She was a master fisherman and skilled squirrel hunter. The woman could can anything, grow anything, and cook anything. It’s been rumored that the meringue on her banana pudding was the highest in 3 counties.
I was fortunate enough to know her and Jack was lucky enough to meet his great, great grandmother before she died. That in itself is something most folks never get to do. Her house was always warm and comfortable and an afghan was always close enough to grab if you got a chill. She loved tending the flowers in her yard and was quite fond of the bright colors of her bandanas – or lantana as the rest of the world knows it.
She was just precious. Absolutely precious. And was the glue that held the family together. And we miss her.
But one of the amazing things that food can do is keep us connected to folks like our sweet Big Mama when we keep their recipes on our tables. This recipe for Sweet Potato Pudding is one of the many amazing dishes that she made and one that I’m now fortunate enough to be able to share with y’all.
It’s a lot like my Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Praline Topping but with fewer ingredients and simpler flavors. She just called it pudding, so that’s what we call it. It’s pretty easy and is filled with just a few ingredients that allow the sweet potato to be the real star.
Her recipe didn’t call for the marshmallows on top, but I think the combination is a match made in heaven, so I added them. Feel free to be authentic and leave them off if you wish. Y’all enjoy.
Looking for my Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Praline Topping recipe? 
Recipe Card
Big Mama's Sweet Potato Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch (or thereabouts) cubes. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Heat to boiling and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the potatoes, allow to cool slightly, and mash well.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes with the sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes or until slightly set.
Notes
We love this dish so much! I’ve been making it for about three years now, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it has replaced my other sweet potato casserole dish. I don’t make hardly any changes, just a dash of cinnamon, and I put a large jar of marshmallow cream on top, instead of marshmallows. So delicious!
I love marshmallow cream! That sounds delicious! Glad to hear y’all have enjoyed it!
Made this the last 3 or 4 years for thanksgiving and it’s always a favorite! Thank you!
Glad to hear you’ve gotten some greta use out of this recipe. I know Heather’s Big Mama would be proud!
I make this every Thanksgiving, about 4lbs, but, I don’t use regular sugar I use dark brown sugar. I never use milk or the eggs. I do put 1 tsp of ginger along with the vanilla extract.
I bake it like you and add the marshmallows before serving as you stated. For some reason the ginger adds a real nice flavor. What is the purpose of the eggs in this recipe.
The eggs make the pudding a bit lighter.
Can I use canned sweet potatoes, and if so, how much? Thanks.
I have not done that but it seems as though it should work just fine! Two 15 to 16 oz. cans should give you what you need. Note that sometimes they come in heavy syrup so you might not need to add the sugar that is in the recipe.
I have made this for years and everyone loves it. I do add some pecans to the mix though and cut down on the sugar a little. Great recipe!!
Thanks so much, Bill!
I haven’t been a member of your website for too long now. But, I love what I’m seeing! I opened your email today for Sweet Corn Spoon Bread and wiggled my way to your website. Underneath the recipe you sent were two additional choices. When I saw the name Big Mama — my eyes just watered up.
My Mom grew up in Douglas, Alabama with the rest of her relatives close by or a little farther down the road to Guntersville or Birmingham or lots of other places.
My Mom was tired of being a small town girl and moved to the big city of Nashville, Tennessee. I don’t know why she chose Nashville, but it wasn’t to become a country music star.
Cutting this story short — there’s five of us kids and I’m in the middle. We went to Douglas a lot of times through the year (it was only a four hour drive). Then when school got out for the Summer, we went down and some of us stayed and helped on the farm. I loved it!
My Mom’s parents — Big Daddy and Big Mama (both on the skinny side). We called my Mom’s Grandma (Big Mama’s side), Grandma Miller and she lived just down the road. A majority of my Mom’s kinfolks are buried in the Douglas Cemetery. Last time I was there, we buried my Mom, and that was over ten years ago. They still had only one traffic light that blinked yellow.
Thank you for sparking my Big Mama’s memories and I can’t wait to make this recipe! ❤
So sweet! Those Big Mamas were special people!
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Glad to hear it!
Can this be made a day before thanksgiving and then cooked on thanksgiving?
Yes, that should work just fine. Enjoy!
Hi Stacey, I’m intrigued by the fact that there is no butter in this recipe. There certainly are a lot of rich foods already at the holidays so I’ll bet the butter isn’t missed here. It also seems that there is twice the amount of sweet potatoes called for as other recipes you can find online but with almost the same proportion of the other ingredients. In other words, I think the flavor of the sweet potatoes would really shine through. I’ll have to try this!
It’s certainly a different take on the classic sweet potato casserole recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
My great-grandmother was called “Big Mama”, too, but I don’t remember too much about her, except that she always smelled like lemons, and I used to have coddled eggs and “milk tea” with her for breakfast when I was just a wee sprout.
This recipe sounds very similar to my sweet potato pie filling recipe, minus the spices and melted butter. I’m not a fan of marshmallows, so I think I’d prefer Big Mama’s original version, but I will admit they sure look pretty on the top of your version!
Thanks, Elizabeth! And I just LOVE the sentiment that your Big Mama always smelled like lemons. So sweet! Thanks for sharing!
I’m making this dish for Easter dinner, can I mix the sweet potatoes once cooked so they won’t be stringy?
Sure! 🙂
Yes!! Don’t know how I overlooked this easy Sweet Potato recipe in the prior years of hanging around your site, Stacey but this is the one. A short ingredients list and a requisite topping of browned mini-marshmallows. Simplicity at its finest. Thank you. ❤️
You’re so welcome!! Enjoy!
I mention of adding the marshmallows??
Did I miss something??
The paragraph above the recipe card has the info you’re looking for. Bigmama’s recipe didn’t call for marshmallows.
Hi, Stacey
I had asked you about traveling with sweet potato pudding after I browned the marshmellows. Wanted to let you know it worked out great! By the time I sat it on the warming tray at my daughter ‘s, the puffy effect was gone but it still looked good and tasted great. Thanks for your vote of confidence. .
Regina
Wonderful! So glad it turned out well for you!
Thx Stacey I will be trying this out today. Having a group to prepare for and getting a head start. I think you can freeze this too. Thx for the easy recipe. Blessings!!!!
Hope everyone loves it!
This sounds delicious! Can it be made ahead and frozen?
You can make the pudding and freeze without the marshmallows, then just add them when you bake it.
Stacey,
Thanks for the input. I will let you know how I make out. I have been making this for close to 30yrs but this an unusual situation this year. No matter what happens to marshmallows, I know it will be good but it may not be as perfect looking! We’ll see .
Regina
Agreed! It’ll taste great!
Love this but want to try something new this year. I want to go start to finish, meaning browning marshmallows, then transport it for 40 min and then put on warming tray for an hour. Reason for this is very limited oven space at my daughter ‘s. I know I can keep it warm but will marshmallows hold up.
If it stays warm, they should be fine. They’ll get really soft, but shouldn’t melt completely.
Thanks Stacy, I will be trying these , out on my family, it all looks good.
Hope y’all enjoy!
And what is in a name. I would call this sweet potato souffle , but no matter—let’s just call it good or as my husband used to say call me anything except late to supper.
Yes! I couldn’t agree more! 🙂
Hey Stacey, I made your Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pecans yesterday. It was great & I will be making it again when I want sweet potatoes. Thanks for sharing.
Christine,
Center Point, AL
So glad it turned out well for you, Christine! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!