Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Yes, I love a juicy turkey or ham at the holidays, but truth be told, the side dishes are the real stars of the show! And believe it or not, they don’t need to be filled with fat and calories to be good. Nope!

I love making this loaded cauliflower mash, creamy Au gratin potatoes, healthy baked ziti, roasted carrots, roasted asparagus, and this fantastic healthy sweet potato casserole. See all of my healthy side dishes for more inspiration.

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s a healthy, wholesome, delicious version of the classic. Instead of being filled with sugar, marshmallows, and other processed sweets, this healthy sweet potato casserole is sweetened with a small amount of pure maple syrup in the roasted sweet potatoes and then minimal brown sugar in the pecan oat streusel topping. You’ll never miss the marshmallows. 
• It’s easy to prepare. Holiday recipes always sound so complicated. Not this sweet potato casserole. This recipe uses easy ingredients and comes together quickly. If you can mash potatoes, you can make this!
• It can be made ahead of time. The more recipes I can prepare ahead of time, the better! This saves time during the busy week and is a must when hosting Thanksgiving or any holiday party. This sweet potato recipe can be assembled and refrigerated 1-2 days ahead of time and then popped in the oven on Thanksgiving day!

Ingredients

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes. So many versions of sweet potato casserole call for different ways to cook the potatoes. However, in my opinion, roasting sweet potatoes are THE BEST way to make a delicious sweet potato casserole without a lot of added sugar. This provides the best flavor. Roasting the sweet potatoes takes 45-60 minutes but can be prepared a couple of days beforehand. I’ll give some more make-ahead tips below. You can also cook sweet potatoes in the slow cooker for an easy, hands-off method.
• Pure Maple Syrup. The great thing about roasting sweet potatoes is that it brings out a natural sweetness which means you don’t need a lot of sweeteners to make this casserole taste like a treat. I only use ¼ cup of pure maple syrup to add more sweetness to this sweet potato side dish.
• Unsalted Butter. Only three tablespoons of melted butter are needed to add richness to the casserole filling and streusel topping. Many recipes use coconut oil or vegan butter, which works fine, but if you can use butter, I recommend sticking with butter. I love the flavor it brings.
• Unsweetened coconut milk. Milk gives this casserole a creamy, fluffy texture. I used unsweetened coconut milk because that’s what I had on hand, but you can also use almond milk or dairy milk in this recipe.
• Eggs. Some recipes leave out the egg, but if you can eat eggs, I recommend keeping them in the recipe. Eggs help to bind and stiffen the casserole without making it heavy.
• Pecan Streusel topping. This streusel topping is made with pecans, gluten-free rolled oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, almond flour, and melted butter. To keep the recipe gluten-free, I used almond flour and gluten-free rolled oats. However, you can use any flour for this recipe. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg for another warm fall flavor.

How to Make Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

This easy sweet potato casserole is so simple to prepare. Let’s get started.

Start by roasting the sweet potatoes. Using a fork, poke holes all around the sweet potatoes. Roast the potatoes in a 425-degree oven for 45 minutes.

Set the potatoes aside until they are cool, about 5 – 7 minutes. Once cooled, remove the skins. The skins should peel right off. Again, you can do this step 1-2 days in advance.

Turn down the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cooked sweet potatoes into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. If you prefer the potato to be smooth, with fewer lumps, use a food processor or hand blender to puree the potatoes.

Stir in the pure maple syrup, egg, milk, and melted butter.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the pecans, rolled oats, almond flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and butter until evenly mixed and forms a crumble. You can make the streusel topping while the potatoes are cooking or even the day before.

Sprinkle the pecan oat topping over the sweet potatoes. 

Bake uncovered for 40 – 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are hot and fluffy and the topping is toasted, golden brown, and fragrant.

Supplies

• Sheet pan – I have this set by Nordicware, and it works great for roasting sweet potatoes and other vegetables.
• Mixing bowls – I’ve owned this Pyrex set for years, and it never fails me.
• Potato masher – You’ll need one of these if you want a chunkier casserole. I have this OXO brand potato masher.
• Hand mixer – When I don’t want a lot of lumps in the sweet potatoes, I’ll use a hand mixer to get all the lumps out. I like this basic hand mixer by Cuisinart.
• Food processor – You can also use a food processor to create a smooth texture with the sweet potatoes. This Cuisinart food processor is the one I use and recommend. 
• 9 x 13 casserole dish – I’m obsessed with my Le Creuset casserole dish, but it’s a little on the pricey side. I also have a basic white one (shown in the pictures) similar to this one on Amazon.

Serving Suggestions

This healthy sweet potato casserole goes perfectly alongside turkey and other Thanksgiving side dishes. 

Other Thanksgiving recipes:

• Baked Ziti or Gluten Free Baked Ziti – I know this isn’t your typical Thanksgiving recipe, but in the Italian-American world, we love to serve up a big lasagna or baked ziti during the holidays.
• Vegetable Lasagna
• Italian Roasted Vegetables
• Sunday Sauce
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cooking Tips

• You don’t have to peel the potatoes. Another perk to roasting sweet potatoes is the skin will come right off after cooking the potatoes. 
• You can mash or puree potatoes. If you prefer a chunkier sweet potato casserole, use a potato masher. If you like a creamier casserole, you can process the potatoes using a food processor or hand blender. I think a chunkier filling works best, but it’s your preference.
• Wait until the potatoes are cool before mixing in the egg. This might go without saying, but wait until the potatoes are cool before adding in the egg, or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
• Add vanilla extract or other spices to the sweet potatoes. Many sweet potato casseroles call for adding vanilla extract or cinnamon to the sweet potatoes; I prefer to just flavor with pure maple syrup and butter. 
• The streusel adds a lot of flavors, so I like to keep the sweet potatoes simple. If you want to add vanilla extract, then ½ – 1 teaspoon will work. Same with adding in the cinnamon spice. 

Make-ahead Tips

This healthy sweet potato casserole is easy to make ahead of time in several different ways.

1. Roast the potatoes ahead of time. Roasting the potatoes is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. This step can be done 1-2 days ahead of time. After you roast the potatoes, let them cool, and remove the skins. Place the potatoes in a container and refrigerate.
2. Make the crunchy pecan streusel ahead of time. This step doesn’t take long to make, but it’s still another thing you can prepare in advance.
3. Assemble the entire casserole. When making this for Thanksgiving, I assemble the casserole the day before, cover it with foil, and refrigerate it. When I’m ready to bake it, I continue with the recipe. The only difference is I’ll add 5 minutes of cooking time since the casserole is going into the oven cold.