Ready to take your sweet potato casserole up a notch this year? This Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole features airy and pillowy mashed maple sweet potato topped with baked apples and finished with a crunchy-crisp crumble top.
Listen, I love all the nostalgic Thanksgiving dishes, and a classic Sweet Potato Casserole with the traditional marshmallow top is definitely delicious, but I’ve always found it to be a little lacking when it comes to texture.
The baked apples give a little bit of freshness and bite, while the crumble top lends a crispy finish transforming your typically mushy casserole into a side dish that is delicious enough to stand on its own.
So, if you’re ready to uplevel your Holiday side dishes this year, grab some apples and oats, and let’s make this sweet potato casserole without marshmallows.
And for more epic classics with a twist, check out this list of Every Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipe You Need in 2024.
Sweet Potato Apple Casserole Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Sweet Potatoes.
- Unsalted butter. Salted works in a pinch, just omit the added salt (listed below).
- Light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar also works.
- Old Fashioned oats.
- All-purpose flour.
- Cinnamon.
- Milk. Any unsweetened, unflavored milk works, dairy or not!
- Maple syrup.
- Salt.
- Apples. Any sweet apple variety works, but I highly recommend SweeTango.
How to Make Apple Sweet Potato Casserole
Prep First
Start by preheating the oven and bringing 10 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Peel your sweet potatoes, then chop into roughly equal-sized chunks. This will just help speed up the boiling time.
Boil the sweet potatoes until fork-tender.
Prep your butter by setting 2 tablespoons aside for the mashed sweet potato. The other 6 tablespoons will be used in the crumble mixture. Dice the 6 tablespoons into small cubes so you can easily cut it into the crumble topping.
How to Make a Simple Crumble Top
Add the brown sugar, oats, flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the cubed butter to a large mixing bowl. Then, use a pastry cutter or clean hands to work the butter into the dough.
You should end up with a crumbly mixture that is light brown in color. Continue to work it until there is no excess flour in the bowl.
Set the mixture aside until you are ready to assemble your casserole.
How to Make Maple Sweet Potato Mash
Once the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, strain the water and add them to a large mixing bowl. Try not to get any excess water into the bowl with the potatoes, you don’t want the mash to be watery.
Use a potato masher or large fork to mash the sweet potatoes until there are no chunks. Once mashed, add the 2 tablespoons of butter, milk, maple syrup, remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt.
Use a hand mixer on high to whip until the butter is melted and everything is well-combined. The mashed potatoes should be smooth and airy.
Slice Your Yes! Apples
As a sustainability conscious cook, I love to support brands that prioritize sustainable practices.
Yes! Apples is woman-owned, family-farmed, and sustainably-driven. They partner with experienced growers throughout the state of New York to bring their customers fresh and delicious apples!
Yes! Apples participates in 1% for the Planet, in which they donate 1 percent of proceeds from selected sales to environmental organizations across the globe!
In this Sweet Potato and Apple recipe, I used the SweeTango® variety, which is both sweet and tangy with hints of citrus, honey, and spice.
The tasting notes are bright and nutty, with undertones of rose and caramel, making them perfectly complimentary to the sweet potatoes!
SweeTango® apples are available from September to February and can be found at a retailer near you or can be purchased directly from their website and delivered to your home.
Once your mashed sweet potato and crumble top mixture is ready, slice the apples thin around the core. I usually get about 14 slices per apple.
I usually work quickly enough to slice the apples and add them to the casserole before the slices start to brown. However, if you like to take your time and are worried about the slices turning brown, toss the slices in a bit of lemon juice as you go.
This post is sponsored by Yes! Apples.
How to Assemble a Sweet Potato Casserole with Apple
Once all of your components are ready, it’s time to assemble your casserole! Use a 9×13-inch casserole dish and start with a layer of sweet potato mash. Use a spatula to spread it out in a roughly even layer.
Next, add a layer of sliced apple. Finally, top with the crumble mixture. Use your hands to spread the crumble topping out as uniformly as possible.
Then, bake the casserole on the top rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes, until the crumble top is golden brown and crispy to touch.
Preparing Your Casserole Ahead and Storing & Reheating Your Leftovers
This unique sweet potato casserole with crumble top will last covered in the fridge or in an airtight container for about 5 days.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight before reheating.
The best way to reheat this casserole is in the oven. The amount you are reheating will dictate how long it takes to reheat, ranging from 8 minutes for a single serving to 30 minutes for the whole casserole at 350°F.
You can make both the sweet potato and crumble top up to 3 days ahead of time. When you’re ready to bake, place the sweet potato in the baking dish, slice the apples fresh, layer them on top, and pour the prepped crumble mixture on top.
Why I’m Obsessed with this Unique Sweet Potato Casserole
- The textures. This new twist on the sweet potato casserole takes a side dish that is usually mushy, and transforms it into a symphony of textures between the airy potato, tender baked apples, and crispy crumble top.
- The addition of apple. The addition of fresh apple not only adds a lot of welcomed flavors, but also a beautiful color, tantalizing aroma, and of course, the already mentioned introduced texture to enhance each bite.
- The better-than-marshmallow top. If you’re not a fan of the sticky marshmallow top of a traditional sweet potato pie, you will undoubtably view the apple crumble top as an immediate upgrade. And if you do like the marshmallow top, I encourage you to give this a try just for a fun new option!
Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole with Crumble Top
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Potato Masher optional
- Pastry Cutter optional
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potato (2 lbs usually = 3 large sweet potatoes)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (½ cup = 1 stick)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup Old Fashioned oats
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup milk of choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 whole SweeTango Apples (or any sweet variety of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water to a rolling boil. Peel and chop your sweet potatoes into chunks to speed up cooking time. Set 2 tablespoons of butter aside and cut the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter into small cubes, about 1-inch wide. Boil the sweet potatoes until fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, oats, flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter or clean hands to cut the butter into the mixture. This will be your crumble top. Set it aside for later.
- Once the sweet potato is fork-tender, drain the water and add them to a large mixing bowl. Try to avoid excess water from the boiling process in the bowl. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes until free from chunks.
- To the bowl with the sweet potato, add the milk, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt. Use a hand mixer to whip until well-combined.
- Transfer the mashed sweet potato to a 9×13-inch casserole dish (ceramic or glass preferred) and use a spatula to smooth out into an even layer.
- Slice the apples thin and remove the core. I usually get about 14 slices per apple. If you work quickly, the apples won't brown. However, if you like to work at a slower pace, you may want to periodically coat the sliced apple in lemon juice to avoid them browning. Add the apple slices in an even layer on top of the sweet potato.
- Pour the crumble mixture on top of the apples and use your hands to spread it out as evenly as possible.
- Bake on the top rack for 45-55 minutes until crumble top is crunchy and golden-brown. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- This Apple Sweet Potato Casserole will last covered in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
