Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is a lightened up, naturally sweetened version of maple sweet potato casserole. This gluten-free and healthy sweet potato casserole is sure to impress–no one will realize it is the healthier version of a Thanksgiving Staple.
We are very traditional at Thanksgiving at my house. Thanksgiving is all about celebrating family and traditions, right?!
So it is the same dishes every year, and frankly they are SO good, I don’t think I will ever get sick of them!
One of our favorites is Sweet Potato Casserole.
Of course, it is a sweet potato recipe because I LOVE Easy Sweet Potato Recipes.
But my family’s sweet potato casserole is really not a side dish, it is a dessert.
The traditional way we have always made it is with canned sweet potatoes in heavy syrup which we combined with more sugar, eggs, and milk. AND then topped with butter, more sugar, nuts, and flour.
INCREDIBLE!!
But oh so bad for you!
And as our family grew, many food issues arose. My son and I were gluten, egg, and dairy free for years. My nephew has a life-threatening allergy to eggs and is allergic to corn.
So while we could still make our traditional sweet potato casserole, only half the family would be able to partake. And this girl would NOT be happy to watch her family eat one of her favorite dishes without her!
Gluten Free Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
I took it upon myself to recreate my family’s Sweet Potato Casserole and make it healthy and allergy-free while still keeping the family happy.
And if you have ever messed with a classic recipe passed down for generations, that can be quite the task.
After multiple tries, SUCCESS!
This sweet potato casserole is sweetened perfectly with maple syrup and apple juice concentrate. And then topped with a crunchy oat topping made with coconut oil and warming spices.
So while this Sweet Potato Casserole may be dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free, it is NOT free from flavor.
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole Filling
- Roast fresh sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for about 1 hour, or until fork tender. Tip: Roast the potatoes while you are baking something else, like dinner the night before you plan to make your sweet potato casserole.
- Puree the potatoes in food processor or blender.
- Add in apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract while pureeing to finish off the base of your casserole. The apple juice concentrate and maple syrup give this dish all the sweetness that my family craves, while not being full of corn or overly processed sweeteners.
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole Topping
- Combine oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil, chopped walnuts (or pecans) and maple syrup in the food processor.
Assembling Sweet Potato Casserole
- Place sweet potato puree in greased 2 quart baking dish.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until heated through and the topping is golden brown.
Notes on Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Does the word vegan scare you? Well don’t let it that is just a fancy way of saying this sweet potato casserole is meat free, egg free, and dairy free which is important for those of you who have dealt with food allergies.
- I love to use oats as the topping for this gluten free casserole in place of flour.
- The apple juice concentrate is not a misprint–it is the SECRET to success in this recipe. The apple juice concentrate is extra sweet but is a natural sugar and the apple flavor enhances the sweet potato perfectly.
To Prepare Sweet Potato Casserole ahead of time:
- Make the base of the sweet potato casserole and cool completely.
- Freeze in gallon size freezer bag or freezer safe container.
- Thaw the night before you intend to serve in the refrigerator and then bake as directed with your desired topping.
More Thanksgiving Worthy Side Dishes
- Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce
- Mulled Cider
- Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad
- How to Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free and Vegan)
Ingredients
- For the Base:
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes scrubbed
- 1/3 cup apple juice concentrate
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- dash of salt
- Topping:
- 1/2 cup gluten free oats
- 1 cup chopped nuts walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Roast sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Cool slightly. And lower temperature to 350 degrees.
- Remove skin of sweet potatoes (simply by peeling off skin with fingers) and place the pulp into a large blender or food processor (or use a hand/stand mixer).
- Add the remaining ingredients for the base and puree/mix until smooth.
- Transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish.
- For the topping: combine all the ingredients and sprinkle over the casserole.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Kristen Chidsey
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This is far and away the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever had! It is just sweet enough without being cloying. And you are right about the apple juice concentrate being essential; the flavor compliments the sweet potatoes perfectly.
And no one would be able to tell that this is gluten free and vegan unless I told them. This may become my new go-to potluck recipe :).
The only thing I’ll do differently next time is use a shallower casserole dish; I used a 2-quart dish as recommended, but it was too deep and not wide enough, quite, and so the outcome was a little watery. It didn’t hurt the flavor, though!
I am so so glad to hear you love this sweet potato casserole as much as we do! And I just served it to my family yesterday—and they had no clue it was vegan either.
Do you think it would be ok not To mash the potatoes?
Hi Clarrisa, I think you need to at least semi mash them so that they can absorb the spices, maple syrup, and apple cider concentrate. You can leave them chunky for sure, but I am not sure if they would turn out without mashing. I understand some recipes call for just sliced sweet potatoes, but in order to get the sweet potatoes tender you would need to cook so long the sugary syrup would burn as well. Sorry! If you like firmer sweet potatoes, try this recipe: https://amindfullmom.com/hasselback-sweet-potatoes/
What’s a good sub oil for coconut?
Hi Janey! You can use canola oil or melted butter in place of coconut oil 🙂 Enjoy!
This looks delicious! I love that it is gluten-free!
Thanks Carolyn, it is a great option to serve to gluten-free guests at the Holidays.
Sweet Potato Casserole is one of my favorites! Can’t wait to try your healthier version!
I am willing to be you will LOVE it 😉
Quick question – when you say “coconut juice, melted”, do you mean coconut oil? I would assume so, but wanted to be sure. 🙂 And I’m so excited to try this!
Oh goodness yes!! I need to change that ASAP! And you can watch me prep this here if you are interested: https://www.facebook.com/amindfullmom/videos/1795576154048856/
Boy this looks fabulous! Got my eye on this recipe for T-Day! Wanted to pop by and do some sharing and also let you know I’m featuring your recipe this week on Foodie FriDIY! See you again soon!
Thank you so much for the feature Debra! Happy Thanksgiving!
How great you were able to remake this favorite! It looks and sounds absolutely fab, and yes!! So much healthier!
Thanks Patricia! This is so good!
Sweet potato casserole is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving! This looks delicious!
Mine too Marye–and this one is AMAZING!!!
LOVE that this is naturally sweetened!
All the more reason to have 2 or 6 servings 🙂
Ooh I love this idea! Nice spin on a classic!
Thanks so much! It is still just as good too!
This looks so yummy!
Thank you for sharing your delectable sweet potato casserole with us at the Special Holiday Edition: Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop 2014! I’m pinning and sharing your wonderful post! All the best to you! Happy Holidays!
You bet! I love your parties!
Nice spin on a Thanksgiving classic. Thanks for the share!
Thanks Melissa
Something like this is totally happening on Thursday except with butternut squash! 🙂
OOH–Sounds AMAZING!!!!
I love this! I think sweet potatoes are sweet and delicious enough that they don’t need all the sweetening up. This will be perfect.
Totally agree Lindsay. Sometimes I just mash a banana with them to make this casserole (even less sweet) But this version is a close to my family’s as you can get.
We are having a “friendsgiving” carry-in at work on Wednesday this will be perfect for that!
I love Friendsgivings!! More reasons to celebrate and eat!! Let me know how everyone likes it!!
my mom puts marshmallows on top of her sweet potatoes!
I just found kosher and all natural marshmallows at publix–my kids were so excited to have them in hot cocoa. I need to pop a few on their sweet potatoes next time too!