This gluten-free sweet potato casserole recipe gets rave reviews from gluten-eaters AND gluten-free folks, alike! The creamy sweet potato filling and buttery brown sugar pecan topping are so good, no one ever guesses this classic recipe was made gluten-free.
The Classic Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe I *Always* Get Asked For!
A great gluten-free sweet potato casserole recipe is one of those iconic Thanksgiving dishes, right alongside other classics, like Gluten-Free Stuffing and Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole.
I’ve gotten asked for this recipe every time I’ve brought it to a holiday dinner, even by all our extended family who eats gluten. This is the gluten-free version of the one I grew up with, and it never misses!
Happy cooking! xo, Emily
Gather Your Ingredients
Let’s get to it! Here’s what you need to make this gluten-free sweet potato casserole with pecan topping:
How To Make Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Cook Sweet Potatoes. Place sweet potato cubes in a large pot and cover by at least 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until fork tender (potatoes will pierce easily with a fork). Drain sweet potatoes in a colander and add them to a large bowl.
- Combine. Add sugar, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Mash with a potato masher or hand mixer until no lumps remain. If needed, add 1-2 Tbsp additional milk if your mixture seems too thick. (For perfectly smooth mash, you can work in batches and puree in a food processor or blender. This is my preference!)
- Transfer. Pour the mashed sweet potato mixture into a glass or ceramic 9×13 baking dish and smooth the surface. (You can make the sweet potato casserole up to this point the day before Thanksgiving, if desired. Simply cover the baking dish and refrigerate)
- Preheat. When ready to bake the sweet potato casserole, preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Make The Pecan Topping. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, chopped pecans, gluten-free flour and softened butter. Use a hand mixer, pastry blender, or fork to mix the butter into the dry ingredients, until the flour and sugar is moist enough that clusters start to form.
- Sprinkle pecan crumble mixture on top of the sweet potato filling.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes. If pecans begin to brown too quickly, simply cover with foil again.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy warm from the oven. Store leftovers covered with plastic wrap or foil in the fridge 2-3 days. (You *can* transfer it to an airtight container, but I find the layers preserve better in the casserole dish.)
Important Tips For Thanksgiving Day!
If you’ve got multiple things in the oven (like Turkey or Stuffing), allow yourself some extra time for baking. If your oven is set to a lower temperature or full of other dishes, you’ll need to bake this closer to an hour, since the oven has to work harder to cook all those dishes at once. Be sure to watch your pecans, so they don’t burn. (I only remove the foil when there’s about 20 minutes to go.)
If you prepped in advance, make sure to pull the casserole out of the fridge before baking! For best results, remember to pull the casserole out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before adding it to the oven so it can come back up to room temperature. (Extreme temperature changes can cause glass pans to shatter, and no one wants that on Thanksgiving!)
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Sweet Potato Casserole
Make-Ahead Tips. To prep this gluten-free sweet potato casserole recipe in advance, make the sweet potato filling and pecan brown sugar streusel as directed, just store them separately in the fridge until right before baking. For best results, remember to pull the casserole out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before adding it to the oven so it can come back up to room temperature. (Extreme temperature changes can cause glass pans to shatter, and no one wants that on Thanksgiving!)
Can I Make This With Marshmallow Topping Instead? Yes! Skip the pecan topping, make the sweet potato layer, cover the pan, and bake for the first 25 minutes, as directed. Then remove foil and sprinkle one 10.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows on top for the remaining 15-20 minutes of the bake time. Keep a close eye on the casserole so it doesn’t burn, and remove it from the oven when the marshmallows are golden brown.
Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes Instead? Yes. My aunt makes hers this way. You’ll just need 6 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, which is about 2-3 large cans of sweet potatoes. I don’t like the flavor quite as much as fresh, but it will absolutely work if you’d prefer to use canned yams or sweet potatoes in this Thanksgiving side dish.
Try It With Cinnamon! For a little more warmth, feel free to stir 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon into the pecan topping. It adds a lovely spiced flavor!
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For sweet potatoes:
- 6 cups mashed sweet potatoes 3-4 large sweet potatoes
- 3/4-1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup flour can substitute Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Mix
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- Cook Sweet Potatoes. Place sweet potato cubes in a large pot and cover by at least 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until fork tender (potatoes will pierce easily with a fork). Drain sweet potatoes in a colander and add them to a large bowl.
- Combine. Add sugar, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
- Mash with a potato masher or hand mixer until no lumps remain. If needed, add 1-2 Tbsp additional milk if your mixture seems too thick. (For perfectly smooth mash, you can work in batches and puree in a food processor or blender. This is my preference!)
- Transfer. Pour the mashed sweet potato mixture into a glass or ceramic 9×13 baking dish and smooth the surface. (You can make the sweet potato casserole up to this point the day before Thanksgiving, if desired. Simply cover the baking dish and refrigerate)
- Preheat. When ready to bake the sweet potato casserole, preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Make The Pecan Topping. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, chopped pecans, gluten-free flour and softened butter. Use a hand mixer, pastry blender, or fork to mix the butter into the dry ingredients, until the flour and sugar is moist enough that clusters start to form.
- Sprinkle pecan crumble mixture on top of the sweet potato filling.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove foil and bake another 15-20 minutes. If pecans begin to brown too quickly, simply cover with foil again.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy warm from the oven. Store leftovers covered with plastic wrap or foil in the fridge 2-3 days. (You *can* transfer it to an airtight container, but I find the layers preserve better in the casserole dish.)
Notes
- Make-Ahead Tips. To make this casserole in advance, I recommend mixing up the sweet potato filling and storing it in the refrigerator. Make the pecan topping and store separately in a bag or airtight container. Sprinkle the topping onto the filling right before baking.
- If you’ve got multiple things in the oven (like Turkey or Stuffing), allow yourself some extra time for baking. If your oven is set to a lower temperature or full of other dishes, you’ll need to bake this closer to an hour, since the oven has to work harder to cook all those dishes at once. Be sure to watch your pecans, so they don’t burn. (I only remove the foil when there’s about 20 minutes to go.)
Video
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Ive been making your Aunt Kelly’s recipe for a few years now!! Thank you!
Yay! I love hearing that. So glad you love it, too!
Have you ever tried adapting this recipe to be dairy free? If so, which milk(s) or butter substitute did you use?
I have! I’ve tried with coconut oil instead of butter and I’ve tried Earth Balance (dairy, soy, gluten free) buttery sticks. Both work, though the extended family much preferred the Earth Balance. You can also use ghee (which is is butter that has had all the dairy and milk fat removed) which will lend a more buttery flavor. I think we’re going to try ghee this year.
As for the milk, I’ve found that a blend of coconut and almond is the most “flavorless” choice, but you can use either one with good results.