Warming casserole filled with buttery mashed sweet potatoes, pecans granola and marshmallows. Whether you call it a holiday staple or a Thanksgiving cliché, sweet potato casserole with pecan topping is a Thanksgiving mainstay.
This dish is a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner, but it is equally delicious any time of the year. Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Delicious Cornbread, Vegan Creamed Spinach, Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Harvest Kale Salad are some of our other absolute favorites.
My family LOVES all the side dishes we make for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Holiday dinners. Everyone gets involved in creating a whole bunch of delicious sweet and savory side dishes.
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Why you will love this recipe
This mouth watering casserole has all the classic flavors of maple and cinnamon enhanced with touch of lemon and salt. Along with buttery sweet potatoes, earthy pecan oats granola and toasty marshmallows! It.is.HEAVENLY !
This recipe makes Dairy Free, Eggless, Vegan and Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole.
And this is a crowd pleaser winner. Call it a dessert or side dish, it a quintessential favorite. Cozy comforting Soul Food that everyone can’t get enough of.
I’m always trying and creating different side dishes that work wonderfully with almost any main entrée I’m working on, and that’s when I recently found myself recreating this sweet potato casserole.
This side dish ended up even better than I expected it to be. It had the perfect balance of flavors, was actually quite easy to make, and was a total hit among everyone in the family.
Can I Make it in advance ?
Absolutely ! This vegan sweet potato Casserole is the ideal dessert for entertaining and parties. You can prep and make it ahead few days in advance.
Make the Casserole but don’t bake or add marshmallows until you are ready to serve.
Marshmallows taste best when freshly toasted so get everything ready. Add layer of marshmallows at last, reheat and serve.
Ingredients:
You’ll need a simple, classic set of ingredients to make the casserole. Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s a brief overview.
Sweet Potato Base : Cooked, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes, lemon juice, maple syrup and pinch of salt.
Pecan Maple Oats Granola : Pecans, Old fashioned rolled oats ( I used certified gluten free version ) , maple syrup, coconut oil or butter and ground cinnamon. You can use all purpose flour but I like the texture that oats bring.
Marshmallows : Optional but let’ face it…we use them a lot. A layer of toasted marshmallows on top is everyone’s favorite. You can use vegan and gluten free marshmallows to make this casserole suitable for vegan, dairy free and eggless. Trader Joe’s Whole Foods and Amazon has them easily available. Here’s my Amazon Affiliate link to buy Vegan and Gluten Free Marshmallows.
Instructions :
Make the Sweet Potato Base: Mix together cooked, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes with lemon juice, maple syrup and pinch of salt. I am including instructions to easily cook sweet potatoes in Instant Pot.
Tip : Make this step ahead of time and use it to put together this casserole last minute.
Prepare Pecan, Maple and Oats Granola : In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients listed for the pecan granola Pecans, Old fashioned rolled oats ( I used certified gluten free version ) , maple syrup, coconut oil or butter and ground cinnamon. Mix well so it forms a crumble / granola-like texture.
Assemble the Casserole : Layer the mixture of mashed sweet potatoes on the casserole or baking dish that can go in the oven directly. Spread the granola mixture over the mashed potatoes.
Bake : Bake at 375 degree Fahrenheit in a pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Scatter marshmallows on top. Put it back in the oven under the broiler setting for 3-5 minutes so that marshmallows get toasty. Remove promptly. Serve warm. Enjoy !
How Do I Store the Leftovers?
Your leftover sweet potato casserole can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just remember to cover the container well to keep out any refrigerator smells. Then, when you want to serve it, allow it to come to room temperature, and then just reheat it in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the streusel once again.
Pro Tips
The recipe is easy, but you wouldn’t want to miss out on some good tips and tricks to to make it failproof.
- If you want to make this dish ahead of time, you could do that too. Assemble the dish, cover it up and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before you decide to serve it, or you could make the streusel topping a few days in advance and then use it when needed.
- It is always best to bake the casserole right before you serve.
- Instead of just the ground cinnamon, using ready made pumpkin pie spice works beautifully and adds wonderful flavor.
- To keep the streusel from burning or browning up too much, cover it with some aluminum foil for half part of the baking .
- While making the streusel, you could also replace the maple syrup with brown sugar to lend the casserole an extra depth of flavor.
- Looking for a quick shortcut to make this recipe? You could use canned yams instead of going through the process of boiling and mashing the fresh sweet potatoes.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This sweet potato casserole tastes best when it is fresh out of the oven. Of course, you would want to allow it to cool down for a few minutes before you serve, because it is going to be piping hot!
Top it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream whipped Greek yogurt for extra decadent treat. I like to whip up coconut cream with dash of nutmeg and brown sugar and add a dollop on the top. It is a sensory delight !
Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Wedges
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Moroccan Stew with Sweet Potato and Lentils
- Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownies
- Savory Sweet Potato Hash
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Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Base
- 6 cups cooked peeled and mashed sweet potatoes about 4 large or 6 medium sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup maple syrup or brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter or coconut oil melted
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pecan Granola Streusel
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter melted
- 1 cup old fashioned quick cook rolled oats – used certified gluten free
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Garnishes
- 2 cups marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the Sweet Potato base mixture.
- Spread the mixture in a greased, oven-safe casserole dish. ( 3 quart or 9×12 baking dish)
- In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients listed for the pecan streusel / granola. Mix well so it forms a crumbly granola-like texture.
- Top the sweet potato mixture with the pecan crumble / granola mixture.
- Bake for 25 min until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven. Scatter marshmallows on top.
- Put it back in the oven under the broiler setting for 3-5 minutes so that marshmallows get toasty.
- Remove promptly. Serve warm. Enjoy
Notes
How Do I Store the Leftovers?
Your leftover sweet potato casserole can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just remember to cover the container well to keep out any refrigerator smells. Then, when you want to serve it, allow it to come to room temperature, and then just reheat it in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the streusel once again.Cooking Sweet Potatoes in Instant Pot
Add 1 cup of water to the insert of a 6 quart Instant Pot or 1.5 cups to an 8 quart Instant Pot. Put a trivet or steamer basket to the Instant Pot and arrange sweet potatoes on it. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and set the valve to ‘sealing’. Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes followed by natural pressure release. Remove the lid when the silver pin drops and then remove the sweet potatoes and use as needed.Nutrition
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