Paleo (or Vegan!) Sweet Potato Casserole
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Paleo (or Vegan!) Sweet Potato Casserole – You never need to miss out during the holidays because of dietary restrictions. This naturally sweetened, gluten-free, dairy-free sweet potato casserole is the real deal!
The first time we faced a Thanksgiving after going gluten and dairy-free was really daunting. In addition to avoiding gluten and dairy, we were also trying to avoid as much refined sugar as possible based on some medical needs at the time. And what is the holiday season without gluten, dairy, and sugar?!?
I remember the feeling of “we won’t be able to eat anything!” so profoundly. Thankfully, we’ve gotten better and better at going into the holiday season with confidence. I’ve learned that while there are definitely some swaps to be made, we don’t ever need to miss out on the joy and tradition of holiday feasting.
This naturally-sweetened vegan or paleo sweet potato casserole is a perfect example. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, and can be made either paleo (with eggs) or vegan (with an egg substitute/swap). And if you’re thinking, “well, does it even taste good?” I invite you to make it and taste it for yourself.
Because our vegan/paleo sweet potato casserole recipe is the real deal.
It’s been the family favorite year after year with my extended family, and with so many of your families over the years. I have a feeling it’s going to be one of your holiday favorites, too.
Here’s why I know you’re going to love our healthy sweet potato casserole recipe…
What Makes This Healthy Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Amazing:
THE FILLING! Velvety smooth sweet potato puree is dressed up with a little bit of milk (almond or cashew are my favorites), some pure maple syrup to enhance the sweet potatoes’ natural sweetness, a little healthy fat for a touch of decadence, and a little salt and vanilla to round things out. The flavors are spot on!
A GORGEOUS, CRUNCHY PECAN TOPPING. The topping on this vegan sweet potato casserole is as good as ever. Sweet candied pecans stud the surface like little cinnamon-dusted jewels and make every bite taste incredible. Plus, since the sugar is so much lower, you’ll have plenty of room for pie later! (Maybe this one?)
THIS RECIPE IS EASY! Maybe you’re a long-time gluten-free, paleo, or vegan eater. Or, maybe you’re a total newbie. Maybe you don’t have any dietary restrictions, but you’re cooking for someone who does. It won’t matter–this recipe for paleo sweet potato casserole is DELICIOUS and doesn’t require any fancy flours or hard-to-find ingredients. It’s straightforward and absolutely delicious.
IT WORKS FOR PALEO OR VEGAN DIETS *AND* IT’LL FOOL ANYONE. I’ve tested this healthy sweet potato casserole recipe with eggs and with powdered egg substitute for my egg-free and vegan friends. I love it both ways! The eggs/egg sub bind everything together and give it a little structure so it doesn’t fall apart on your plate. And EVERYONE will love it, no matter what their dietary needs are. It’s always one of the fastest side dishes to go on Thanksgiving!
How To Make Vegan or Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole, Step-By-Step:
First, Make The Sweet Potato Mash/Filling:
- Cook Your Sweet Potatoes. Peel sweet potatoes and place in a large pot and cover by at least 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until completely tender (potatoes will pierce easily with a fork). Drain sweet potatoes.
- Add The Other Goodies. Transfer cooked, drained potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add milk, butter/oil, syrup, salt, vanilla, and egg/egg sub.
- Mash It Up! Mash with a potato masher or fork until no lumps remain. If needed, add 2-3 Tbsp additional milk if your mixture seems too thick.
- Add To Your Baking Dish. Transfer the sweet potato mixture into an 8×8, 9×9, or 2-quart baking dish and smooth the surface. (You can make the sweet potato casserole up to this point the day before Thanksgiving, if desired. Simple cover the baking dish and refrigerate)
Next, Make The Pecan Topping:
- Preheat The Oven. When ready to bake the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and make the topping.
- Combine The Ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine pecans, butter/oil, syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until the pecans are well coated and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle the pecan crumble over the sweet potato mash.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Remove foil and bake another 20-25 minutes. If pecans begin to brown too quickly, simply cover with foil again.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: If you’ve got multiple things in the oven (like on Thanksgiving!), allow yourself some extra time. If your oven is set to a lower temperature or full of other dishes, you’ll need to bake this closer to an hour. Be sure to watch your pecans (I only remove the foil when there’s about 20 minutes to go).
