Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

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This healthy sweet potato casserole recipe is a delicious holiday side dish! It’s sweetened with applesauce, perfectly spiced and velvety smooth.

Overhead view of a healthy sweet potato casserole in a square baking dish with some missing and a spoon scooping more out of it

This healthy sweet potato casserole recipe is a delicious & nutritious side dish for the holidays.

This recipe is bursting with rich fall flavors, is velvety smooth, and is not laden with sugar! You don’t need brown sugar or marshmallows to make a crowd-pleasing sweet potato casserole that everyone will rave about.

Naturally sweetened with applesauce and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this healthy sweet potato casserole is a sure-fire crowd pleaser! It’s a great dish to make if you have guests with dietary restrictions or allergies because it is paleo, gluten-free, vegan and dairy-free. Everyone at your Thanksgiving celebration can enjoy this dish!

front view of Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole in a bowl with a spoon

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole: Substitutions

  • Coconut oil: Butter, vegan butter or ghee are all good substitutions for coconut oil!
  • Unsweetened apple sauce: you can make your own homemade applesauce and use it in this recipe! I do not recommend any other substitutions.
  • Pecans: chopped walnuts are a great substitute.
overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe

How to Make Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Not only is this healthy sweet potato casserole delicious, but it’s very easy to make! Let’s walk through the process of making this recipe step-by-step!

Start by baking the sweet potatoes and letting them cool slightly.

two photos showing how to make healthy sweet potato casserole - baking sweet potatoes

Then toss the rest of the ingredients (except for the pecans) into a food proccer or Vitamix (or another high-powered blender) and process or blend until smooth.

two photos showing how to make healthy sweet potato casserole in a food processor

The reason I use a blender or food processor is that I am a total texture person, and a lumpy casserole will not do.

two photos showing how to make healthy sweet potato casserole in a food processor

Next, spread the mixture out evenly in a baking dish, and top the casserole with chopped pecans and a dash of salt.

If desired, add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar with the chopped pecans.

two photos showing how to make healthy sweet potato casserole in a baking dish

Then bake for about 25 minutes until the nuts are golden-brown and the sweet potatoes are slightly bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.

Store

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Overhead view of a healthy sweet potato casserole in a square baking dish with some missing and a spoon scooping more out of it

How to Prepare in Advance

  1. Bake the Sweet Potatoes. If you like the idea of a completely fresh baked and made casserole, you can at least bake the sweet potatoes a day or two in advance. Llet them cool and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the rest of the recipe.
  2. Prep & Refrigerate Overnight: Again, if you want to bake it fresh the day of then make the casserole but do not add the pecans on top. Store the dish in the fridge, tightly covered in plastic wrap until you’re ready to bake it. Remove it from the fridge while your oven is preheating and add the topping. Then bake according to the directions.
  3. Bake & Reheat: You can make this casserole from start to finish and then store it in the fridge. Reheat covered, in the over set to “warm” until it’s heated through.
overhead view of a baking dish of healthy sweet potato casserole with some scooped out into bowls

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe FAQs

How do you keep sweet potato casserole from being runny?

Make sure to bake it until it’s bubbly, then let it cool uncovered.

How do you know when sweet potato casserole is done?

This recipe is done when the filling is slightly bubbling and the nuts on the top are lightly browned.

Can you prepare sweet potato casserole ahead time?

Yes – see “how to prepare in advance” above or in the recipe card.

Can you double this recipe?

Yes! Double the ingredients and bake it in a 9×13″ glass or ceramic baking dish.

overhead view of Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole in a bowl with a spoon

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Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Laura
This Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is a delicious Thanksgiving side dish! It's only sweetened with applesauce and is paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free & sugar free! 
4.98 from 46 votes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings
Calories 163.7
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Roasting Sweet Potatoes1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil or place in greased covered baking dish and bake in preheated oven until soft (about 1-1.5 hours). You can also cook them in a slow cooker, in the microwave or boil them!
  • Remove from oven, cut in half and let cool.
  • Remove skins and set sweet potatoes aside.
  • Reduce oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Add apple sauce and sweet potatoes to your blender (Vitamix) and blend until smooth
  • Add melted coconut oil (butter/earth balance/ghee), cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and blend until combined.
  • Transfer to a 9” baking dish and sprinkle the top with pecans and optional topping
  • Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until potatoes begin to slightly bubble and toping is lightly browned.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitution Notes
  • Coconut oil: Butter, vegan butter or ghee are all acceptable substitutions for coconut oil!
  • Unsweetened apple sauce: you can make your own homemade applesauce and use it in this recipe! I do not recommend any other substitutions!
  • Pecans: Walnuts or crushed almonds can be used in place of pecans.
To Prepare in Advance (3 Ways)
  1. Bake the Sweet Potatoes. If you like the idea of a completely fresh baked and made casserole, you can at least bake the sweet potatoes a day or two in advance. Llet them cool and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the rest of the recipe.
  2. Prep & Refrigerate Overnight: Again, if you want to bake it fresh the day of then make the casserole but do not add the pecans on top. Store the dish in the fridge, tightly covered in plastic wrap until you’re ready to bake it. Remove it from the fridge while your oven is preheating and add the topping. Then bake according to the directions.
  3. Bake & Reheat: You can make this casserole from start to finish and then store it in the fridge. Reheat covered, in the over set to “warm” until it’s heated through.
Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 163.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.9g | Protein: 1.8g | Fat: 12.9g | Potassium: 231.9mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2070IU | Vitamin C: 7.5mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.98 from 46 votes (36 ratings without comment)

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52 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have made this recipe every year since you posted it in 2016. It’s a great thanksgiving favorite in my family and no one knows it’s sugar free and vegan. Thanks!

    1. Thank you SO much Erin. It truly and sincerely means so much to me to know you’ve been making this recipe for so many years!!!

  2. 5 stars
    This has become my go-to sweet potato casserole for the holidays! I’ve never tried it with coconut oil but it works great with ghee. I use an immersion blender which works better for me than the vitamix. Other than that, I make the recipe as written. Thank you for sharing this!!

  3. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. Thank you for creating a sugar and flour free version of my holiday comfort food! Next time I think I may just mash the potatoes rather than running through the blender because my husband and I like a little more texture, but the nuts helped with that too.