Sweet Potato Casserole

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This sweet potato casserole is a must-make Thanksgiving side dish. Fluffy and whipped spiced sweet potatoes are topped with the most delicious nutty pecan crumble. It’s packed with so much flavor and texture that you certainly won’t miss any marshmallow topping!

Sweet potato casserole with a spoon.
Photo: Gayle McLeod

The Best Sweet Potato Casserole You’ll Have

Whenever Thanksgiving peeks around the corner, all the sweet potato recipes come to mind — mashed sweet potato, roasted sweet potatoes, spiced candied yams, and especially a sweet potato casserole. I’ve never been a huge fan of the traditional marshmallow-topped casserole (that’s overly sweet), so I always opt for this version that’s naturally sweetened with dates, vanilla, and cinnamon (that’s perfectly sweet). Here’s why I think you’ll love it too! 

  • It’s got a unique crumble topping. While most pecan toppings stick to just flour, pecans, and sugar, my version goes a step further with crunchy pepita seeds, chewy sweet dates, and almond flour. Bonus — it’s gluten-free and refined-sugar-free!
  • It’s a Thanksgiving side dish everyone loves. Between the silky sweet potatoes and crunchy nutty texture, this dish is always one of the first ones to disappear. If you’re not sure what to bring, this classic Thanksgiving recipe is a no-brainer.
  • You can make it ahead of time. Simply make the sweet potato base and nutty topping the day before, then combine and bake right before serving. I’ve got more tips on that below!
Ingredients for a sweet potato casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients

  • Sweet Potatoes: Instead of baking, I boil my sweet potatoes to create a silky, creamy texture. This will also save you some time!
  • Milk: You can use any type of milk, whether that’s dairy or dairy-free. I often use my homemade cashew milk as it’s got a creamy and nutty flavor that mixes well with the sweet potatoes.
  • Butter: Melted butter adds extra creaminess to the sweet potatoes. If you or your guests are dairy-sensitive, you can swap in ghee or vegan butter.
  • Spices: A bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and vanilla extract bring a spicy-sweet aroma to the sweet potato layer.
  • Pecan Crumble Topping: This is a blend of chopped pecans, dates, pepitas, and almond flour. It’s naturally sweetened from the dates, while the pecans and pepitas give it a savory crunch.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Ingredient Substitutions 

  • Dairy-free option → Swap the butter for ghee or vegan butter, and swap the milk for dairy-free milk.
  • Nut-free option → Swap the pecans with oats.
  • Swap the nuts and seeds → Walnuts, chopped pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts would be delicious options. 
  • Swap the dates → Other dried fruits such as dried cranberries, raisins, or dried apricots would work well.

How To Make This Sweet Potato Casserole

Boil the sweet potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to boil, peel and dice the sweet potatoes, and then cook them for 20 to 30 minutes, until fork tender.

Boiling sweet potato in a pot.

Make the sweet potato layer. Drain the sweet potatoes in a colander and mash them in a large bowl with a hand masher or electric hand mixer (I prefer the latter for the fluffiest texture). Then, add the butter and milk into the bowl and mix until it’s perfectly creamy. 

Making a mashed sweet potato layer.

Make the crumble topping. Roughly chop the pecans, dates, and pepitas and toss them in a large bowl. Then, add the almond flour and butter and mix with your hands until everything is combined.

Pecan crumble topping in a bowl.

Assemble the casserole. Spread the sweet potato in a flat layer in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the pecan crumble on top in an even layer.

Baking time! Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 375°F (190°C), until the top becomes lightly golden brown. Remove it from the oven, then serve it up!

Assembling a sweet potato casserole.

Prepare This Casserole Ahead Of Time

On Thanksgiving, time-saving tips are our savior! So here’s how you can meal prep this sweet potato casserole ahead of time. 

  • Make the components the day before. After you’ve made both the bottom sweet potato layer and the topping, store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. 
  • Bake on Thanksgiving. The next day, take the mixtures out of the fridge and let the sweet potatoes come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then, assemble the casserole and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is beautifully golden. So easy!
A scoop of sweet potato casserole.

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes

I hope everyone at your Thanksgiving dinner enjoys this sweet potato casserole! If you make it, I’d love to hear how this turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.

Sweet potato casserole side dish.

