Our favorite holiday side dish is better than ever! This paleo or vegan sweet potato casserole recipe is a naturally sweetened combination of mashed sweet potato filling and a crunchy maple pecan topping your whole family will LOVE.
Since 2016, this paleo sweet potato casserole recipe has been a staple on our holiday table and hundreds of your holiday tables. It’s THE BEST!
- It’s EASY to make. No fancy skills or special equipment required! You won’t need any fancy flours or hard-to-find ingredients either.
- It’s DELICIOUS. Velvety smooth sweet potato puree is topped with a crunchy maple pecan topping. Every bite has a delicious combination of textures and balanced flavor.
- It’s HEALTHIER than classic sweet potato casserole. This gluten-free sweet potato casserole is naturally sweetened, easily dairy-free, and paleo AND vegan friendly. It works for so many different dietary needs!
- It’s a CROWD FAVORITE. This is always one of the first Thanksgiving side dishes to disappear! The creamy sweet potatoes, the perfect crunch of the pecans? ALWAYS a hit!
- It’s MAKE-AHEAD FRIENDLY. Another great thing about this classic side dish is that you can absolutely make it in advance, which frees up time on Thanksgiving Day!
Here’s all you need to get started on this healthy sweet potato casserole recipe…
Simple Ingredients To Start
So, what makes this paleo/vegan sweet potato casserole different from traditional sweet potato casserole? A few simple ingredient swaps! Let’s take a look:
- Fresh Sweet Potatoes. To start, you’ll need peeled, diced sweet potatoes. Look for orange-flesh sweet potatoes, rather than purple sweet potatoes or white sweet potatoes. (Some stores in the U.S. label these as yams).
- Dairy-Free Milk. Next up is your favorite non-dairy milk. Use whatever you drink at home–almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and soy milk all work! (For paleo, avoid soy milk.)
- A Little Fat. Next, you’ll need some melted butter, ghee, melted vegan butter (like Earth Balance), or melted coconut oil. Choose the one that fits your dietary needs best!
- Pure Maple Syrup. No white sugar or brown sugar here! Maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup!) adds just the right amount of subtle sweetness to both the sweet potato filling and the crunchy pecan topping.
- Salt & Vanilla. Some kosher salt and vanilla extract round out the flavors beautifully.
- Eggs or An Egg Substitute. For paleo, feel free to use regular eggs. For vegan, use 2 Tablespoons powdered egg substitute (such as Ener-G egg replacer or The Neat Egg), or 1 Tablespoon cornstarch).
- Raw Pecans. For the maple pecan topping, you’ll need RAW pecans. If you use toasted or roasted pecans, they’ll burn in the oven. Start with raw pecans for best results!
- Cinnamon. A little bit of cinnamon adds the perfect finishing flavor!
How To Make Vegan or Paleo 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.
First, Make The Sweet Potato Filling
- 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.
- Combine. Transfer cooked sweet potatoes to a large bowl. Add milk, butter/oil, syrup, salt, vanilla, and egg/egg sub.
- Mash with a potato masher, fork, or hand mixer until no lumps remain. If needed, add 2-3 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!)
- Transfer. Pour the mashed sweet potato mixture 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. Simply cover the baking dish and refrigerate)
Next, Make The Pecan Topping & Bake
- Preheat. When ready to bake the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Combine. In a medium bowl, combine pecans, butter/oil, syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
- Sprinkle pecan crumble mixture on top of the sweet potatoes.
- 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.
- 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.)
A Tip For Holiday Meals
If you’ve got multiple things in the oven (like for Thanksgiving Dinner!), 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, so they don’t burn. (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
Make-Ahead Tips. For best results, I recommend making the sweet potato filling and pecan topping and storing them separately until right before baking. You can keep them both in the fridge 1 day in advance, then assemble right before baking the next day.
Vegan Notes. For vegan, be sure to use dairy-free milk, vegan butter or coconut oil in place of butter, and either cornstarch or powdered egg substitute. If using powdered egg substitute, follow the directions on the package. Most call for about 1 Tbsp of water per 1 Tbsp of powder.
Double The Recipe. If you’re feeding a crowd, feel free to double the recipe to fit a 9×13 casserole dish! The bake time & instructions will stay the same.
CAN I MAKE THIS WITH MARSHMALLOW TOPPING INSTEAD? If you prefer your sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, you can use vegan marshmallows or try this paleo marshmallow fluff or this vegan marshmallow fluff topping!
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Healthy Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Paleo (or Vegan!) Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Mash Ingredients:
- 2 pounds 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 kosher 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
Pecan Topping Ingredients:
- 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
Make The Sweet Potato Mash:
- 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 8-10 min or until fork tender (potatoes will pierce easily with a fork). Drain sweet potatoes.
- Combine. 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, fork, or hand mixer until no lumps remain. If needed, add 2-3 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!)
