This healthier sweet potato casserole is a lightened up version of the Thanksgiving classic. Oats, pecans, and oat flour form a crispy crumble topping. This dish will bring a bit of sweetness to the Thanksgiving table, but is healthy enough to serve at any weeknight meal. I promise, you won’t even miss the marshmallows!

I remember the first Thanksgiving my mom proposed making sweet potato casserole with a crunchy, pecan topping instead of the traditional marshmallows. The whole family was convinced that the new sweet potatoes wouldn’t live up to the marshmallow version. This obviously meant that all of Thanksgiving would be ruined.

Yes. It was very dramatic. But, rightfully so!

The sweet potato casserole is a crowd favorite. Creamy, mashed sweet potatoes. Gooey, caramelized marshmallows. What’s not to love?

We actually made my mom make TWO versions of sweet potatoes that year. The new crunchy, pecan topped version, and the traditional marshmallow version. No. I’m not kidding.

Well. In the end, the crunchy pecan topping was the clear winner, and the marshmallow topped potatoes were left virtually untouched. Mom knows best.

So, this healthier sweet potato casserole is an ode to my mom. I’ve swapped the heavy cream and white sugar for just a little bit of butter and maple syrup. It’s the perfect combination of savory, sweet, and crunchy that I know you will love!

serving of sweet potato casserole on plate

What makes this sweet potato casserole healthier?

Traditional sweet potato casserole recipes are made with condensed milk or heavy cream, a cup of refined sugar, and a half a stick or more of butter. But, sweet potatoes are so rich and delicious on their own that they don’t need all the added ingredients to make a perfect casserole.

This healthier sweet potato casserole has less than 10 ingredients (including vanilla, cinnamon, and salt!). It’s completely refined sugar free, and it can also be made dairy-free if you replace the butter with coconut oil.

This healthier sweet potato casserole is made with

Sweet potatoes
Maple syrup
Egg
Rolled oats
Oat flour
Pecans
Butter

The sweet potatoes provide you a healthy dose of Vitamin A. Plus, the base of the casserole is only made with a small amount of maple syrup and 1 egg, so it’s still nutrient dense.

The crunchy topping is made with rolled oats, oat flour, and pecans. This means it’s higher in fiber and healthy fats versus the traditional marshmallow or cornflake topping. It also only has 1/4 cup maple syrup and 3 tablespoons of butter in the entire topping.

How to prepare this sweet potato casserole

This sweet potato casserole is incredibly easy to make. It takes a bit of time to make, but that is only because the sweet potatoes must bake and cool completely. Feel free to bake them ahead of time!

Start by prepping your sweet potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 425F and poke holes in the sweet potatoes. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, flip, and roast for another 15-30 minutes. The potatoes should be soft to the touch. Once cooked, cut open and allow potatoes to cool completely.

While the sweet potatoes cool, prepare your crunchy topping. Mix together your oat flour, oats, pecans, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Then, mix in butter and maple syrup until completely combined.

Once the sweet potatoes are cooled, remove flesh and place in food processor. Add in the egg, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides as you go.

Pour the sweet potato mixture in a 3 quart baking dish and sprinkle the crumble on top in a flat layer.

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Preparing sweet potato casserole ahead of time

Prepping for Thanksgiving is busy. I get it. The best part about this recipe is that it can be prepared ahead of time.

You can, of course, bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time to cut down on baking/cooling time.

You can also bake the entire casserole ahead of time. Allow casserole to cool completely before covering and placing in fridge.

To reheat, cover with foil and reheat in oven for 10-20 minutes until warm. Be sure to check periodically to ensure the topping does not burn.

You can also prepare the base of the casserole ahead of time and then prep and bake with the topping right before serving.

Here are some other similar recipes that you may also like!

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!

Healthier Sweet Potato Casserole

Author: Erin Morrissey
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 80
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 8–10 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This healthier sweet potato casserole is a lightened up version of the Thanksgiving classic. Made with rolled oats, pecan, and oat flour, this sweet potato casserole will be the highlight of the Thanksgiving table!

Scale

Ingredients

Sweet potato base:

3lbs sweet potatoes, about 4 cups mashed.
1 egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Crumble topping

3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup pecans, chopped very small
1/2 cup oat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter, melted (feel free to use coconut oil or vegan butter if dairy free)
1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Bake sweet potatoes at 425 with holes poked in them for 30 minutes, flip, then bake
for another 15-30 depending on size. They should be completely soft to the touch.
Cut open and let cool completely.
Begin working on the topping while sweet potatoes cool.
In a bowl, mix together oats, pecans, oat flour, cinnamon, and salt.
Mix in melted butter and maple syrup until completely combined.
Once potatoes are cooled, peel skin off, discard, and place flesh food processor.
Add egg, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
Pour sweet potato mixture into a 3 qt baking dish.
Sprinkle crumble picture over top of the sweet potatoes until almost all the way covered in a flat layer.
Bake at 350 for 45-50 or until golden brown on top.

Category: thanksgiving, gluten-free, vegetarian
Method: bake

Keywords: healthy sweet potato casserole, thanksgiving side dish, sweet potatoes mashed, healthy thanksgiving

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