Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.Enjoy this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole during the holiday season, or any time of year! It is perfectly sweet, filled with plump golden raisins, maple syrup, crunchy pecans, and fall spices. Complete your holiday dinner or add it as a side to your supper.
I will seriously eat this vegan sweet potato casserole recipe year-round. It does not need to be Thanksgiving Day for me to enjoy a delicious side of this dairy-free sweet potato casserole! Yes, it’s wonderful for the cooler fall and winter months, but I love it even when it’s hot outside. Please tell me I am not alone! 🙂
While there is some added sugar to these sweet potatoes, they are so delicious and irresistible I crave them all the time. Don’t worry, though, this casserole isn’t as sweet as traditional recipes, which makes this healthier twist on a classic much better for you. The first time I made this recipe for my family to include with our Thanksgiving dinner, they devoured it without complaint. It also happens to be a super simple recipe to make.
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Typically, at Thanksgiving, this nutritious veggie is doused with tons of butter, sugar, and then topped with marshmallows – but you don’t need all of that for it to taste amazing. My healthier version has all of the flavor but is lower in sugar and calories than the traditional version! You won’t find any vegan butter or coconut oil that adds tons of fat and calories!
I like serving it up as a side dish during dinner, as a healthy dessert, or as part of my breakfast too — it’s even the perfect complement to some scrambled eggs in the morning. These tasty mashed sweet potatoes will quickly become one of your favorite dishes for any time of the year!
👩🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- A must on your holiday table!
- Perfect side dish!
- Crunchy pecan topping!
- Healthy and Nutritious
- Low in Sugar
- Easy Recipe
- Gluten-Free
- Best Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole Ever!
🥘 Ingredients
For complete measurements and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post to the recipe card.
Sweet Potatoes: Peel and chop your sweet potatoes to prepare for boiling.
Golden Raisins provides a pop of flavor in each bite!
Brown Sugar or coconut sugar to keep the sweet potato filling refined sugar free. Coconut sugar is also lower on the glycemic index which is an added plus!
Spices: A little cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sea salt.
Topping Ingredients: Maple Syrup and Chopped Pecans for the maple pecan topping, and to give this recipe a nice crunchy texture and a little bit of natural sweetness.
🍽 Equipment
- Chopping Knife
- Cutting Board
- Large Stock Pot
- Colander
- 1 Qt Baking Dish
- Electric Hand Mixer, Immersion Blender or Potato Masher
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
📖 Variations
Different Toppings: Try chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or even crumbled granola! If you want a marshmallow topping – top with vegan marshmallows for a more dessert like feel!
Vegan sweet potato casserole with pecan crumble: Turn the topping into a pecan crumble topping by adding oats, all purpose flour, and sugar to the pecans.
Savory sweet potato casserole: You can make this recipe without the maple syrup and brown sugar for a more savory feel! You can also slice the sweet potatoes instead of mash them, and layer them with your favorite veggies and vegan cheese for more of a “gratin” feel.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Chop potatoes into large chunks, place potatoes in water and cover, and boil in a large pot until soft when pierced with a fork. Drain, and return to the pot.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Mash the sweet potatoes in the pot once they are cooked.
Step 3: Add the maple syrup, raisins, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the pot. Whip with an electric mixer or an immersion blender until smooth (if you don’t have one, you can do this step by hand—it’ll just take a little muscle!).
Step 4: Mix the brown sugar, pecans, and remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a large bowl. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish with a wooden spoon or spatula. Sprinkle topping mixture over the potatoes.
Step 5: Bake this delicious sweet potato casserole until hot and golden brown around the edges, about 15-20 minutes.
❓Recipe FAQs
Typically sweet potato casserole is loaded with butter and sugar, which makes it not healthy for you at all. But the good news is, my version is healthy for you, and still has all of the flavor of the traditional version! Here is why this truly is a healthy sweet potato casserole recipe:
Low Calorie: Each huge serving of this recipe comes in at just 100 calories and 2.5 grams of fat – less than half of a traditional sweet potato casserole!
