Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecan Topping
This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecan Topping is a fun twist that tastes JUST as incredible as the classic!! All the comfort food, less than half the calories! This takes really only 15 minutes of prep time while the potatoes boil and it’s a great make ahead recipe. It’s sure to become a Thanksgiving staple in your home!
If there’s one recipe that I’m always excited to make for Thanksgiving – it’s THIS recipe. Two words: mind-blown.
I’ve been making this beauty for years. It’s become a true staple in our household for the holidays, and I know it has in yours too. Reading your five-star reviews after Thanksgiving each year is one of my favourite post-holiday activities, seriously!!
I created this recipe so that you could in essence, “have your cake and eat it“. I wanted a Sweet Potato Casserole that was easy to make, vegan, and lighter on the calories. This achieves ALL of that, friends! One bite of sweet decadence and you’ll know exactly what I mean!
Warm sweet potato casserole smothered in a crunchy and delicious maple pecan topping. I’m pretty sure I ate half that topping before even digging into the casserole! It makes the perfect side dish to your vegan meatloaf, green bean casserole and all your other favourites.
Let’s get right into the dish and I guarantee by the end you’ll be wishing and begging that this was in front of you right now. I can’t wait until you try it!!
Notes on the Ingredients
The great thing about the ingredients in this casserole is that they’re all pretty common! You can use any variation of the ingredients found here; your favourite oil; vegan milk, favourite sugar – make this your own!
maple syrup – you can use agave nectar instead (it’s also more affordable!).
almond flour – almond flour keeps this topping light in carbs. Feel free to substitute regular all purpose flour, or a gluten free flour mix.
vegan butter – I recommend using salted vegan butter. If not, you can add an additional pinch of salt to the topping and the topping. Don’t sub this for oil, by the way. It adds a nice buttery richness in flavour to the entire dish.
pecans – you can use chopped walnuts instead.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole (Step by Step Instructions):
First, peel and boil your sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes until fork soft.
When the sweet potato is finished boiling, drain thoroughly and mash.
Add the sugar, maple syrup, vegan milk, oil, vegan butter, cinnamon and sea salt, on top of the mashed sweet potato. Using the same potato masher or fork, mix all the ingredients together until they are incorporated, for about 2 minutes of mashing.
Spoon sweet potato mix into the casserole dish.
Add the maple syrup, flour, melted vegan butter, and pecans to a bowl. Stir it all together until combined.
Sprinkle it on top of the casserole. Feel free to double or even triple the topping.
Bake for 30 minutes (check that nuts don’t burn – if they are browning too quickly, cover with foil) then remove from oven. What you’ll get is a slightly risen, puffed up sweet potato casserole that is dreamily sweet, fluffy and light and a topping (I know, I know) that complements it so perfectly you’ll be making this before, during and after Thanksgiving. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then serve.
Expert Tips and FAQ:
Feel free to double or even triple the maple pecan topping!
A: Yes! You can prep the casserole ingredients at least 3 days in advance. Wrap it tightly in foil until ready to bake. I recommend making the topping immediately before so it doesn’t dry out. Remove from fridge and bring to room temperature.
A: If it’s just for me, I just heat it up in the microwave. You can reheat the entire casserole in the oven at 350 F degrees until heated through (about 15 minutes).
More Thanksgiving Recipes:
- Vegan Cornbread Muffins
- Apple Pecan and Feta Salad with Sweet Apple Dressing
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Vegan Mashed Cauliflower
- Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecan Topping, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecan Topping
Ingredients
Maple Pecan Topping:
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup, or agave nectar
- 8 tablespoons almond flour, or any flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped, or walnuts
Sweet Potato Casserole:
- 3.3 pounds sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons sugar, any kind works, brown sugar, cane or coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup, or agave nectar
- 1/4 cup vegan milk, any kind works
- 6 tablespoons oil, any kind works such as olive oil or unrefined coconut oil
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a 8×11 or 9×13 casserole dish. Set aside.
- In a 4 QT pot of boiling water, boil the sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes, until fork soft.
- When the sweet potato is finished boiling, drain and mash.
- Add the sugar, maple syrup, vegan milk, oil, vegan butter, cinnamon and sea salt, on top of the mashed sweet potato. Using the same potato masher or fork, mix all the ingredients together until they are incorporated, for about 2 minutes of mashing.
- Spoon sweet potato mix into the casserole dish.