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Paleo or Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole:
CAN I MAKE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE AHEAD OF TIME? Yes! Absolutely! The beauty of this healthy paleo sweet potato casserole is that you can assemble the ingredients ahead of time. You can make the sweet potato mash and put it in the baking dish, then mix up the pecan topping right before you bake it. It’s One fewer thing to do on Thanksgiving Day, which is always a win!
HOW TO MAKE THIS AS VEGAN SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE (EGG FREE). I tried this sweet potato casserole recipe using eggs or Ener-G egg replacer and it worked beautifully. Another one that has worked well for me is The Neat Egg. If you’d rather omit the egg/egg substitute, you can also omit it entirely. If you don’t use an egg substitute, you can use a little less milk so the sweet potato mash is thicker or add 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch to the filling. I haven’t tried this yet with a flax or chia egg, so I can’t speak to how well it would turn out using those.
IF YOU WANT TO SKIP THE PECAN TOPPING…If you’re allergic to nuts or simply don’t care for them, you can absolutely serve this paleo sweet potato casserole as a mash on its own. You’ll want to reduce the milk to about 1/4 cup and you’ll probably want to add the cinnamon to the mash (since you won’t be adding it to the topping). (Several folks have also made this with marshmallows instead and LOVED it!)
LOOKING FOR A GOOD OLD-FASHIONED SWEET POTATO RECIPE? Like the kind with butter and brown sugar? I’ve got you! This is my all-time favorite before we switched to a GF/DF diet. The topping is mind-blowing. It’s super sweet (almost like a sweet potato pie), and it was always my favorite Thanksgiving indulgence.
CAN I MAKE THIS WITH MARSHMALLOW TOPPING INSTEAD? If you prefer your sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, you can try this paleo marshmallow fluff or this vegan marshmallow fluff topping!
LOOKING FOR MORE HEALTHY HOLIDAY RECIPES? YOU’D PROBABLY LOVE…
- Paleo or Vegan Orange Cranberry Sauce
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Vegan, Whole30, etc.)
- Easy Mushroom Gravy (Vegan, Whole30, Paleo, etc.)
- Green Beans with Balsamic Pepper Relish
- Classic Gluten-Free Stuffing
- The BEST Pecan Pie (Naturally sweetened!)
- Cinnamon Rosemary Sweet Potatoes
Paleo (or Vegan!) Sweet Potato Casserole
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 8–9 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If you’re using egg replacer – follow the directions on your package. Most call for about 1 Tbsp of water per 1 Tbsp of powder.
Ingredients
For the sweet potato mash:
- 2 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 3 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk)
- 3 Tablespoons butter, ghee, vegan butter, or coconut oil (melted)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp egg substitute (such as Ener-G egg replacer or The Neat Egg), or 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
For the pecan topping:
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons butter, ghee, vegan butter, or coconut oil (melted)
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
For the sweet potato mash:
- Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover by at least 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until completely tender (potatoes will pierce easily with a fork). Drain sweet potatoes.
- Transfer cooked sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add milk, butter/oil, syrup, salt, vanilla, and egg/egg sub.
- Mash with a potato masher or fork until no lumps remain. If needed, add 2-3 Tbsp additional milk if your mixture seems too thick.
- Pour mash into an 8×8 or 2 quart baking dish and smooth the surface. (You can make the sweet potato casserole up to this point the day before Thanksgiving, if desired. Simple cover the baking dish and refrigerate)
For the topping:
- When ready to bake the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine pecans, butter/oil, syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
- Sprinkle pecan streusel topping over the sweet potato mash.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
- Remove foil and bake another 20-25 minutes. If pecans begin to brown too quickly, simply cover with foil again.
- **If you’ve got multiple things in the oven (like on Thanksgiving), allow yourself some extra time. If your oven is set to a lower temperature or full of other dishes, you’ll need to bake this closer to an hour. Be sure to watch your pecans (I only remove the foil when there’s about 20 minutes to go).
Notes
*Feel free to double the recipe to fit a 9×13 casserole dish!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Originally shared Nov 2016. Updated Nov 2021.
Hi Emily!