- Transfer. Pour the mashed sweet potatoes mixture 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)
Make The Topping & Bake:
- Preheat. When ready to bake the sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine. 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.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy warm from the oven. Store leftover sweet potato casserole covered 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.)
- **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
- Vegan Notes. For vegan, be sure to use dairy-free milk, vegan butter or coconut oil, and either cornstarch or powdered egg substitute. If using powdered egg substitute, follow the directions on the package. Most call for about 1 Tbsp of water per 1 Tbsp of powder.
- Double The Recipe. If you’re feeding a crowd, feel free to double the recipe to fit a 9×13 casserole dish! The bake time & instructions will stay the same.
- Make-Ahead Tips. For best results, I recommend making the sweet potato filling and pecan topping and storing them separately until right before baking. You can keep them both in the fridge 1 day in advance, then assemble right before baking.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Originally shared November 2016. Updated Nov 2021, then updated and republished again October 2024.
Wonderful recipe! I have made it two Thanksgivings in a row and people like it better than the typical sweet potato casserole. I added some coconut sugar to the nut topping and it was delicious.
That’s SO WONDERFUL to hear!!! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review Kaylee! I appreciate you!
This is the best sweet potato casserole I have ever had! It was a HUGE hit for Thanksgiving even for people who do not like sweet potatoes. Thank you!
Donna – You completely made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind, thoughtful review. It’s one of my FAVORITE holiday recipes–so glad you loved it too 🙂
I just made this for Thanksgiving yesterday (November 2021). The organic sweet potatoes I get at my CSA are HUGE (about 2 pounds each), moist and very sweet! I made a double recipe & used 4 eggs (fresh from the farm so I used 2 smaller ones and 2 larger ones). I actually cooked the sweet potatoes in my instant pot 2 days before (cut into larger pieces and the skins came right off) and put in a container in the fridge. On Thanksgiving day, I added the ingredients for the mash into the same container I had in the fridge with my cooked sweet potatoes and used my potato masher to mix it up. I know my potatoes are already moist, so I only added 1/2 of the almond milk and only 1/2 of the syrup for the mash. I spread it into 2 8×8 pans. In a bowl, I melted Spectrum organic palm oil shortening in place of butter in the microwave and mixed the rest of the topping ingredients and topped the pans. I had my oven on 375 (with my stuffings) and cooked it about 5 minutes less and they were perfect! My daughter asked for left overs to take home. I will definitely make this again. So some people may need less milk depending on your potatoes. I knew mine were already moist and very sweet. I used to bake sweet potatoes wrapped in foil in my oven until I can squeeze them and now use my Instant pot. Delish!!!! This recipe is perfect way to let the sweet potatoes shine!
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your notes! 🙂
Thank you, Emily! This recipe is wonderful! I’ve made it with chia egg. It turned out well: firm on the plate and delicious. I could not even imagine that it can be so good vegan. Thank you so much!
Oh, hooray!!!!
I just made this for thanksgiving and my entire family loved it, I will be making this recipe again it was delicious.
YAY! I’m so glad Amber. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Is the cooking time the same if I double the recipe? Anything else to keep in mind when doubling? Thank you!
It should be very similar, so long as you have it in a 9×13 pan. Just keep an eye on the pecans as it bakes so they don’t burn 😊
My sis isn’t a big fan of sweet potatoes but loved this! I used 2/3rds ghee & 1/3rd refined coconut oil, no eggs, just 1/4 light coconut milk. Also, half the maple syrup in batter and almonds due to nut allergies! Did a ghee/coconut oil refined combo too n the topping! Awesome recipe. Thanks
Shawn – I’m SO glad that you loved it!!! THANK YOU for taking the time to leave a star review and your comments–they’re so helpful to me and to other readers with allergies. Happy Thanksgiving!
I love this recipe! I made this on a chance around Thanksgiving. My family likd it so much, we have made it 3 other times. I’m currently making it for Easter.
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I appreciate it SO MUCH!
I’ve actually been making this recipe for a few years. It is our favorite! I usually double it so we have extra leftovers.
Kelly – You totally made my day. THANK YOU for taking the time to leave a review! It’s so helpful, and SO appreciated!
I followed this recipe exactly. I’ve never used egg replacmt before.
I used an 8×8, but a little higher sides than a typical pyrex casserole.
I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’t cooked thru. Too wet (similar to when i make gluten free breads,
muffins. never seems to fully cook). So i put in for another 25 min, turned up to 385. Was busy
in kitchen, burned the pecans. I wish i had seen that comment above recipe, u can skip altogether or
use cornstarch. The sweet potato mixture was excellent consistency going into oven. I guess there’s something I didn’t get right. So many ppl here happy w results. With the extra cooking time, was edible, but still a bit too moist.
Thank you
I’m so sorry Donna! It’s always such a bummer when a recipe doesn’t turn out the way you hope it will. I hope you’ll get to try it again in the future with the other adjustments. So sorry it wasn’t a win for you this year. Happy Thanksgiving!