Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole

This Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole is made with warming spices, rich maple syrup, and a crunchy oat crumble. While lightened up, gluten-free, dairy-free, and this recipe for Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is sure to impress, while being just as delicious as the classic recipe. 

Sweet Potato Casserole is a must make Thanksgiving Recipe--and everyone loves this vegan version of the classic!  Serve alongside Roast Turkey, Homemade Stuffing, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, and Homemade Applesauce for an unforgettable Thanksgiving dinner.

Ever since I was a little girl, my most favorite Thanksgiving recipe has been Sweet Potato Casserole.

I grew up eating a sweet potato casserole that was made with sweet potatoes canned in heavy syrup, combined with more sugar, eggs, and milk. AND then topped with butter, more sugar, nuts, and flour. I am not going to lie. It was incredible.

But as our family grew, many food issues arose. We have dairy allergies, egg allergies, and gluten sensitivities.

Our classic recipe needed to be revamped.

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! I have created a Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole that is dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, but MOST importantly absolutely delicious. In fact, my entire extended family prefers this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole to the traditional--hands down!

Healthy Swaps

• Sweet Potatoes: Instead of canned sweet potatoes in a thick syrup, this Sweet Potato Casserole starts with baked sweet potatoes. You can bake them in the oven or make Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes. Pro Tip: Roast the potatoes while you are baking something else, like dinner the night before you plan to make your sweet potato casserole. 
• Apple Juice Concentrate: Not apple juice, but instead apple juice concentrate.  It is a perfect ingredient to replicate the sweetness in traditional sweet potato casseroles without the refined sugars. This allows just a small amount of maple syrup to be used while allowing the casserole to still be perfectly sweet.
• Oats: Instead of using both oats and flour to create a sweet potato topping, process certified gluten-free oats in the food processor for a crumble that resembles the classic, while being gluten-free.
• Coconut Oil/Vegan Butter: Coconut oil makes a great dairy-free option to replace butter and gives the crumble on this casserole a rich, nutty finish. Use melted vegan butter in place of coconut oil or if you are not dairy-free/vegan you can use melted butter.
• Nuts: Walnuts or Pecans are a wonderful source of crunch and healthy fats, but feel free to omit the nuts and use additional oats to keep this Sweet Potato Casserole nut-free.

Step-by-Step Directions

Step One: Prepare Sweet Potato Casserole Filling

• Roast fresh sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for about 1 hour, or until fork-tender. Alternatively, use my recipe for Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes.
• Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and place the flesh of the potatoes into the food processor or blender.
• Add in apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract while pureeing to finish off the base of the casserole.
• Place sweet potato puree into a greased 2-quart baking dish.

Step Two: Prepare Topping

• Wipe out the blender or food processor--no need to wash, just rinse or wipe out.
• Place the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil, nuts, and maple syrup into the food processor and pulse until the oats are broken down and the crumble comes together and then evenly sprinkle the crumble over the sweet potato puree.

Step Three: Bake Casserole

• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until heated through and the topping is golden brown.

How to Prepare in Advance

A huge time-saving tip is to prepare this casserole ahead of time, making your Holiday dinner that much easier to pull together. You can choose to prep this casserole up to 2 days in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake, or prepare further in advance and freeze for up to one month ahead of time.

To make up to 48 hours in advance:

• Prepare the base of the sweet potato casserole and spread into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
• Prepare the sweet potato casserole topping and place into separate container or storage bags and place in the refrigerator.
• Before baking the sweet potato casserole, sprinkle the crumble evenly over the casserole and bake as directed.

To make up to 30 days in advance:

• Make the base of the sweet potato casserole and cool completely. Place into a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 30 days.
• Prepare the topping for the sweet potato casserole and place it into a separate freezer-safe bag or container.
• The night before you intend to serve, thaw the base and crumble in the refrigerator overnight.
• Assemble the casserole in a greased 2-quart baking dish and bake as directed.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes are about 3 very large sweet potatoes or 6 medium sweet potatoes. It should make 3 cups of sweet potato puree.
• The apple juice concentrate is key to adding sweetness without a lot of added sugars. If you don't have it on hand, use ¼ cup apple juice and increase the maple syrup to ⅓ to ½ cup.
• Freshly grated nutmeg is always better than ground nutmeg, but feel free to omit the nutmeg if you don't have the whole nutmeg on hand.
• Store leftover casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

• Twice Baked Butternut Squash
• Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad
• Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Made gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, this recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole is sure to impress, while being just as delicious as the classic version.

4.75 from 20 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 pounds sweet potatoes scrubbed
• ▢ ⅓ cup apple juice concentrate
• ▢ ¼ cup maple syrup
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ dash of salt

For Topping

• ▢ ½ cup gluten free oats
• ▢ 1 cup chopped nuts walnuts or pecans
• ▢ ¼ cup coconut oil or vegan butter solid
• ▢ ¼ cup maple syrup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg

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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 and then transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish.
• Combine the oats, nuts, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until crumbly. Sprinkle over the casserole.
• Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Equipment Needed

• Food Processor

Notes

• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes are about 3 very large sweet potatoes or 6 medium sweet potatoes. It should make 3 cups of sweet potato puree. 
• Use melted vegan butter in place of coconut oil or if you are not dairy-free/vegan you can use melted butter. 
• The apple juice concentrate is key to adding sweetness without a lot of added sugars. If you don't have it on hand, use ¼ cup apple juice and increase the maple syrup to ⅓ to ½ cup.
• Freshly grated nutmeg is always better than ground nutmeg, but feel free to omit the nutmeg if you don't have the whole nutmeg on hand.
• Store leftover casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. 
• To Prepare in Advance: Prepare the base of the sweet potato casserole and spread into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Prepare the sweet potato casserole topping and place into separate container or storage bags and place in the refrigerator. Before baking the sweet potato casserole, sprinkle the crumble evenly over the casserole and bake as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 474mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 16090IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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This recipe was originally shared in 2016 but has been updated with new photos and tips.