Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole (Low-Calorie!)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.Enjoy this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole any time of year! It is 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 year-round. 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 it much better for you. My entire family will eat this dish without complaint, and it also happens to be super simple to make.
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Now, 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 version has all of the flavor but is much healthier, lower in sugar and calories than the traditional version!
Honestly, this could actually even be considered mashed sweet potatoes, which you can enjoy at pretty much any time of the year.
I like serving it up as a side dish during dinner, as a healthy dessert, or as part of my breakfast too — it’s the perfect complement to some scrambled eggs in the morning!
Tools and Equipment You’ll Need
- Chopping Knife
- Cutting Board
- Large Stock Pot
- Colander
- 1 Qt Baking Dish
- Electric Hand Mixer or Immersion Blender
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Mash the sweet potatoes once they are cooked.
Step 3: 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!).
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, about 15-20 minutes.
What Makes This Sweet Potato Casserole Healthy?
- 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.
- Vitamins & Minerals: Sweet potatoes are actually super nutritious – they’re high in antioxidants, they’re a great source of vitamins and minerals such as manganese, folate, copper, iron, vitamins A, C, B2, B6 and Biotin, and they’re a fantastic source of dietary fiber.
Will Kids Enjoy This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole?
This healthier take on a sweet potato casserole is sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup, which makes it very palatable for youngsters. If you find that they aren’t crazy about this vegan sweet potato casserole, give them a small amount and let them get used to the flavors.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze this vegan sweet potato casserole. Either separate it into individual serving containers or keep it all in one large airtight container. This 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.
Note: You can also store this casserole in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep up to 4-5 days in the fridge.
There are a couple of different options for reheating the 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.
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.
Top Tips For Making This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- 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.
Check Out These Crave-Worthy Side Dish Recipes!
- 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
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Pepita Dip by Cookie + Kate
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Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon divided
- 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1/3 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.
This looks so good. I have actually never cared for the addition of marshmallows, etc. Way too much. Sweet potatoes don’t need all that! Your version looks so much better!
I totally agree!! Thanks so much Sue!
I love putting maple syrup in my sweet potatoes! I’m definitely going to make this recipe 🙂
Me too!! It just brings out that natural sweetness even more! Enjoy!
We love sweet potatoes here and this recipe is just so tasty. Really easy to make too.
Woohoo!! I’m so happy to hear that Beth!
Now this looks like my kind of comfort food. I can’t wait to try it.
Yessss! It’s so good!
A delicious recipe – it makes a fantastic side dish, and we love that it is so much healthier than other versions… but just as tasty!
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that Alexandra!
I really love sweet potatoes and they are good for my Diabetes. This recipe is perfect! AND GOOD!
Oh awesome!! So glad to hear that Nancy!
What a lovely recipe. No white sugar, very little brown sugar and honey, no added fat, and it looks delicious! Great for a family get-together!
Thanks so much Sally! This is perfect for the whole family to enjoy! And you won’t believe how sweet it is, even though there isn’t any white sugar or fat! 🙂 Enjoy!
This is a great Paleo Diet recipe, my family has been eating Paleo for about two years, seems like a great treat or breakfast casserole dish!
Thanks Lawrence!! You’re right – this is a great Paleo dish 🙂 Can’t wait for you to try it for breakfast soon!