No butter! I used spices to add flavor without fat, and I used cooking spray to coat the casserole dish.
Way less sugar than normal: Since sweet potatoes are already really sweet, all you need is a tiny bit of maple syrup or brown sugar and vanilla to amp up the natural sweetness.
Typically no, this classic thanksgiving side dish isn’t vegan because it includes butter and marshmallows! But this recipe is a dairy free version that has no butter, and an optional vegan marshmallow topping!
Eggs are used in sweet potato casserole as a binder — they help to thicken the mixture without weighing it down. If you want to thicken your mixture, I recommend using a little non-dairy milk (like unsweetened soy milk) instead.
Absolutely! To make ahead, make the sweet potato mixture and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. 1 hour before you’re ready to serve it, sprinkle the pecan/brown sugar topping over the casserole and bake in the oven. Serve immediately after baking.
❄️ How To Store
In the fridge: Let the casserole cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge. It will keep up to 4-5 days.
In the freezer: You can easily freeze this healthy vegan sweet potato casserole. Either separate it into individual serving containers or keep it all in one large airtight container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw and reheat, put it in the refrigerator the night before you want to serve it, and on the day of, warm it in the oven.
🔥 How To Reheat
There are a couple of different options for reheating this easy vegan sweet potato casserole.
Heat it in the Oven: Turn on the oven to 300 degrees F and cover the sweet potatoes with aluminum foil. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are hot. It’s important not to skip the foil or the top may brown up too much and not taste as good.
Heat it in the Microwave: Add the casserole to a microwave-safe bowl or dish. Cover with a paper towel and heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir and heat some more until they are hot all the way through. Try not to overheat the casserole, or it may dry out.
💭 Expert Tips
- When cutting the sweet potatoes, try to cut them the same size. This will allow them to cook more evenly, and they will be done at the same time.
- There are many methods you can use to mash the sweet potatoes. Use a food processor, potato masher, immersion blender, or high speed blender. You can also whip everything together using a stand mixer. For best results, I recommend using an immersion blender or your electric mixer. It will give you super smooth sweet potatoes!
- If the mixture needs a little more creaminess, you can thin it out with 1/4 cup of almond milk or coconut milk.
- Don’t forget to add cooking spray to the baking dish. Otherwise, the sugar and maple syrup will cause the potatoes to really stick to the pan.
- If you want to save time, you can use canned sweet potato puree instead of whole sweet potatoes. You will need about 6.5 cups of sweet potato puree for this recipe.
- If you don’t have sweet potatoes, you can also use yams for this recipe.
🥧 More Crave-Worthy Potato Side Dishes!
- Vegan Roasted Potatoes With Rosemary
- Mashed Potato Fritters with Onions and Kale
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Roasted Cauliflower Curry with Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Curry with Chickpeas
- Roasted Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes by Pumpkin And Spice
📋 Recipe Card
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3½ lbs sweet potatoes about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon divided
- 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Chop potatoes into cubes, cover potatoes with water, and boil in a large pot until soft when pierced with a fork. Drain, and return to the pot.
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Mash the sweet potatoes, then add the maple syrup, raisins, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.
- Whip with an electric mixer or an immersion blender until smooth (if you don't have one, you can do this step by hand—it'll just take a little muscle!).
- Mix the brown sugar, pecans, and remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a bowl.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, about 15-20 minutes.
Notes
- When cutting the sweet potatoes, try to cut them the same size. This will allow them to cook more evenly, and they will be done at the same time.
- Don’t forget to add cooking spray to the baking dish. Otherwise, the sugar and maple syrup will cause the potatoes to really stick to the pan.
- For best results, use an immersion blender or your electric mixer. It will give you super smooth sweet potatoes, and it’s incredible.
- If you want to save time, you can use sweet potato puree instead of whole sweet potatoes. You will need about 6.5 cups of sweet potato puree for this recipe.
- Feel free to substitute another topping for the pecans: walnuts + rolled oats + cinnamon would also taste great.
- If you don’t have sweet potatoes, you can also use yams for this recipe.
