• Side Dishes
  • Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

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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.

    gluten-free sweet potato casserole with pecan topping

    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.

    how to make sweet potato casserole
    making pecan topping for sweet potato casserole

    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.

    scooping sweet potato casserole with a spoon

    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

    gluten-free sweet potato casserole with pecan topping
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Review Pin It!

    Best Sweet Potato Casserole

    A healthier sweet potato casserole topped with sweet & delicious crunchy pecan topping. Perfect for Fall and Thanksgiving!
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 35 minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes
    Servings 10
    Calories 348kcal

    INGREDIENTS

    Pecan Topping

    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.

    TIPS & 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.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 7990IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Gluten Free, sweet potato casserole, Thanksgiving
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    Comments

    Caitlin

    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!

    kathleen seagle

    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.

    Crystal

    What is the reason you boil potatoes with skins on and then peel them off? Could you peel them first then boil?

      Neli | Delicious Meets Healthy

      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. 🙂

    jamie

    Is there a way to make this dish egg free?

      Neli | Delicious Meets Healthy

      Hi Jamie, i am sorry, i haven’t tried to make it egg-free. You might be able to use a vegan egg replacer.

    Janey B

    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.

    Johlene@FlavoursandFrosting

    This looks so good, I can´t even begin to tell you!! Pinneed!!

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