Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving or Valentine’s dinner. This smooth and creamy casserole is topped with cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan streusel for a delightfully sweet and nutty crunch.

My sweet potato casserole recipe is inspired by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, one of our favorite restaurants for special occasions. Just give me a ribeye steak with extra butter and I’m one happy gal.

COPYCAT RUTH’S CHRIS SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE RECIPE

Sweet potato casserole is one of my absolute favorite side dishes! Honestly, it’s a dessert, but because it uses a vegetable, it gets to sneak onto the dinner plate. Hey, I’m not complaining!

This is also one of my favorite sides to order at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, though I think my recipe is even better! It has a soft and smooth sweet potato filling, topped with a hearty and crunchy pecan streusel.

If you are making this delicious casserole, the Instant Pot makes it so much easier! The potatoes cook without tending and finish perfectly soft and ready to mash with butter, sugar, and vanilla. Yum.

INSTANT POT SWEET POTATOES

I love using my Instant Pot to cook up sweet potatoes. They normally take so long in the oven, and it heats up the whole kitchen! Pressure cooking sweet potatoes makes the skin magically fall right off!

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole is a luxurious side dish for special occasions or holidays. Try my Instant Pot Sweet Potato recipe for a healthy, easy, and plain steamed sweet potato. 

I try to eat veggies for breakfast daily. It helps to meal prep with Instant Pot Sweet Potato, Instant Pot Broccoli, and Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs.

AIR FRYER SWEET POTATOES

If you prefer the flavor of a baked sweet potato in your sweet potato casserole, you can bake sweet potatoes in the air fryer without taking time and space in the oven!

Air frying the sweet potatoes lets them caramelize even more, which is a really yummy way to add more flavor.

Check out my Air Fryer Sweet Potato post.

INSTANT POT STEAMER BASKET

My favorite steamer basket is the perfect tool for this dish. The potatoes stack easily in the basket for quick removal after cooking. I used to just stack them on top of the trivet, but they are so soft after cooking that they would often fall apart while removing with tongs.

I also recommend using my favorite steamer basket when making Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Instant Pot Salt Potatoes. When cooking them skin on, the water ends up a little dirty, muddy, and icky (even if I’ve scrubbed them beforehand.) 

I like keeping the potatoes totally separated in the steamer basket. That way, I don’t have to fish them out individually.

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

This recipe requires two steps–preparing the sweet potato casserole and then baking with the pecan streusel. It’s a bit more involved, but totally worth it! Here’s the process:

PREPARING THE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE 

• Wash the sweet potatoes then add into the Instant Pot with 1 cup water. No need to poke the potatoes. You can put them in a steamer basket, or put them on top of the trivet.
• Cook on Manual High pressure for 20-35 minutes. Super big, heavy potatoes might need more cooking time, like 40 minutes. Those suckers are thick and there’s nothing more disappointing than opening up the Instant Pot and sticking a fork into a hard potato.

• While the potatoes are pressure cooking, make the streusel by combining flour, sugar, pecans, cinnamon, salt, and lots of butter.
• Take the sweet potatoes out of the Instant Pot and remove the skins. Pressure cooking will make the skin fall right off!
• Dump the water out and wash the liner.
• Add the butter, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the pot to melt and dissolve the sugar.
• Add the sweet potatoes back to the butter and whip them up using a hand mixer.
• Blend in four beaten eggs to the sweet potato mixture. This adds some bulk and will help lighten the mixture. Instead of a super dense texture, the eggs help give it a lighter texture.

BAKING WITH THE STREUSEL

• Pour the mixture into a pan and cover the whole dang thing with so much streusel. Don’t be shy. You don’t want a single piece to get left out! I spread it really generously.
  • The photo in this post got about an extra 1/2 cup more streusel after the picture was taken. I just needed to give the beautiful orange filling a chance to peek out!

