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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

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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.

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 15 votes

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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

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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.

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.

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

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.

About Neli Howard

Meet Neli Howard, the food blogger and recipe developer behind the food blog Delicious Meets Healthy. With over 12 years of cooking experience, Neli specializes in easy, wholesome recipes made with real ingredients and a lot of flavor. Her work has been featured in Forbes, MSN, Yahoo!, CNN, Healthline and more.

5 from 15 votes (1 rating without comment)

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32 Comments

  1. Tara | Deliciously Declassified says:

    5 stars
    Yum! Perfect recipe for the upcoming holiday season 🙂

  2. Wajeeha says:

    5 stars
    Omg this looks divine…would really love to dig into this…love the pictures too 🙂

  3. Diane says:

    5 stars
    I make a similar sweet potato casserole my mother brought to Thanksgiving several years ago. So nice to have healthier alternatives to the heavy marshmallow casseroles of my childhood. Yours looks so crunchy and tasty!

    1. Susan says:

      5 stars
      Looks so refreshing and what a great flavor!

  4. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says:

    This looks and sounds wonderful! Love the texture combination of the creamy pureed sweet potatoes and crunchy pecans!

  5. Camilla says:

    5 stars
    This looks like a really comforting dish and love the crunchy nut topping:-)

  6. Kelly Hutchinson says:

    I am not a huge sweet potato person, but my daughter is. She would love this dish.

  7. Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah says:

    5 stars
    You’ve convinced me – the husband and I totally need to start a sweet potato garden next year. This looks AMAZING!

  8. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says:

    5 stars
    What a lovely recipe! I am not sure I have ever had a sweet potato casserole, and it is one that I need to try.

  9. Chris @ SimpleFood365 says:

    5 stars
    We are pretty big fans of Sweet Potato here and this looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

  10. Kathi @ Laughing Spatula says:

    I have this on my ‘to blog’ list but not sure I can do it justice after seeing your beautiful photos! Love that the sweet pots are pureed…yum!