Purple Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping (Can Make Ahead)

Written by Published on in Holidays, Recipes, Sides & Fixin's

This is a delightfully beautiful sweet potato casserole with a thick, creamy potato filling and perfectly toasted marshmallows on top. This is such a beautiful dish and the whole family will love it.

I didn’t intend on making this recipe. I was grocery shopping at our HEB grocery store for Thanksgiving and saw these beautiful purple sweet potatoes. So I bought them and decided I was going to make something with them.

Stokes Sweet Potato

Growing up my Mama’s Sweet Potato Casserole was always my favorite dish at Thanksgiving. It’s basically dessert served as a side. Kase loves sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping so I got to thinking, “What’s more fun for kids than purple sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping?”

I’ve lightened this recipe up just like I did with my regular Sweet Potato Casserole because the potatoes just don’t need that much butter and sugar when roasted before baking!

Can You Make this Ahead?

Yes! It will just need a longer baking time to account for the cold potato mixture. Put together the potato part of the casserole without the marshmallow topping. Cover with foil and refrigerate, up to three days ahead. When you are ready to bake this, remove the dish from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Leave the foil on and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the marshmallows and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes, until the marshmallows are golden brown and puffed up.

What is a Purple Sweet Potato?

If you are lucky enough to find a purple sweet potato, it’s probably either a Stokes Purple from North Carolina or Okinawan (Hawaiian) Sweet Potato which originated in Central and South America, made it’s way to Hawaii and is now part of the HI native menu. The Stokes Purple potato has a purple tinted skin while the Okinawan potato it more tubular and has a buff, light browned colored skin.

Purple sweet potatoes have a drier, denser flesh than their orange counterparts. You will need to bake them a bit longer and add more liquid to your sweet potato casserole.

The rich purple flesh intensifies with cooking. Aside from its unique bold color it also contains anthocyanin antioxidants (just like blueberries) and is a good source of vitamin C (4x that of an orange) and fiber, making it healthy and nutritious. 

That beautiful color!
  • Scooping out the flesh.
  • Mixing the ingredients
  • Kase helping me prepare ahead of time.
Look how pretty those purple potatoes look! YUM!

Check out my other Thanksgiving Recipes

Purple Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping (Can Make Ahead)
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Purple Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping (Can Make Ahead)

Recipe by Paige MurrayCourse: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

2

hours 
Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 large purple sweet potatoes

  • 1 cup of 2% milk or more

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon of salt

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • Topping

  • Mini marshmallows for the topping

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Prick potatoes all over with a fork and place on baking sheet.
  • Roast in the oven for 90 minutes to 2 hours. They will be fork tender.
  • Remove from the oven and slice in half with a knife (they will be HOT).
  • Scoop flesh out of skins and add to a large bowl.
  • Turn mixer on low and add butter.
  • Turn mixer up a speed and add eggs and milk.
  • Turn mixer up to medium and add the rest of the ingredients.
  • Turn mixer up to medium high and let it mix for about a minute. Add more milk if it looks too dry.
  • Spoon potatoes into a 9×13 casserole dish. (Cover with foil and stop here if making ahead)
  • Cover the potatoes with a layer of mini marshmallows.
  • Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until marshmallows have puffed up and are golden brown.
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