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.
I don’t know which part of the dish I like more – the topping or the filling? Both are amazingly delicious. It is an amazing side dish all the way around.
I served this at a Thanksgiving potluck dinner with five couples. Everyone raved about the casserole and begged for the recipe. It will be part of my regular holiday menu in future years.
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that Jan! It’s my FAVORITE and is always my most-requested dish with my family & friends, too!
This was amazing! I followed the recipe using the vegan notes – used the coconut oil option for the butter and cornstarch for the egg to be (mostly) AIP compliant. I reduced the amount of maple syrup in the topping by half and it was still plenty sweet. I baked the potatoes in the oven for an hour instead of boiling them, because I think that gives them a nice flavor. Everyone at Thanksgiving loved it and demanded that I use this recipe from now on. Thanks for a great recipe with clean ingredients!
I’m so glad it was a win for you, Tiff. This review totally made my day!!!
Absolutely delicious. Trying to somewhat replicate a relative’s recipe from years back, I did add about a half cup of minced fresh pineapple. Turned out amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Ooh! That sounds delicious! So glad it was a win for you, Melissa!
Will this still be nice if I use butternut squash as the filling? Or even carrots? Combo household of sweet potato lovers and someone with a sweet potato allergy.
Great question Johnna! I’d say butternut squash would be your closest bet, but it tends to have a LOT more water than sweet potatoes. You may consider making a butternut squash puree + garnishing with a toasted pecan/cinnamon/maple topping rather than trying to replicate the casserole exactly.
Hello, I bought sweetened condensed coconut milk and I’m wondering now if it will work for this recipe? Thank you. I’m trying this recipe for the first time! It sounds delicious!
Hi Laura! I probably wouldn’t use it for this recipe. It would make the filling significantly sweeter and would alter the texture.
Ok thanks so much. Unsweetened coconut milk it is! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! I’m making it this year and was wondering if I can make it ahead and freeze it if I want to make it a week before.
Hi Cassandra! You can definitely make the sweet potato filling and freeze it in the casserole dish. For best results, I recommend mixing up the pecan topping right before baking so the pecans don’t get soggy. Then, you’ll want to thaw the casserole in the fridge overnight, pop on the topping & bake as directed!
As always with frozen veggies, the filling may be slightly more watery after thawing, but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker!
Hello! I have a strange question, but hoping there is an answer. Can the pecan topping be pulverized in the food processor before adding to the casserole? A fine meal texture, or possibly an almost nut butter texture. I have some sensitive members of the group who don’t enjoy crunchy chunks of food, but would love the flavor of candied nuts.
Hi Abigail! For this casserole, I wouldn’t recommend it, since the topping would likely burn and get soggy. You can finely dice the pecans. Or, you can use our Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole topping and pulverize the pecans for that one. (The butter, sugar & flour in that recipe will help protect the pecans.)
I have 2 questions. If you use the butter option with the maple syrup, does that evoke the taste of pancakes in this dish? Is it a hint of pancake flavor lol? The 2nd question is, could macadamia milk and macadamia oil be used in this recipe and keep the harmony of flavors??
Hi Cassie! No, I do not taste even a little bit of pancakes in this dish! If you used pancake syrup (rather than pure maple syrup), you definitely would, but with the pure maple syrup and butter, it’s just delicious flavor.
Second, I haven’t used macadamia oil before so I can’t attest to that, but macadamia milk should work so long as you like the flavor.
I made this for Thanksgiving for the first time. I had a couple people ask for the recipe and one tell me it was the best sweet potato casserole they’d ever had! I doubled the recipe but still only did about a 1/4 cup of syrup and did sprinkle some marshmallows on top at the end. It has now been my “desginated” dish to bring to family gtherings.
I’m SO happy to hear that Elle! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful, kind review!