Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

This healthy sweet potato casserole is a Thanksgiving show stopper! The sweet potatoes are light and fluffy, and the casserole is topped with an irresistible and naturally sweetened crispy pecan crumble. Best of all, it can be made a day ahead of time!

When it comes to Thanksgiving recipes, there’s nothing more comforting than healthy sweet potato casserole. It’s a side dish showstopper everyone loves because it combines light and luxurious sweet potatoes with a pecan crumble. That’s right—I am 100% crumble topping with sweet potato casserole. Leave the marshmallows for the campfire! Once you try this dish, I know you will be too.

My goal with this recipe was to keep the ingredients healthy and simple. It’s a dish everyone can enjoy because it’s gluten and dairy free. Gather around, you’re welcome at this table!

The crumble topping is my signature recipe! You’ll find it included in many other recipes on my site, including Baked Apple Crisp, Healthy Apple Pie Bars, and Paleo Pumpkin Muffins. What can I say, I’m a sucker for that golden crisp and sweet texture.

Best of all, this recipe is great as leftovers! Pro tip—if you’re burnt out on turkey, heat it up and put a little ground beef on top. Perfection!

Ingredients Notes

There are just a few simple ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. Here are my notes:

• Sweet potatoes – Any orange variety will work for this recipe. Garnet and Jewel are my favorite for sweet potato casserole.
• Coconut milk – For the best texture, use full-fat coconut milk from a can.
• Coconut oil – Coconut oil is a great solid fat that is dairy free and full of medium-chain fatty acids.

• Raw pecans – You can buy these whole or chopped. Just make sure they are raw and unsalted.
• Almond flour – Make sure to use blanched almond flour for the best texture.
• Arrowroot flour – This makes the pecan topping nice and crisp. It’s usually in the baking section with other flours.
• Coconut sugar – This is a natural granulated sweetener that adds a nice maple-sweet taste.

Substitutions

• Almond flour: You can use another nut flour, like cashew flour.
• Arrowroot flour: You can swap this for tapioca flour.
• Maple syrup: This can be swapped for raw honey.
• Coconut sugar: You can swap this for any granulated sugar, including brown sugar. Check out the best coconut sugar substitutes for more info.
• Coconut oil: You can use unsalted butter or ghee instead of coconut oil.
• Eggs: For vegan sweet potato casserole, used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.

How to Make Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a medium baking dish (2-quart or 8×8 baking dish) with coconut oil.
2. Cook the potatoes: Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover the potatoes with water so that there is about 1-inch of water above the potatoes. Place the pot over high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes for 12-15 minutes, or until fork tender.
3. Make the pecan topping: While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, chopped pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup, and fold it into the dry mixture with the back of a fork until a crumble forms. Set aside.
4. Whip the potatoes: Once cooked, drain the potatoes and add them to a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt. Using the beater attachment, whip the ingredients together until smooth. Fold in the eggs.
5. Transfer: Pour the sweet potato filling into the prepared baking dish and spread it so it sits evenly in the pan. Crumble the pecan topping evenly on top of the sweet potato mixture.
6. Bake: Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the dish, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and crisp. Let the casserole sit for 5 minutes prior to serving. Serve warm.

Recipe FAQs

Baking Tips

• When boiling the sweet potatoes, make sure they are all cut into 1-inch in pieces so they cook up quickly and evenly.
• To test the sweet potatoes for doneness, take a cube out and pierce it with a fork. If soft, they’re done.
• Use the beater attachment on your mixer when whipping the sweet potatoes. You can also use a potato masher—it will take just a bit more effort.
• For vegan sweet potato casserole, use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in place of eggs, and use coconut oil instead of ghee.

Make Ahead Instructions

Got a lot going on on Thanksgiving day? You can make this casserole 1-2 days in advance! To make the casserole ahead of time, prep it as instructed, but don’t bake it. Cover it tightly and store it in the refrigerator. Pull it out from the fridge when you’re ready to bake it and let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours. Bake as directed.

You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it! To freeze the entire casserole to bake later, make the sweet potato filling and let it cool, then place it in the casserole dish. Do not add the pecan topping. Cover the dish tightly and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake it, let the casserole thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Before baking, let the casserole come to room temperature. Add the pecan topping and baked as instructed.

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

STORE: Store any leftovers covered in the casserole dish or in a separate airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

FREEZE: To freeze leftovers, let the casserole cool to room temperature, then place any leftovers in a freezer-safe airtight container or silicone storage bag in the freezer for up to two months. The pecan topping will not stay crisp when frozen, but it will still be yummy when reheated!

REHEAT: To reheat in the casserole dish, cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven at 300°F until warm. You can also reheat the casserole in the microwave until warm.

More Fall Recipes

• Healthy Apple Pie Bars
• Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
• Healthy Apple Crisp
• Healthy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
• Paleo Pumpkin Bread