Sweet Potato Casserole

4.98 from 45 votes
Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

This easy sweet potato casserole recipe is a must-make Thanksgiving side dish. Fluffy and whipped spiced sweet potatoes are topped with the most delicious nutty pecan crumble topping. Watch the video below to see how I make this in my kitchen!

Video

Equipment

Ingredients 
 

Sweet Potatoes

Topping

Instructions 

  • Boil the sweet potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to rolling boil over high heat. Place the sweet potato chunks into the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fork tender.
    A pot of water with boiled sweet potatoes.
  • Blend the sweet potatoes. Drain the potatoes, then place them in a large mixing bowl. Mash them with a hand masher or electric beater.
    Blending sweet potatoes in a bowl.
  • Mix sweet potato layer. Add the milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper, and continue mixing until creamy.
    Making a sweet potato mash in a bowl.
  • Make the pecan crumble. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). In a mixing bowl, add the pecans, pepitas, dates, almond flour, and butter. Mix thoroughly with your hands until combined.
    Mixing a pecan crumble topping in a bowl.
  • Assmble and bake. Spread the mashed sweet potato into an even layer in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Then sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
    Sweet potato casserole in a baking dish.

Lisa’s Tips

  • Make-ahead tip: After making the mashed sweet potatoes and pecan crumble topping, store them separately and tightly covered in the fridge. The next day, take them out of the fridge and let the sweet potatoes come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then, assemble the casserole and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is beautifully golden.
  • Tweak the crumble topping by swapping the pecans or pepitas for other nuts and seeds such as walnuts, chopped pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts. You could also swap the dates for other dried fruit.
  • If you can’t have almond flour, feel free to use the flour of your choice. 
  • To create a creamier sweet potato layer, use a food processor, hand mixer, or stand mixer to blend.
  • To make it dairy-free, you can swap butter for ghee and use any type of dairy-free milk.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy sweet potato casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, Sweet potato casserole recipe
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted November 2019, but updated to include new photos and a video for your benefit!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.98 from 45 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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121 Comments

  1. Made this for Thanksgiving this year, and it was a hit! Since we have a bunch of Downshiftology recipes that have become staples, I had every confidence in it despite never having made it before. I followed the recipe exactly, and it came out great!!5 stars

    1. Hi MJ – thanks so much for trusting in my recipes! I’m thrilled you enjoyed this sweet potato casserole. Happy Thanksgiving!

  2. I made this for Thanksgiving dinner today and it was absolutely delicious and a big hit! I love sweet potatoes and it was nice to have a more savory dish and not the sweet marshmallow dish. This will be on repeat. Already planning to make it for Christmas dinner too. Thank you, Lisa!!5 stars

  3. This recipe is phenomenal! Even my three-year-old eats it!! I love that it is more on the savory side and not overly sweet, and I serve it with maple syrup if you want a little drizzle of sweetness. I may toast the pepitas next go round. Definitely saving this for years to come!5 stars

    1. Hi Lynne – I probably wouldn’t recommend freezing, as freezing can change the texture of veggies (even pureed ones) once they’re thawed. But you can certainly make it a day in advance and refrigerate it!

  4. Hello! Very happy to see this healthy recipe vs the overly sweet other recipes out there. Great idea using the dates in the crumble. Thank you for sharing with such detailed instructions!

    1. Hi Anne-Marie – Yes! This is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving spread, or with any savory main.

      1. Hello Lisa,
        I’m going to bring your sweet potato casserole to Thanksgiving dinner. The pepitas in your ingredient list didn’t state salted or unsalted. What is your preference? Also, how many people does this casserole serve?
        Happy Thanksgiving to you!

      2. Hi Judy – I use raw (unsalted) pepitas in this recipe. And it serves about 8 to 10 people. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

    1. Hi Eva – For the best texture and flavor, you can make the sweet potato later and crumble topping and store in the fridge for a day or two, then assemble and bake when you’re ready.

