This southern sweet potato pudding recipe is made the old fashioned way and baked until golden brown. It’s an easy dessert that’s perfect for the holidays.
This easy southern baked sweet potato pudding recipe is made the old-fashioned way. Sweet potatoes are the base of a naturally sweet dessert that’s perfect for the fall, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Tater bread … like Grandma made
If you know me at all, you know that I have a pretty serious love affair with sweet potatoes. I reminisced over one of my favorite treats from my grandma’s kitchen. I loved waking up to the thick cinnamon-sweet aroma of sweet potatoes baking into what grandma called “tater bread.”
Now before you start thinking about loaf pans and flour, there’s no actual bread involved. Grandma’s tater bread was more like a baked sweet potato pudding. It was a blend of pureed sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs and milk baked until the edges turned golden brown. Simple and delicious.
Although my grandma is not able to walk me through how she made her original “tater bread” today, I am grateful to have spent time with her learning. If only I’d known how valuable that time was as a child – I would have taken notes.
Though this is not sweet potato casserole or souffle, it has all of the flavors.
Is this like sweet potato casserole?
The version of the recipe I’m sharing today is a little lighter than a traditional sweet potato casserole. Instead of a stick of butter, three tablespoons does the trick.
Roasting brings out the natural sugars in the sweet potatoes, so I cut the sugar in half. I use plenty of spices to add that warm, inviting flavor and aroma.
This one also skips the marshmallows. So, maybe this one is not really that close to casserole anyway. But it’s still delicious.
To make this recipe without eggs or milk, try my Vegan Sweet Potato Pudding in Jars.
Best sweet potatoes for pudding
As a Carolina girl, I’m partial to North Carolina sweet potatoes. The thin skin and sweet flesh make them perfect for roasting. But you can likely use orange-flesh potato. I prefer to make this recipe in the fall when sweet potatoes tend to have the best flavor.
Also, one of the best ways to make this recipe is with leftover sweet potatoes. Simply mash or blend the leftover cooked sweet potatoes with the other ingredients and bake!
I make this dish every Thanksgiving and Christmas and anytime I have some extra mashed sweet potatoes hanging out in the fridge.
Tips for success
- Bake the sweet potatoes with the skin on for easy clean-up and a rich, caramelized flavor.
- You can roast the sweet potatoes up to 3 days in advance.
- Adjust the sugar in the recipe according to how sweet your potatoes are.
- This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover sweet potatoes.
This was the original photo for this recipe years ago. I have since updated the photos as you can see above.
Twice Baked Sweet Potato Pudding
Ingredients
- 1-1½ lbs. sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tablespoon butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Prepare a small casserole dish with cooking spray, butter or oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Roast the potatoes at 400°F in a single layer on a sheet pan for an hour, or until fork-tender. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Reset the oven to 350°F.
- Once cool enough to handle, peel and lightly mash the sweet potatoes in a medium mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer or heavy whisk, mix the softened butter into the mashed sweet potatoes until well blended.Add the remaining ingredients to the sweet potatoes. Mix until smooth. Pour the sweet potato pudding mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Bake at 350ºF for 35 minutes or just until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm as is or with a drizzle of maple syrup and pecans.
Notes
- Bake the sweet potatoes with the skin on for easy clean-up and a rich, caramelized flavor.
- You can roast the sweet potatoes up to 3 days in advance.
- Adjust the sugar in the recipe according to how sweet your potatoes are.
- This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover sweet potatoes.
- This recipe is kind of like sweet potato casserole but without the toppings. It's also similar to sweet potato souffle but with fewer eggs.
Micki Haubold
This is the easiest and best method to make Grandma’s pudding!! I added the nuts and syrup in the last 4 minutes. Delicious
Deborah
Can this pudding be frozen? Please respond ASAP. Thank you
Marisa Moore
Yes. It can be frozen after it’s baked. Reheat, covered with foil in the oven at 300 until heated through.
Jules
Can you make it ahead and bake the next day? Wasn’t sure with the eggs. Thank you!
Marisa Moore
It reheats well. So it works to prep and bake it – then reheat covered with foil the next day. (I wouldn’t prep and wait because of the eggs and possible separation.)
Amy Berger
I really enjoyed this recipe. The only change I made is to reduce the brown sugar to 1/4 cup.
Sandra Udle
An absolutely amazing pudding. I’ve been making this for years and it’s become a staple dish I make all through the year.
Paula
Omg!!!! So delicious!!! So easy!!!
It’s a few days from the first day of Autumn, and this is the perfect recipe for an early Autumn Sunday afternoon!!!
Thankyou!!!
Deb
This recipe is delicious. Wondering how well it would freeze and the best way to do it. Happy Thanksgiving.
Marisa Moore
Hi! Happy Thanksgiving! I definitely prefer it freshly made but you can freeze it once it’s baked. You can cut leftovers into squares or freeze a full pan in a freezer-to-oven safe baking pan. Then, I’d cover with foil and reheat in the oven until heated through.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
There is no recipe out there that can beat a sweet potato recipe 😉
Katie Serbinski
I’m the only one who eats sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving— so I think I’ll be using YOUR recipe!! Can’t wait to keep it to myself 😉
Emily @ Zen & Spice
Ohh, yum! What a great use for sweet potatoes!