!!
Don’t kill me, but can you use canned yams for this recipe? 🙂
I haven’t tried those before with this recipe! If you do, let me know how it turns out!
Instead of taking an hour to bake/roast the sweet potatoes in the oven, I can cook them in the instant pot for 15 minutes. The skins peel right off and they’re ready to mash.
I have made this a bunch of times – with several changes – and people beg me for the recipe.
I add crushe pineapple – drained, the juice and zest of one navel orange, and make the topping w crushed ginger snaps as one of ours is gluten free. I crush up extra ginger snaps and put in the potatoes while mixing. I have to make a double batch every year. I add the extras by eyeball…
Try these extras – people will beg you too!! I make a small pan for a 97 year old relative that can’t get enough…. Good luck! It WILL be a hit…
How much crushed pineapple? And u mix it into sweet potatoes or is it a topping?
Have you ever mixed marshmallow fluff in with the sweet potato mixture ?
That sounds delicious! I have not done that yet but I am sure my kids would love that.
I would think that the fluff would harden after out of the oven for a while, but yet why not just put the marshmallows on top ?
I have made this recipe for years, mother in law passed on the recipe, although hers included flaked coconut…which we have since omitted as it needs no more sweetness. Have since passed recipe on to multiple family members & it’s a fight over who will make it for the holidays! I typically make it the day before & then cook it the day of & it does take some time to cook as it is so dense! I did make it with canned yams by mistake one time, running out of time & will not do that again! Came out way to sweet! But we salvaged it by throwing it in the freezer & then eating it as a dessert with whipped cream on top…it was actually pretty good – but really sweet! Great recipe!!
Does it matter what kind of sweet potatoes to use? The orange ones (yams) versus the yellow ones?
I prefer the orange ones for the color and sweetness.
I love the enthusiasm you use. I only made a sweet potato casserole once. My husband and kids didn’t even try one bite, but that was okay, it was so delicious, I ate the whole pan. No marshmallows on mine. Roasted my pecan with salt, brown sugar and a small amount of yogurt butter. I use Brumble and Brown yogurt butter on every thing, fewer calories, fat and taste way better than any other butter!! Your missing out if you haven’t tried it! And I do not work for or associated with Brumble and Brown, It’s really that good! I grind up my baked pecans to a flour, meal type mixture, add a little more brown sugar, salt and a tiny amount of flour. No food processor, no problem, just use a can… Layer this over well salted and buttered sweet potatoes. It is simply delicious! No eggs, milk or no fuss. The smell of roasting pecans cooking in the oven is aroma therapy and will have everyone’s taste buds tingling. With roasting ham or turkey to boot, it’s simply the best! : )
Hello Alyssa, this sweet potato casserole sounds scrumptious. Can you tell me approximately how many sweet potatoes for 3 cups mashed. Thank you Alyssa.
It is about 1 and 1/2 sweet potatoes for a cup. Hope that helps!
I always use this sweet potato recipe .
it’s so much faster to cook your sweet potatoes in the microwave by scrubbing them , poking them with a fork like you would a baked potato and microwaving them until they are nice and soft .
They are delicious and this is so much faster it also keeps your kitchen cooler.
Absolutely fantastic. I also made the best ever Green Bean casserole.
Definitely roast the sweet potato’s. Wait 10 minutes and then peel with your fingers. Easy and i am 81 years young. Recipe critic is my new favorite recipe website. ❤️
That is so sweet of you to say! Thank you so much! I am so glad that you have found some recipes that you love. Thanks for your support!
I always use a sweet potato recipe it’s so much faster to cook your sweet potatoes in the microwave by scrubbing them , poking them with a fork like you would a baked potato and microwaving them until they are nice and soft .
They are delicious and this is so much faster it also keeps your kitchen cooler.
Truly the best sweet potatoe casserole, I loved it!
Help! Doubled recipe and only ended up with 5 cups sweet potatoes! Will it be ok?
Cant wait for mine to come out of the oven. Tweaked a little semi smashed the sweet potatoes and added some raisins to the mixture. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit I am making it for Christmas!!! When it is cold it is like pie!!
What is the trick to making the topping crumbly? I tried it and ended up with a gooey mess.
Scrape the top with the tines of a fork about every 10-15 min. & it will be nice & crunchy!! Delicious!
I need help with this too