  5. I just made your sweet potato casserole and it is so creamy and delicious. I love casseroles and sweet potatoes, what a great find. The pecans and pepitas made me love it even more. The fact that you made it healthy worked perfectly for me. My family loved it also, so this will be my contribution to our Thanksgiving celebration. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.5 stars

  6. This sweet potato recipe is THE BEST! We used to make the traditional one with crumble and marshmallows…but it was just too rich alongside everything else. My whole family loves this lighter, yet delicious, version and have been making it for several years. It has all the flavors we want, but leaves room for the rest of the food.
    Go, Lisa!!5 stars

    1. Thanks so much, Jennifer! Yes, it’s a great option for a sweet potato casserole that’s not overly sweet, just perfectly sweet. ;) Happy you love it!

  7. Can’t wait to make it for our Friendsgiving! Do you have an alternative to dates for the topping? A gal in our group can’t eat dates. Thanks!

  8. I made it at Thanksgiving and there was barely anything left for the next day. Making sweet potato casserole for Christmas too. Love it.5 stars

  9. It hasn’t been Thanksgiving until I’ve had the sweet potato casserole – its my favorite staple. My recipe is old school and LOOOOOAAAADED with sugar and dairy and is wildly unhealthy. I made enough of Lisa’s recipes to trust her so I tried this one out on Thanksgiving. Massive hit. I loved it and so did everyone else (I caught people going back for 3rds… AFTER their meal!) You’d never guess there is no added sugar at all in this recipe.

    Substitutions: I did tweak things slightly for our crowd since we had a couple vegetarians and a vegan. Swapped out the butter for equal portions of coconut oil, swapped out the milk for oat milk. I also doubled the topping & put it in a slightly smaller pan because I just love the crunchy topping.5 stars

    1. Yay, I’m so thrilled you loved this sweet potato casserole recipe, Josh! Thanks for sharing your substitutions as well. :)

  10. Loved this recipe!! I made it for my moms house and my in-laws house so we had a healthy option to eat and it was a huge hit. Both families loved it especially my mother in law. Surprisingly even my husband5 stars

      1. Hi Megan – you can use any nut or seed flour. You can also grind up any other nuts or seeds you prefer to make flour at home.

  11. This recipe was perfect! I have been looking for a sweet potato casserole that wasn’t too rich or sweet and this hit the spot. I haven’t come across a recipe here that I wasn’t impressed with. Thank you for creating a delicious dish that I will use years to come!5 stars

    1. Thanks so much, Susie! I’m happy you loved this sweet potato casserole. And other recipes on my website as well. Happy Thanksgiving!

  12. Great recipe! Your recipes are always spot on and thoughtful in execution! You’ve made me look like a rockstar cook! :) So for the sweet potato casserole, my family will become my enemies if I leave off the marshmallows. haha. Would you recommend just broil them on top in right before servicing? Thanks for your feedback!5 stars

    1. Haha, guess you have to keep the family happy as well. ;) Yes, I’d just broil them on top before serving. Enjoy!

  13. I have made the sweet potato casserole for the last 3 Thanksgiving dinners. It’s always appreciated because most of my family doesn’t like the traditional marshmallow sweet potato dish.
    The dish is just sweet enough and it’s healthier for your body.5 stars

  14. Lisa, planning on making this as a Thanksgiving side dish ;-) Question: would you add crispy (fully rendered) bacon pieces to the topping to add a bit of a savory note, or would that mess up the dish?? Thanks!

    1. I think that would taste amazing! Sweet and savory is a great combo. And there’s a reason why people love maple bacon. ;)

  15. Just quick note, the measurements for the sweet potatoes does not change from (about 3 pounds) when you adjust to 1x, 2x or 3x serving size.  5 stars

  16. Hi Lisa! I have an abundance of garnet yams. Can I substitute them for the sweet potatoes? Maybe bake them instead of boiling.  I love the idea with the crumble!  Thank you!

  17. I made this last year and it was a amazing! It’s our new go to that is actually healthier!
    Can this be made ahead except for the topping and frozen for travelling?5 stars

  18. Like to try this recipe this year for Thanksgiving. Can I make the night before and add toppings before I put in the oven on Thanksgiving. 

  19. Looks amazing. Is it ok to use avocado oil in place of the better/ghee for the sweet potatoes? Also what can I use for the topping instead of butter/ghee? You mention nut milk subbing for these, but I would imagine that will not work for the topping? Would the same avocado oil work? Many thanks.

