Why You Should Stop Putting Marshmallows on Your Sweet Potato Casserole

For as long as I can remember, my sister Karen has been in charge of making sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. Creamy sweet potatoes topped with gooey marshmallows that are slightly burnished. Three years ago, she broke with tradition and ditched the marshmallows.

Though some of our family members were initially taken aback, they were quickly won over, and now, my family won’t have it any other way. We ditched the marshmallows, and you should too.

The Best Way To Make Sweet Potato Casserole Without Marshmallows

I get it ... marshmallows, to many, are pure nostalgia. They taste like childhood. But that nostalgic sweetness comes with a few ingredients most people don’t think about. Many brands of marshmallows have artificial flavoring and coloring—they don’t get that white without the help of food dyes.

Plus, the sugar rush from one bite of sweet potatoes and marshmallows is intense. Sweet potatoes, if you cook them right, don’t need more sugar. Roasting is the best way to bring out the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes—they’re going to taste naturally like candy.

Preheat your oven to 400°F, and poke a few holes in whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes with a fork. Toss them on a baking sheet and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, depending on their size. Let them cool until they're safe to handle. The peels should be easy to pull off with your hands. They're now ready to mash for the casserole.

My sister Karen’s secret, besides roasting the sweet potatoes, is scraping a vanilla bean into the mashed sweet potatoes. She adds butter and a touch of cream or milk, and warms the casserole in the oven right before serving. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of scraping a vanilla bean pod, you can use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.

This sweet potato casserole tastes like sweet potato pie without the crust. It's irresistible, and my whole family adores it. No one misses the fluff on top, and I've watched people ask my sister Karen for the recipe every year since she's made sweet potato casserole this way.

A Sweet Alternative to Marshmallows

If you think you'll crave the fluff on top of your sweet potato casserole, may I suggest a meringue? You can toast the top of the meringue, and it has a similar texture as marshmallow, but it tastes better, and it's arguably better for you.

It’s also not that difficult to make. You just need egg whites, granulated sugar, plus a touch of cream of tartar and vanilla extract. Whisk six or seven egg whites in a stand mixer until they form soft peaks. Add a cup of sugar, a little bit at a time, until hard peaks form—they'll hold their shape if you turn the bowl upside down. Then, whisk in the cream of tartar and vanilla.

To make it look pretty, you can pipe the meringue on top of the sweet potatoes. It will look similar to a traditional marshmallow topping, but it will taste so much better.

If that’s too much trouble, sprinkle some brown sugar on top of the sweet potatoes, then brûlée it in the broiler or with a torch. You'll get an extra touch of sweetness and nostalgia.