Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (Paleo & Vegan)

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

1. 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!
2. 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!
3. 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

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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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