    1. Hi! An- I am gluten and dairy free of necessity. I use unrefined coconut oil for the potatoes and topping. Works perfectly! And all my family and friends LOVE this dish even though they are not gf nor df. It’s always asked for past 3 years.5 stars

  20. Will substituting ghee and almond milk eliminate or lower the 24 mg of cholesterol? I’m trying to be very careful. It sounds great! I’m excited to try this healthier version for Thanksgiving. Thanks!

  21. This was a hit during our 2020 thanksgiving dinner. Even with my husband that is not a big fan of sweet potatoes. I also follow an AIP diet and this recipe was super easy to modify!5 stars

  22. I wanted a few healthier versions to choose from for Thanksgiving dinner my husband and I made this together. It was fun to cook something as a team and it turned out absolutely delicious. It was a little daunting dicing up the sticky dates so when I make this again I will probably buy them already packaged. Lol
    But the point is I will definitely be making it again it was very tasty and such a healthier version of a famous holiday dish. Lisa never disappoints5 stars

  23. YUM! So versatile and delicious, as are all of your recipes. I had walnuts, so I used those. This was a hit with the family, and I’ll surely be making it again. Thank you!5 stars

  24. Hi, thank you for this recipe. I wonder if I can use brown sugar or raisins in place of the dates, and oat flour OR all purpose flour for the almond flour? Also, sunflower seeds for the pepitas? I’m not on a strict diet, or any diet for that matter, so I think having nuts and seeds instead of the usual sweet potato/marshmallow recipe is already a great healthy change. I’m sorry to butcher this great sounding recipe but I don’t have these ingredients and prefer to use what I already have. Thank you so much again.

  25. Hi Lisa, Can this be made ahead of time? I have some sweet potatoes now, and would love to freeze this casserole for Thanksgiving. Would you recommend that for this recipe? Thanks!

  26. Hi Lisa! I am looking forward to trying this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. My husband is allergic to nuts — do you have a suggestion for substituting the pecans?

    Thanks!
    Jessica5 stars

  27. My cousin is newly vegan and I’m on a low carb diet and for Christmas I wanted to make a side we could count on if nothing else followed our food guidelines. This won everyone in my family’s heart and people could not believe how delicious this was. Thank you for your easy to follow recipes that are packed with flavor! 5 stars

  28. I served this for Thanksgiving and it was a definite hit with our family. So much healthier than previous sweet potato casseroles I’ve served for the holidays. Very easy and fast to make plus the nut topping is perfect! This recipe has become a staple to our holiday meals moving forward! Thanks!5 stars

    1. I’m so happy you loved this casserole recipe Athena! I agree that it’s still packed with flavor and even though it’s healthy, it’s just as satisfying as the more traditional version.:)

  29. Made this for Thanksgiving so east and delicious. Loved the nut and seeds topping. I froze the leftovers I didn’t want it to go to waste.5 stars

  30. Made this for thanksgiving and everybody loved. A lot of “wow who made this sweet potato casserole!!!” so simple and I felt good knowing what was in it!5 stars

  31. I made this recipe at Thanksgiving and it turned out perfectly! It was so simple and easy. My family was stunned when I explained that it was a healthy spin on sweet potato casserole because it honestly tastes way yummier than the naughty version with marshmallows. I’ll definitely be making this again next year!5 stars

    1. Hi Mackenzie – It really does taste like the real thing huh :) It’s the perfect way to sneak in some healthiness to your Thanksgiving table!

  32. I made this dish for a Rio de Janeiro Thanksgiving, using organic sweet potatoes, a mixed nut milk, ghee instead of butter, and finally walnuts (because I was also making a pecan pie). The result was an impressively smooth baked purée with a crunchy granola-like topping, which everybody raved about. I will be making this again, and also sharing the recipe. Thank you!5 stars

  33. I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. It was loved by everyone and they appreciated that it was a healthy version of the casserole. I will be making this again and again. Thank you.5 stars

    1. That’s a great sub with the figs! You could use almost any dried fruit on the topping and it would taste fab. So happy you loved it!

    1. Yes, it’s the best! And this healthy version is a great option during the holidays. So happy you love it Tisha!

    1. Hi Abi – yes, I think it would still be delicious with Japanese sweet potatoes. If anything, it might be a little sweeter. :)

      1. I happen to have some extra coconut milk, do you think that would be an ok substitute for regular milk?