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This delicious sweet potato casserole is a must-have side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner! This healthier recipe is quick to prep and finished with the most delicious crunchy and sweet pecan topping.
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Have I mentioned how much I love sweet potatoes? We eat sweet potatoes at home probably every week. Today, I am sharing with you my favorite recipe for healthy sweet potato casserole with pecan topping (also gluten-free).
It’s perfect for Thanksgiving and is hands down one of my favorite sides to serve up! It’s creamy, delicious, and with crunchy pecan oat topping.
This is perfect to serve with some of my other favorite sides like Maple Orange Cranberry Sauce and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.
Why you will love this sweet potato casserole!
- Make ahead: I always like to make as many dishes ahead of time for Thanksgiving and the holidays. This will save you time on the day!
- Easy: This recipe is super simple to make and is quick to prep.
- Gluten-free: Made with almond flour, this is a great side if you have an intolerance to gluten. Just be sure to use GF certified oats.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes: So delicious and a great source of vitamins and minerals.
- Coconut sugar: To make this healthier, I’ve used coconut sugar. You can also use light brown sugar.
- Butter: Use grass-fed butter for the healthiest choice. You can also use ghee.
- Eggs: Use free run / organic eggs if you can.
- Seasonings: Vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
- Almond flour, oats, and pecans: For the gluten-free topping.
How to make this sweet potato casserole recipe
Scrub and rinse the sweet potatoes. Slice them into about 1-inch slices, this will make them softer quicker as they cook. Place them in a large pot with water and boil them until they are soft.
Preheat oven too 350 F.
Remove from heat and rinse potatoes with cold water. Carefully peel the sweet potatoes under cold water. Move them to a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher. Add 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix the ingredients and place the sweet potato mixture in a greased baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup coconut sugar, 3 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup gluten free oats, 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Using your hands blend topping ingredients until well blended and crumbly. Spread topping mixture over sweet potato casserole. If you wish, you can also add some coarsely chopped pecans on top. It’s optional and just makes the pecan topping more crumbly.
Bake at 350 F for about 35 – 40 minutes.
If making this ahead, cover with foil and refrigerate until Thanksgiving day. Then before serving, uncover the casserole and place in the oven before turning on the oven. Warm up the casserole in the oven for about 10 minutes at 300 F, or until casserole is warm.
Do you need to peel the sweet potatoes?
You do need to peel the sweet potatoes so that you have a nice smooth casserole, but it’s best to remove the skins after boiling them. This way they retain more of their nutrients and they are also easier and quicker to peel.
Can you make it ahead of time?
This is a great make-ahead side dish that can be made the day before and then reheated. Let the baked sweet potato casserole cool, then cover it with foil and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it in the oven at 300F for 10 minutes.
Can you make it paleo?
It’s super easy to make this recipe paleo-friendly. Simply omit the oats from the recipe, or substitute them with extra pecans.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- If making this ahead of time, be sure to let it cool before storing it in the fridge.
- Grease your baking dish before adding the sweet potato.
- Bake the casserole in a fully preheated oven so that it cooks through evenly.
- Topping is enough to cover sweet potato casserole made in a 9 ” x 13 ” baking dish. If using a taller and narrower baking dish, halve the ingredients for the topping.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Fries with Paprika Garlic Aioli
- Baked Sweet Potato Slices
- Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Best Sweet Potato Casserole
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Ingredients
- 3 – 4 sweet potatoes, peeled
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup grass-fed butter, softened (or ghee)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pecan Topping
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 3 Tablespoon grass-fed butter, or ghee
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup gluten free oats, omit for Paleo, or substitute with slivered almonds
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven too 375 F.
- Scrub and rinse the sweet potatoes. Slice them in about 1 inch slices, this will make them softer quicker as they cook. Place them in a large pot with water and boil them until they are soft. When done, remove the sweet potato slices from water using a large spoon.
- Transfer them to a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher. Add 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix the ingredients and place the sweet potato mixture in a greased baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup coconut sugar, 3 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup gluten free oats, 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Using your hands blend topping ingredients until well blended and crumbly.
- Spread pecan topping mixture over sweet potato casserole. If you wish, you can also add some coarsely chopped pecans on top. It's optional and just makes the pecan topping more crumbly.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
- If making this ahead, cover with foil and refrigerate until Thanksgiving day. Then before serving, uncover the casserole and place in the oven before turning on the oven. Warm up the casserole in the oven for about 10 minutes at 300 F, or until casserole is warm.
Video
Notes
- If making this ahead of time, be sure to let it cool before storing it in the fridge.
- Grease your baking dish before adding the sweet potato.
- Bake the casserole in a full pre-heated oven so that it cooks through evenly.
- Topping is enough to cover sweet potato casserole made in a 9 ” x 13 ” baking dish. If using a taller and narrower baking dish, halve the ingredients for the topping.
Can this be made without eggs or do the eggs play an important role?
Hi Caitlin, the egg is an important binder so the casserole holds its shape better. You can also use a flax egg as a substitute. You can also try it without any eggs and while the taste is going to be the same, the texture might be a little be loose. Hope you enjoy it!
Made this last year for Thanksgiving and am in the midst of doing it again this year. It was easy and delicious. Highly recommend if you want that crunchy, sweet option with the coco sugar! I’m bummed I forgot to boil and then peel this year, and just read that doing so retains more flavor and nutrients. Filing that away.
What is the reason you boil potatoes with skins on and then peel them off? Could you peel them first then boil?
Hi Crystal, it’s easier to peel the sweet potatoes after you boil them with the skin on. But if you prefer, you can certainly peel them first then boil. 🙂
Is there a way to make this dish egg free?
Hi Jamie, i am sorry, i haven’t tried to make it egg-free. You might be able to use a vegan egg replacer.
Wow, none of the commenters have actually tried this recipe yet? How can you give it 5 stars without trying it? Would love to hear from people who have before I make it.
This looks so good, I can´t even begin to tell you!! Pinneed!!