Dairy Free Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

This dairy free sweet potato casserole is made with zero refined sugar! Traditional sweet potato casserole adds loads of brown sugar, but not this one. Instead, we’re using the natural sweetness from sweet potato plus a little pure maple syrup (just 6 tbsp in the whole thing!). This healthy side dish is super veggie-filled, and extra delicious! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and made special with an easy pecan topping (the best part!). You will love this one for the holiday season and your Thanksgiving table!

Dairy Free Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

While I’m not a paleo-all-the-time person, I do love to take pieces of it into my own cooking, specifically the zero-refined sugars aspect. 

If you’ve checked out any of the baked recipes here on Fit Mama Real Food, or my muffin cookbook, you’d see a common theme.

We bake with fruits for sweetness, maple syrup, and other natural sweeteners.

And why not?! When food turns out this good, there is no need to add anything else.

How do we make this a dairy-free sweet potato casserole?

Instead of using heavy cream or milk, we’re opting for canned coconut milk.

Canned coconut milk will give you the same creamiest you’d get from cream but without the dairy!

I think the extra bit of sweetness from the coconut milk totally works here too.

How do we make this a vegan sweet potato casserole recipe?

We’re swapping the egg that is traditionally used and making a flax egg!

This vegan option works really well, and it’s a change that no family members would even notice.

How do we make this a grain-free and gluten-free sweet potato casserole?

The only grains used are oats and oat flour in the topping. I love that oats are naturally gluten-free. If you need to be sure that your oats are certified gluten-free, look for that certification on your packaging.

Easily make your own oat flour at home with this oat flour tutorial!

To make this 100% grain-free and paleo, swap the oats for pumpkin seeds, and the oat flour for almond flour. You’ll see both options listed below in the recipe card.

What you’ll need to make this healthy sweet potato casserole recipe

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition values, and step-by-step instructions.

• sweet potato
• ground flaxseed
• coconut milk
• maple syrup
• coconut oil
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• sea salt
• pecans
• oat flour or almond flour
• rolled oats or pumpkin seeds

How to make it

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To make the sweet potato filling, start by steaming the peeled sweet potato chunks for 13-18 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from the steamer and mash in a large bowl with a potato masher until you are left with creamy sweet potatoes. You can also blend them in a food processor to make a super smooth sweet potato mash.
3. In a small bowl add the flax meal and water. Stir to combine, and let it sit for 5 minutes to gel.
4. Into the sweet potato bowl, add the flax egg, coconut milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt. Mix and pour the sweet potato mixture into a casserole dish.
5. Make the crunchy pecan streusel by mixing together the pecans, oats (or pumpkin seeds), oat flour (or almond flour), maple syrup, and coconut oil. Sprinkle the pecan crumble evenly on top of the casserole.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the streusel topping is crunchy and lightly golden brown. Allow cooling for 10 minutes before serving this crowd-pleaser recipe!

How to prep in advance and store leftovers

This recipe is the perfect side dish to prep in advance for your holiday table. You can make the recipe until the final bake, and store it in the fridge covered until Thanksgiving day. Bake per the instructions and enjoy!

Any leftover delicious sweet potato casserole should be cooled to room temperature before adding to an airtight container. You can also store it directly in the baking dish – simply cover it with foil or plastic wrap and then chill it in the fridge.

It will keep fresh for up to 5 days and can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature, or re-warmed in the oven!

Substitutions

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this sweet potato side dish recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Sweet potato – Yams are a good substitute for sweet potatoes here!

Flax egg – Substituting a regular egg works really well in this recipe.

Coconut milk – Try coconut cream or even almond milk as a substitute.

Maple syrup – Honey works well here! Coconut sugar is a good option and tastes delicious in this recipe.

Coconut oil – For a more buttery flavor, try ghee in place of coconut oil. Avocado oil would work okay in the sweet potato filling, but wouldn’t give the crunchy topping the good crunch coconut oil or butter would offer.

Pecans – Use your favorite nut or seed here! Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and sunflower seeds are all tasty alternatives.

More healthy recipes that pair well with this best sweet potato casserole

• Baked italian chicken drumsticks
• Kale pomegranate salad with lemon maple dressing
• Crack green beans

If you try this healthy vegan sweet potato casserole recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather

Originally published December 2021. Updated November 2023.