This looks yummy! I’m planning to make it for Thanksgiving this Thursday, and was a little surprised at the 8×8 pan instructions…that hardly seems like it would make enough to fill the baking dish you pictured – could I use a 9×13? We usually have 15-20 ppl at Thanksgiving…should I double the recipe? Just wondering because from the picture it looks like it would make plenty… But the 8 by 8 pan is throwing me off 😄
Meredith – The oval baking dish I used is a 2-quart dish (same volume as an 8×8″). If you want a 9×13″ you’ll need to double the recipe. 🙂 The baking time should be just about the same (if not 2-3 min more). Hope that helps!
Would it be possible to cook this in a slow cooker so that I can keep it warm and intact without transferring to a slow cooker to keep warm for a large gathering?…..may not have oven available to keep it warm.
Looks delicious!!…Thank You!!
Denise – Hmm… I’ve never cooked it that way. I’m not sure if the pecans would crisp up? I worry they’d just steam. That said, I know there are some slow cooker sweet potato casserole recipes out there! You may want to give one a quick Google to see what they suggest.
Thank you !
Hi, trying to sneak in some healthy paleo dishes to my boyfriend’s family thanksgiving. I have a ton of canned sweet potato a friend didn’t want and was wondering if I could substitute it in place of regular whole potatoes to save money. Did see this question from anyone in previous comments. Any thoughts?
Mal – My aunt always uses canned sweet potatoes for her sweet potato casserole. I think as long as you have the right weight (and drain any liquid), you’d be fine! Hope everyone LOVES it!
Okay, thanks!!
sorry if you’ve already answered this: Can I use canned lite coconut milk? maybe water it down a little
thank you
Sure! I don’t think you’ll need to water it down–it should be good!
turned out great; thanks so much.
INCREDIBLE! SO thankful for this recipe. I added a teeny bit of birch syrup I got in Alaska for a unique flavor – fun stuff 🙂 Best sweet potatoes EVER. My mom was super upset with me for not making her traditional sweet potatoes with marshmellows (something I’ve never enjoyed, even as a kid). I let her try a taste of this one and she loved it too! Thanks Emily!
YAAAAAY!!! I LOVE hearing that. Thank you so much for sharing!
This recipe turned out amazing!!!! Do you know what the portion size is for a serving?
I’m SO glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t measured in a cup or by weight, but I usually divide an 8×8 into 9 portions or so (maybe 12 if we’re all having a little bit of everything on Thanksgiving). 🙂
Everyone loved it! I added some mashed carrots, reduced syrup a bit to compensate for the sweetness of the carrots, and it was a favorite side dish at Thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a new family favorite!
Sheri – I bed I’d love it with the carrot addition! I’ll have to try that sometime!
Wanted to know if u thought the sweet potato mix would still be good after two days in the fridge. Made it last night to cook today but dinner got canceled until tomorrow. Or could you cook it and just reheat it in the oven
I do! I think it’d be great. I’d say it’d easily last 3-4 days total.
Every time I make this dish it’s a huge hit! Everyone loves it even with the coconut milk. Thank you for sharing 🙂 I’ve even shared with others because they’ve been asking where I got this recipe from!
Hi Emily! I’m trying to figure out how to enter this on MyFitnessPal. Would you say a serving is about a 1/2 cup?
Emily-
I don’t have pecans but walnut halves. Would this work for the topping?
Thanks.
Mary
Mary – Walnuts taste a bit stronger in my opinion. If you like the taste, you’d probably be fine to use them. (I love the pecans 🙂 )
I haven’t even baked the casserole but have tried the filling (sans eggs) and using dairy free butter (Mykonos)
And boy is this yummy!!!! I can’t wait to enjoy it tomorrow with the crunchy pecans!!!! I too was faced with a dairy free challenge because my babe has CMPI and last week felt like I was gonna miss out on all the holiday yummies. I was super bummed. But tonight after giving this recipe a go… there’s no going back to the other stuff! Can’t wait to share this with the family! Thank you!!!!!!
Galina – Oh, I’m so happy to hear that! We absolutely LOVE this dish. I’m so glad it was a hit at your house, too!
Do you think this would work with flax egg?
Becca – I think you can get by with a flax egg!
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit! So delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. I also use real eggs.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s my FAVORITE Thanksgiving dish!
Great recipe! Made it for Christmas dinner and there were no leftovers!
That’s fantastic! So happy to hear it! 🙂 (Thank you for sharing!)