Sweet potato soufflé with canned yams is an easy holiday side made with two cans of Bruce’s Cut Yams in Syrup, drained and mashed with butter, eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. The sweet potato base bakes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then a buttery brown sugar pecan praline goes on top, and it bakes 10 more minutes. You cook the praline on the stovetop while the souffle bakes, so the whole thing takes about an hour from start to finish.
My mom always bought canned yams for her sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of those special dishes that was part of our holiday traditions. After we moved from Indiana to Georgia, we were given pecans as a holiday gift, and that’s when she got the idea to swap the marshmallows for a pecan praline topping. Now I’m the one making Thanksgiving for my own family, and this is still on our table every year.
Main Ingredients Needed For Sweet Potato Souffle Canned Yams
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
Sweet Potato Soufflé
- Bruce’s Cut Yams in SyrupTwo of the 29-ounce cans make up the base, and I reach for them because it saves me the step of cooking sweet potatoes. It’s the same canned shortcut behind any sweet potato casserole with canned yams. Skip the candied yams, because they’re too sweet for this soufflé, and drain the cut yams well before you mash them so the base isn’t watery. If you’d rather use fresh sweet potatoes, I’ve shared how in the variations below.
- Granulated sugarThis sweetens the base, since you drain the syrup off the yams before you mash them.
- EggsBeat them first. They give the souffle its structure as it bakes.
- MilkThis loosens the mashed yams so the base beats up smooth.
Praline Topping
- Unsalted butter: Melted in a saucepan, this is the start of the praline sauce.
- Light brown sugar: Stirred into the melted butter, this is what turns the sauce into a praline.
- Heavy cream: This simmers the praline down into a slightly thickened sauce.
- Pecans: Chop them lightly before they go into the sauce. Salted pecans give it a real praline flavor.
How To Make Sweet Potato Souffle Canned Yams
This souffle bakes up smooth and sweet, with a buttery brown sugar pecan praline on top instead of marshmallows.
Tips and Variations for This Sweet Potato Souffle Recipe
Here’s what I’d tell you if you were standing in my kitchen:
- Keep an eye on the praline: Once it comes to a boil, turn it down to a hard simmer, which means steady bubbles across the whole surface, not just around the edges. I use a whisk and stir it about every 30 seconds, because it can stick and scorch if you don’t.
- Toast the pecans: I really find toasting makes them taste better.
If you want extra salted pecans for snacking, my Roasted Buttery Pecans are an easy batch.
Once you’ve made it the classic way, here’s one swap I’ve tested:
- Use fresh sweet potatoes: Use about 6 cups of cooked, peeled, mashed sweet potatoes in place of the two cans of yams. You can microwave them, bake them and scoop out the center, or peel them and boil them.
Make Ahead Sweet Potato Souffle With Canned Yams
Yes, this sweet potato souffle canned yams recipe can be done mostly the day before. I make the souffle base and bake it the full 30 minutes, then keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator, and I toast the pecans that day too, just to save myself some time. On Thanksgiving, I set the souffle out for about 20 minutes so it isn’t fridge cold, then it goes in the oven to heat all the way through. I always make the praline sauce right before it goes on, since it can crystallize once it cools; then I spoon it over the top, and the souffle goes back in for 10 more minutes.
If you’re getting the rest of the holiday table done ahead too, my Make Ahead Dressing Recipes For Thanksgiving is a good next stop.
Questions When Making Sweet Potato Souffle Canned Yams
Yes, the canned yams sold in most US grocery stores are sweet potatoes. USDA rules require a product labeled “yams” to also say “sweet potatoes,” and the Bruce’s can I use reads Yams Cut Sweet Potatoes in Syrup. So you’re getting the same sweet potato flavor you’d get from a fresh one, just already cooked and soft.
If you make this sweet potato souffle recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below. It means a lot, and it helps other readers find the recipe.
Sweet Potato Souffle Canned Yams
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Souffle
- 2 cans Bruce's Cut Yams in Syrup, (29 ounces each) drained and mashed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Cooking spray
Praline Topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pecans, lightly chopped
Instructions
Get Started
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly spray the baking dish with cooking spray.Cooking spray
Make the Souffle Base
- Add the drained, mashed yams, granulated sugar, beaten eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a large bowl.2 cans Bruce's Cut Yams in Syrup, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until heated through.
Make the Praline Topping
- While the souffle bakes, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Add the brown sugar and stir until smooth.1/2 cup light brown sugar
- Stir in the heavy cream and salt.1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a hard simmer (steady bubbles across the whole surface, not just around the edges).
- Simmer for 4 minutes, whisking about every 30 seconds so the praline doesn’t stick, until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat.
- Spread the chopped pecans on the rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.1/2 cup pecans
- Let the pecans cool slightly, then stir them into the praline sauce.
Finish the Souffle
- Spoon the praline topping evenly over the baked sweet potato souffle.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the praline is hot and bubbly.
- Serve hot.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Toast the pecans first. Salted pecans give the praline a real praline flavor.
- Bake the souffle base for the full 30 minutes, then cover tightly and refrigerate.
- Toast the pecans the day before to save time.
- The next day, set the souffle out for about 20 minutes to take the chill off.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until heated all the way through, which may take about 10 minutes since it started cool.
- Make the praline topping fresh, since it crystallizes as it cools, then spoon it over the souffle and bake for 10 more minutes.
- Use about 6 cups of cooked, peeled, mashed sweet potatoes in place of the two cans of yams.
- Microwave them, bake them and scoop out the center, or peel and boil them.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
- This souffle does not freeze well, so it is best not to freeze it.
- Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or warm the entire dish in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes.
- Check the center with a food thermometer, and keep heating until it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Equipment
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A Southern Comfort Night is where a side like this belongs, with the table full of the dishes everybody grew up on and bowls being passed family style. Because the souffle can be baked the day before, it’s done long before the doorbell rings, which means you can hand a friend a glass of tea at the door instead of hovering over the stove. Set out a stack of small plates and a few extra serving spoons, and ask each guest to bring her family’s favorite Southern side, maybe a Sweet and Savory Southern Pineapple Casserole, so the table fills itself. I think about how Martha was distracted with much serving in Luke 10:40, and how a little planning ahead keeps us from missing the people sitting right in front of us. The point of the evening is the company, not the cooking, and a make-ahead dish is one way we make room for that. So think of the friends you’d love to pull up a chair for, light a few candles, and let your table be a small picture of the welcome Christ has given us.
