What’s chocked full of gorgeous sweet potatoes, naturally-sweetened, made with lighter ingredients, sprinkled with a tasty crunchy pecan topping, and deliciously marshmallow-free?
THIS sweet potato casserole recipe, that’s what.
Oh my goodness, for the first few decades of my life, I didn’t even think I liked sweet potato casserole because of the killer-sweet marshmallow bombs that usually graced the buffet on Thanksgiving. I mean, I love a good toasted marshmallow on a s’more as much as the next girl. But it wasn’t until finally nixed the puffy white topping and tried making a naturally sweet potato casserole that this dish finally made sense to me.
And as it turns out, when made with a few healthier ingredients (including a few tweaks that make this recipe naturally vegan and gluten-free), I think it’s even more delicious than the original.
Who wants some?
Really, the best news about sweet potato casserole is that you can customize the dish just about however you’d like. Just mash up your sweet potatoes with your desired ingredients — however sweet or savory you’d like — and then top them with whatever sounds good!
If it were up to me, I’d probably go with a 100% savory sweet potato casserole recipe, maybe just mashed with some seasoned salt and smoked paprika for flavor, and topped with some toasted pecans. But I’m guessing that most people are still craving the cinnamon-and-sugary classic dish, so don’t fear — I wrote this recipe for you! There’s still plenty of cinnamon, but the cup of sugar is swapped out for just a hint of delicious maple syrup, which complements the sweetness of the potatoes perfectly. Then when mashed with a few other healthier ingredients, and sprinkled with an easy maple-cinnamon pecan topping, I’m tellin’ you — no one is even going to miss those marshmallows. ;)
Another bonus? This sweet potato casserole recipe is naturally vegetarian/vegan and gluten-free. So hopefully even more people at your Thanksgiving feast will be able to enjoy it with you.
So cheers to being able to actually taste and see the sweet potatoes in our sweet potato casseroles this year!!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients:
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 1 cup milk, warmed (I used 2%, but any milk will work)
- 2 Tablespoons butter (or coconut oil, to make this vegan)
- 1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- maple cinnamon pecan topping (see below)
Maple Cinnamon Pecan Topping:
- 1 cup chopped raw pecans
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne (optional)
Instructions
To Make The Sweet Potato Casserole:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Add sweet potato chunks to a large stockpot and cover with water. Heat over high heat until the water reaches a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue boiling until the potatoes are fork-tender (can mash easily with a fork). Drain, and then return potatoes to the stockpot.
- Add in the warmed milk, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes, and stir the mixture together until everything is well-combined and the potatoes reach your desired level of smoothness.
- Transfer the potato mixture into a baking dish, then top with the maple cinnamon pecan topping.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the pecans are toasted and fragrant.
- Serve warm.
To Make The Maple Cinnamon Pecan Topping:
- Stir all ingredients together until combined.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Love this! I started making a similar casserole for my family for the holidays, and we never looked back at candied yams and marshmallows!
Thanks Margaret Ann! Pecan topping for the win! ;)
Can you make this the day before and refrigerate and bake it the next day? If yes, how long should I bake it? Should I leave it out to come to room temperature before I bake it?
We think that would be just fine Liz, although we might suggest doing the topping right before baking, just so the nuts don’t get soggy. You can let it come to room temp before baking (for the same length of time listed in the recipe), or you could just bake it longer (might need 10 extra minutes or so, if you do it right out of the fridge). We hope this helps, and that you enjoy! :)
I can’t lie, I would definitely go the sweet route here! I’m not usually one to forgo marshmallows but with the maple syrup and sweetened pecans, you can’t go wrong here :)
This is EXACTLY what I am looking for this year for Thanksgiving! My dad, MIL and I are the only ones that eat sweet potatoes and I wanted a lighter, naturally sweet (but not too sweet dish) that we can throw together fairly easily! Can’t wait to make this!
Yay, we’re so glad! We hope you and your dad enjoy! :)
Love how you made this a big lighter so I don’t need to feel guilty at Thanksgiving! It looks amazing!
Thanks Julie, we hope you love it!
I like this healthier take without the marshmallows a lot!! Looks yummy!
Thank you Deborah, we hope you enjoy! :)
Totally with you on the sans-mallow train. Sweet potato casserole deserves to stand on its own. With the help of crunchy pecans, that is :)
I love that you added a hint of black pepper and cayenne — yum!! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite sides, but this makes it a lot more doable for everyday (all the calories!!). Yum!!
Thank you so much, we hope you enjoy this one! :D
I’m looking at Thanksgiving heaven here! No need for marshmallow when you can use a little maple goodness on top, I mean come on, look at it! Looks amazing girl!
Thanks Taylor! :D
Honestly, I feel like this recipe satisfies my craving for pie without actually eating that 3000 calorie laden maple pecan pie. Who needs those marshmallows on top? If you want a marshmallow, go eat a box of Lucky Charms. This looks like the most coveted side dish at Thanksgiving. I’m bringing this to my Mother-in-laws house to show her what I’m all about.
Thanks Tom, we hope you and your mother-in-law love this! :D