• Pour the mixture into a pan and cover the whole dang thing with so much streusel. Don’t be shy. You don’t want a single piece to get left out! I spread it really generously.
• The photo in this post got about an extra 1/2 cup more streusel after the picture was taken. I just needed to give the beautiful orange filling a chance to peek out!
• Bake for about 45 minutes at 375, or until the streusel is golden and fragrant. The streusel bakes into this beautiful crust layer on top. It. Is. Divine.

NOTES

• The sweet potato mixture can be made in advance up to a day or two. When you’re ready to cook, take it out of the refrigerator and come to room temperature for about an hour.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE FOR BREAKFAST OR DINNER 

This fancy side dish is good for dinner warm, or even cold as a breakfast dessert. As in, eating desserts that somehow socially pass for breakfast (donuts, cinnamon rolls, bread pudding, pancakes, waffles, crepes, rice pudding, cake, etc.)

Oh, you don’t eat leftover cake for breakfast? Just me?

PECAN STREUSEL FOR SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Last question: marshmallows or no marshmallows on sweet potatoes? I’m on team STREUSEL! My recipe has a super thick and crisp topping, chock full of pecans and butter! It’s not wimpy at all.

I made a little too much (again, not complaining!) I’m going to save it and use it as a streusel topping for muffins later. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel

My sweet potato casserole has a soft and smooth sweet potato filling, topped with a hearty and crunchy pecan streusel.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 558kcal

Author: Lisa Childs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 5 large sweet potatoes washed and quartered (see notes)
• ½ cup butter
• ½ – ¾ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs beaten

Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel

• ½ cup butter melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup flour
• 1½ cup pecans chopped
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pour water into the Instant Pot.
• Add sweet potatoes to a steamer basket, and place the basket in the Instant Pot. Alternatively, place the sweet potato quarters on a trivet.
• Lock the lid, turn the knob to Sealing, and cook on Manual High pressure for 35 minutes*.
• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Prepare streusel in the last couple minutes of pressure cooking by combining all ingredients in a bowl and mixing to combine.
• Turn the knob on the Instant Pot lid to Venting and perform a quick release.
• Lift the basket out of the instant Pot and place on a plate or towel. Drain the dirty water out of the Instant Pot liner and rinse or wash. Return the liner to the Instant Pot base and add the butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
• Using a paring knife, carefully peel the sweet potatoes and return back to the Instant Pot on top of the butter. The residual heat will melt the butter. Using a hand mixer or potato masher, blend sweet potatoes until fluffy and creamy. Add the beaten eggs while mixing to combine.
• Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray, and spread the mixture evenly.
• Add a generous layer of the streusel topping and bake for 30-35 minutes until the streusel is firm and golden.
• Let cool for 10 minutes to set, and enjoy.

PRODUCTS WE LOVE

• MY COOKBOOK! The “I Love My Instant Pot®” Cooking for One Recipe Book
• Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Sterilizer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart, 14 One-Touch Programs
• 717 Industries Steamer Basket, Stainless Steel Mesh Strainer Compatible Instant Pot Other Pressure Cookers, Fits 6 & 8 Quart Pots (Grey Silicone Handle)

NOTES

• Sweet potatoes vary tremendously in size. I use 4-6 sweet potatoes for this dish and measure about 8 cups of total cooked sweet potato before adding any additional ingredients.
• *Depending on how large your sweet potato quarters are, they may cook anywhere from 20-40 minutes in the Instant Pot. Try to keep your sweet potato chunks as uniform as possible, and a maximum of 1½ inches thick.
• The sweet potato mixture can be made in advance up to a day or two. When you’re ready to cook, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about an hour. Top with the streusel, and bake for 40-50 minutes or until heated through and the streusel is golden. If it starts getting too browned, place a piece of foil on top while it finishes cooking through.

• Make sure you buy orange sweet potatoes, not the tan colored yams that live right by them in the grocery store. Sometimes I scratch a tiny bit of the skin off to double check.
• If you don’t want to use your hand mixer in the Instant Pot, you can do everything in a large bowl after pressure cooking the sweet potatoes.
• This recipe can be halved and baked in an 8×8 or 9×9 dish.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1g | Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 403mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 34g

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