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Fluffy cinnamon-spiced sweet potatoes get topped with a delightfully crunchy crushed pecan topping to make the most epic Air Fryer sweet potato casserole ever! This delicious holiday side comes together in under 20 minutes in your Air Fryer, and is a great swap for your classic green bean casserole.

Best of all, you can prep this ahead of time too (just like my Air Fryer apple tart), which makes it perfect for holiday cooking!

This sweet potato casserole is by FAR one of my favorite holiday recipes. Every year I make this holiday side dish and it’s always one of the first things to disappear from the table.

If you haven’t seen our other holiday dishes, you can find recipes such as Air Fryer Pecan Pie, Air Fryer Apple Pie, and among others!

Quick Look At This Recipe

✨ Flavor: Sweet, creamy and earthy.

⏱️ Prep time: 5 minutes.

🔥 Cook time: 10 minutes.

⏲️ Total time: 15 minutes.

👥 Servings: 6 servings.

🥄 Tools: Air Fryer, 7″ springform pan.

❄️ Freezer friendly: No.

👩🏻‍🍳 Tip: To lend a the sweet potato casserole a deeper, caramel-like flavor, use dark brown sugar instead of white sugar.

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Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • With just 10 minutes of prep time, you’ll be able to whip up this delicious holiday side/dessert in your Air Fryer- just like my Air Fryer pecan pie.
  • The casserole captures the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes, the delicate spice from the cinnamon and the crunch from the pecans.
  • You can make it up to a couple of days ahead of time- perfect for holiday cooking!
Pic of Jen Gamble

Recipe Ingredients

  • Sweet potato yams: I used canned sweet potato yams here.
  • Pecans: Fresh pecans, for the crunchy topping. You can also use my Air Fryer sugared pecans for some extra flavor.
  • Egg: For the moisture and richness.
  • Vanilla extract: For that sweet aroma.
  • Ground cinnamon: To lend those beautiful spicy fall flavors to the sweet potato casserole.
  • Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar. You can also use brown sugar if you want to.
  • Heavy cream: For that rich, creamy and luxurious filly.
  • Butter: Unsalted butter, softened.

See recipe card for quantities.

Variations

  • Need to make this dairy-free? Swap the heavy cream in the recipe for full fat coconut milk and use vegan butter instead of regular butter.
  • For extra flavor, swap the ground cinnamon in the recipe for some homemade pumpkin pie spice.
  • You can also lend the casserole a bit of a spicy kick by swapping the classic pecans with some Air Fryer spiced pecans.

How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients in a a bowl to make sweet potato casserole
  1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine yams, egg, salt, cinnamon, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and egg. Use a potato masher to mash the ingredients and stir to mix well.
Pecans in a food processor to be crumbled into a pecan topping.
  1. Crush the pecans in a food processor until they’re coarse.
sweet potato casserole in the basket of the air fryer, ready to cook.
  1. Transfer the sweet potato mixture into a 7″ springform pan. Top with a generous sprinkle of the pecans.
cooked sweet potato casserole in the air fryer basket
  1. Carefully place the 7″ springform pan into the Air Fryer basket. Air fry at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Pair your air fried sweet potato casserole with Thanksgiving classics like Air Fryer ham or my favorite Air Fryer turkey legs– which are perfect to make when you’re hosting a small gathering.

You can also team it up with other fall sweet treats like Air Fryer apple pie bombs, Air Fryer peach cobbler and Air Fryer monkey bread.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • All Air Fryers cook differently. If you are using an Air Fryer that’s from what I’m using, you may need to adjust the cooking time slightly.
  • Carefully remove the springform pan from the Air Fryer and allow the casserole to firm up a bit before serving.
  • If you don’t have pecans, try using walnuts instead- they have a similar crunchy texture and incredible flavor that works well with this recipe.
  • Want to go nut-free? Use a streusel topping instead– or even better- use a mixture of old fashioned oats, ground cinnamon, butter, sugar and a little flour- just like I did for my Air Fryer apple crisp recipe– and use that instead.
  • Got a few extra minutes? Whip up some Air Fryer pumpkin spice pecans to use as a topping instead of plain pecans. Plus, you get to enjoy the leftovers as a snack!

Recipe FAQs

I can add a marshmallow topping to the Air Fryer sweet potato casserole?

Yes, you can. Marshmallows are light and fluffy and can blow up into the heating element. To prevent this, use jarred marshmallow fluff, or push the marshmallows into the casserole so that they don’t fly around while air frying.

How do I store leftover sweet potato casserole?

Store leftover sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How do I reheat leftover Air Fryer sweet potato casserole?

Reheat the leftover casserole in the Air Fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2-3 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through.

More Air Fryer Dessert Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR ⭐️ RATING in the COMMENTS 📝 SECTION below.

Sweet Potato Casserole made in the air fryer with a scoop missing.
5 from 3 votes
Servings: 6

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Casserole

This gourmet Air Fryer Sweet Potato Casserole is made with sweet yams, sugar, cinnamon, pecans, butter, and more. It's a delicious holiday side dish that's made in half the time with the air fryer.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
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Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients 

  • 29 ounce sweet potato yams, drained
  • 3/4 cup pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Instructions 

  • Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Place the sweet potatoes into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the salt, butter, egg, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, white sugar, and heavy cream. Mix thoroughly for one minute.
  • Place the pecans in a food processor.  Chop the pecans until they are small and easy to sprinkle.
  • Take the sweet potato mixture and place in a prepared 7” springform pan.  Cover the top with the chopped pecans.  
  • Place the springform pan into the air fryer basket. Air fry for 10-12 minutes or until the topping is browned.

Notes

  • You may need to adjust the cooking time by a few minutes if you’re using a different Air Fryer than I am. 
  • Let the sweet potato casserole cool down for a few minutes before you serve.
  • Use walnuts if you don’t have pecans. 

Nutrition

Calories: 462kcal, Carbohydrates: 82g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 122mg, Potassium: 1184mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 43g, Vitamin A: 389IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 40mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Jen Gamble

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5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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1 Comment

  1. Abby Williams says:

    5 stars
    First few times making this, allow more than 5 minutes to prepare dish for oven. Also cook sweet potatoes before skinning & mashing.

    Reply