Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Oh man, where do I begin? This Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole is made with creamy sweet potatoes and spices, and then topped with a gluten-free pecan crumble. The top crumble layer has the perfect crunch, and the bottom layer is perfectly creamy, so the textures for this dish are on point. Can you tell that I’m excited to share this recipe with you? 

One of the reasons why I love this particular recipe is because of its simplicity, and because we are using real, whole food ingredients without any added fillers or fake ingredients, which means that this is one Thanksgiving dish that you can eat and enjoy, that not only tastes fantastic, it will leave you feeling fantastic too!  

And if you want to take this recipe to the next level, how about adding some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top? OMGEEEEEEE, right?!

Ingredients in this Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Would you take a look at this ingredient list? We’ve need only EIGHT simple ingredients to make this restaurant-quality casserole. And, if you want to prepare this dish ahead of time, keep reading, I will tell you exactly what to do.

1. Sweet potatoes – for this recipe, you need about 2 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes (the orange ones!). That’s usually about 4 medium sized ones!
2. Maple syrup – this recipe calls for maple syrup, both for that fall-like maple-y taste, but also because it adds the perfect sweetness without being over the top. If you prefer another sweetener, feel free to experiment.
3. Butter – I love using butter in this recipe, because it gives the potatoes extra creaminess, but you can feel free to use vegan butter, ghee, or an oil of choice. Though if you can eat the butter, go with the butter.
4. Almond milk – the almond milk is a necessary ingredient to achieving the perfect creamy consistency of the potatoes. You can substitute the almond milk for any milk you’d like, including regular milk.
5. Cinnamon & nutmeg – would this even be a Thanksgiving dish if it didn’t have cinnamon and nutmeg? 
6. Chili powder – I decided to add just a touch of chili powder to this recipe to give it a little savory kick. I think it adds the perfect taste, and no, I promise it’s not spicy!
7. Pecans – the crumble layer is a blend of pecans and gluten-free rolled oats. I love using pecans this time of year, because pecans and Thanksgiving go together. I haven’t tried making this with walnuts, but I bet that would be a fantastic substitute.
8. Gluten-free rolled oats – for me personally, I find that gluten-free oats are easier for me to digest since the gluten is removed. However, if you don’t have any sensitivity, feel free to go with regular rolled oats. The only thing that will not work is steel cut oats.
9. Salt – a very necessary ingredient 🙂

As you can see from the preparation photos below, this dish is simple to make!

The first thing you need to do is roast the sweet potatoes, and it’s super easy to do. After you’ve washed and scrubbed the potatoes, you poke holes all over them, then line them up on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Once they have cooled, you peel the potatoes, transfer them to a food processor (or even a blender would work) and add the remaining ingredients. Blend everything together until it’s super smooth, and voila! Transfer that mixture to the casserole dish, top with the crumble topping, and bake!

The crumble topping

The crumble is also super easy to make. You just mix the crumble ingredients together in a bowl, so that everything is covered evenly. That’s it? Yeah, that’s it!

Preparation Tips

This is a fantastic recipe to prepare the day before you are going to serve it. You can prepare the entire dish the day before, and simply reheat in the oven (at 300 degrees for 20 minutes), or you can at least roast your sweet potatoes the day before, so that you speed the process up when you decide to make the full dish. 

To roast the sweet potatoes, get out a baking sheet and line it with some parchment paper, for easy clean up. Take a fork and poke holes all over each potato. Then place the potatoes onto the baking sheet and roast them at 400 degrees for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Let them cool, before removing the skin. 

Other top Thanksgiving Recipes

The Best Paleo Bacon Sausage Stuffing

The Best Creamy Green Bean Casserole

Caramelized Honey Roasted Carrots with Feta

Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars

Warm Baked Apples With Cinnamon Granola

If you this recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! This really helps other readers decide whether they are going to try this recipe too! And of course, you all know I live on Instagram, so be sure to tag me there too, so I can repost your creations!

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

5 from 2 votes

Nicole Modic

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

SERVES 8

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The creamiest and most delicious sweet potato casserole, with a gluten-free pecan crumble topping. Add this recipe to your recipe box for years to come!

Ingredients

Sweet potato layer:

• 4 medium-size sweet orange potatoes (about 2 ½ pounds)
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup almond milk (or any milk)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder

Crumble topping:

• 1 cup pecans (1/2 cup chopped and 1/2 cup whole)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Spray a 9x9 or oval casserole dish with oil, and set it aside.
• Wash and scrub sweet potatoes, and use a fork to poke holes in them.
• Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until fork tender.
• While the sweet potatoes are baking, mix the crumble ingredients in a medium-size bowl, and set it aside.
• When sweet potatoes are done, remove from the oven, and let them cool for about 15 minutes, so that you can easily peel the skins off.
• Next, add the peeled sweet potatoes to a food processor or a blender, along with the remaining sweet potato filling ingredients.
• Process until smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish.
• Add the crumble topping on top, making sure it's even.
• Cover the casserole with foil, and bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake again for another 15 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

If you do not want to peel the skins off the sweet potatoes, you don't have to! Slice the sweet potatoes in half and toss them into the food processor with the skins on.

Did you make this recipe?

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