Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (Paleo & Vegan)
Posted Nov 17, 2016, Updated Nov 07, 2021
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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!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and I’ve shared many of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you, but this Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole ranks in the top three for sure.
This recipe is literally bursting with rich fall flavors, is velvety smooth, and is healthy! That’s right, no butter or brown sugar or marshmallows are needed to make this delicious healthy sweet potato casserole!
Naturally sweetened with applesauce and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this healthy sweet potato casserole is a sure-fire crowd pleaser! It’s nutritional profile can’t be beat either, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free with absolutely NO sugar added! Everyone at your Thanksgiving celebration will be able to enjoy this dish!
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole: Substitutions
Here are a few possible substitutions you could make in this recipe!
- 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.
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.
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.
The reason I use a blender or food processor is that I am a total texture person, and a lumpy casserole will not do.
Next, spread the mixture out evenly in a baking dish, and top the casserole with chopped pecans and a dash of salt.
At this point you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar (either using regular granulated sugar or coconut sugar) but this step is optional and can absolutely be omitted without sacrificing flavor if you want to make a sugar-free 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.
How to make this recipe in advance
- You can only bake your sweet potatoes: If you like the idea of a completely fresh baked and made casserole, you can at least bake your sweet potatoes the day before! Just let them cool and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them!
- Prepare the dish but do not bake: Again, if you want to bake it fresh the day of then make the casserole but do not add the pecans on top. Store your 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 and you’re good to go!
- Bake the whole thing and warm it the next day: You absolutely can go ahead and make this casserole from start to finish and then store it in the fridge. When you’re about ready to serve it pull it out of the fridge and pace it in a warm oven until it is heated through and the top becomes slightly crispy again!
As you can see, there are so many ways to get the bulk of the “work” required to make this healthy sweet potato casserole done before the big day…which leaves you free to spend time with friends and family instead of slaving away in the kitchen! 😉
Recipe FAQs
Make sure to bake it until it’s bubbly, then let it cool uncovered.
You know this recipe is done when the filling is slightly bubbling and the nuts on the top are lightly browned.
Yes – see “how to prepare in advance” above or in the recipe card.
Yes! Double the ingredients and bake it in a 9×13″ glass or ceramic baking dish.
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Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. sweet potatoes
- 3 TBS coconut oil or butter, Earth Balance, or ghee, melted
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Extra salt & cinnamon/sugar for topping optional
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
To prepare in advance (2ways)
- Bake the dish completely, let cool and store, loosely covered in plastic wrap, in the fridge. Then reheat at 300 degrees until warmed through.
- Make the sweet potato mixture and do not add toppings. Place it in a baking dish tightly covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Then add topping and bake according to the instructions.
Ingredient substitutions
Here are a few possible substitutions you could make in this recipe!- 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.
Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I know what you’re thinking…really? Could something so healthy really replace the classic recipe laden with not-so-good-for-you ingredients? The answer is YES! Seriously, there are many healthier dishes that my husband says are good…but you can “tell it’s healthy.” This healthy sweet potato casserole is NOT one of those recipes!
I made it for a group of friends and one of the men gave it the thumbs up and asked for the recipe! (In my circle it’s the ladies who are more likely to enjoy healthier fare). Many of us are plant lovers who have meat eating husbands (can I get a hand raise from all my veggie ladies out there?!) So if we get the meat and potatoes man stamp of approval on a healthier dish it has to be a winner…right? 😉
Thanksgiving recipes:
I created a roundup of some of all of our favorite thanksgiving recipes, but here are a few healthy recipes:
- Serve this casserole as a Thanksgiving or holiday side dish alongside this Roast Turkey and the best Turkey Gravy!
- The BEST homemade sausage stuffing
- Brussels Sprouts! This recipe for Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts will turn a sprouts-hater into a sprouts-lover! Also try these bacon brussels sprouts or this brussel sprouts salad.
- Sweet Potatoes. If you like crisp potatoes (as opposed to mashed) try these maple roasted sweet potatoes!
- Butternut squash: Try this butternut squash soup or cinnamon roasted butternut squash.
- Green Beans. I always make these apple cider sautéed green beans on Thanksgiving! These Parmesan roasted green beans are also a huge hit!
- Apples. These sautéed cinnamon apples always make an appearance on our holiday table. Or you can combine them with sweet potatoes and make roasted sweet potatoes and apples!
- Cranberry Sauce. I’m all about homemade cranberry sauce! Try our healthy cranberry sauce.
- PIE! Try this apple pie, pumpkin pie (from scratch), dairy-free pumpkin pie, apple crumble pie, or this chocolate peanut butter pie!
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I made this the other day, I am not sure what I did wrong but mine didn’t get firm at all, it was way too creamy. I did like the taste though and happy that it was a healthy version. I am the only one who loves sweet potatoes and although it was too much for me. I refused to waste it, so I have been making smoothies with it, I add this to unsweetened almond milk. Half of a small frozen banana and add my protein mix all in the blender for a few seconds and I have a healthy breakfast and it is so creamy.
How many people will this recipe feed? It looks delicious!!
HI! This looks delicious. Do you think you can make this ahead of time and freeze it, then bake when needed (adding toppings when ready to bake)
I want to make the Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole and it calls for a 9″ baking dish but gives no other dimensions….I have a 2 qt round Pyrex baking dish…will that be big enough?
Hello Brenda! My 9×9″ dish has a 1 1/2 quart capacity! So your 2 quart dish will absolutely work!
Laura, help! Working on the healthy sweet potato casserole and the recipe calls for a 9″ baking dish but gives no other dimensions….I have a 2 qt round Pyrex dish…will that work?
Very tasty, but mine turned out a littl,e runny. Too much blending?
Hey Ann! Hmmm…it’s possible you could have blended the sweet potatoes too much. Did you alter any ingredients? You can always bake for longer to thicken it up, or add less applesauce next time!
Thanks! It is quite likely I over blended. I have a Vitamix.
This was so tasty, I’m still thinking of how it tasted. I did use all ingredients as set out in the recipe. I made applesauce in the Vitamix too.
Perfect! Homemade applesauce can definitely be a little more watery than store-bought! But I LOVE that you made your own! Makes the recipe even better in my opinion! 🙂
Ooh wow, we love sweet potato casserole. I should try a spin like this. The idea of adding applesauce sounds so good Laura! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Thankful for you.
I hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving Emily!
Love this! I was just thinking I needed to find a healthier sweet potato casserole recipe and here it is! Thanks 🙂
Yay! I hope you enjoy it Carly!
A MUST to have on the Thanksgiving table! MUST!
Absolutely Rebecca!!!
ALL the sweet potato love going on here! Definitely bookmarking this 🙂
Thank you Kaitlin! Sweet potatoes are the best!