- Top with Maple Pecan Topping (below)
- Bake for 30 minutes (check that nuts don't burn – if they are browning too quickly, cover with foil) then remove from oven.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then serve. Enjoy!
Maple Pecan Topping
- Add the maple syrup, flour, melted vegan butter, and pecans to a bowl. Stir it all together until combined.
- Sprinkle it on top of the casserole. Feel free to double or even triple the topping.
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I made a small version of this casserole tonight to try it out before Thanksgiving. I lost 30 pounds in the past year and did not want to gain it back cooking high fat dishes during the holidays. My husband is not generally a fan of sweet potato casserole, but he tried this one tonight. He gave it rave reviews and even went back for seconds!! He said I should definitely make this for the family this Thanksgiving:) Thanks for a great recipe!!
Hi Joy,
Congrats on your weight loss and I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed my recipe!! You’re quite welcome and thank you for the feedback. Have a Happy Thanksgiving when it comes!
Can I make the sweet potato mash mixture ahead of time (2 days before), then top and bake on Thanksgiving ?? I worry the potatoes will go brown.
Hi Leslie,
I haven’t tried that personally for this recipe, but yes you can boil them ahead of time, allow them to cool, and then store them in the fridge in a sealed container until you’re ready bake them. I have personally boiled sweet potatoes, then used them a few days later and they are the same colour. Hope that helps and have a Happy Thanksgiving when it comes!
Hi Lesie,
I would also recommend allowing the sweet potato mash to come to room temperature out of the fridge before you add the toppings and then bake.
Hello! I’m making this ahead of time for thanks giving. I’m preparing the casserole without topping and will be refridgerating it. How long would you suggest having it in the oven, and how hot, to heat through before topping?
Thanks!!
Hi Katie,
What I would recommend, is that you do everything up to step 4 (except preheating the oven & putting the topping on top) and then refrigerate that. On Thanksgiving Day, allow it to come to room temperature (otherwise you’ll need to increase the baking time), make the topping, add it on top, and then bake according to the directions. So all you’d be doing on the day is making the topping and baking the casserole. Hope that helps!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving when it comes!
I tried your skinny sweet potato casserole for the first time on Thanksgiving today and it was so delicious!!! I was trying to find a healthier replacement to my grandmother’s canned yams with marshmallows and it was such a hit!!! Thank you so much. Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Yay! So happy to hear! You’re so welcome, and thanks for the feedback!
I made this for our thanksgiving dinner. It turned out so delicious. Thank you for the delicious and healthy version of sweet potatoes. I linked to your recipe in my thanksgiving roundup. https://yummyhealthyblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/healthy-thanksgiving-menu/
Hi Stephanie,
I’m so happy to hear! Thanks for the feedback and you’re so welcome! I will definitely check out your roundup and thanks for including me!
I made this today and really like it. However, the coconut oil is overpowering the dish. Can you recommend another oil to use or should I use less coconut oil next time?
I was going to make this for Thanksgiving but now I’m worried about the coconut taste. I wonder if it would be okay to cut the coconut oil down?
Hey Tessa,
You could definitely just use olive oil!
Hi Jessica! Do I use the same measurement with olive oil? I’d like to do half and half.
Hi Tessa,
You could definitely do that!
Hi Sasha,
So glad you enjoyed it! You could definitely use olive oil instead.
Hi Heather,
You definitely can. Hope that helps!
I see this is an old post but I’m just seeing it. Question: May I use oatmeal instead of the pecans. My granddaughter is highly allergic . She can’t even touch them, so it’s not worth taking a chance.
Hi Carol,
It’s okay, you can comment on any post I’ll definitely reply! If she allergic to all nuts? If not, you could easily use walnuts, macadamia nuts or hazelnuts. If yes, you can add ½ cup oats and they’ll get crunchy while baking. Watch it to see if it’s burning and if it’s browning too quickly then cover it with foil for the rest of the baking time. Hope that helps!
By the way, you could probably also add up to a tablespoons of extra vegan butter or coconut oil for the streusel topping to properly toast the oats.
Thank you so much Jessica for the amazing recipes. My 9,6 and 3 year olds just started a YouTube channel and they wanted to make your recipe on it. You can see it at https://youtu.be/J3ZJpttITj8 just wanted to let you know and make sure it’s okay to use it. We did give you credit in the video and in the comments. And if there is any other healthy recipes you would like my children to try please let me know. They want to gets children involved in there own health and cooking. Thank you so much. God bless you.
Hi Maria,
Oh my gosh, this is just so lovely! I watched the video last night and loved it. So glad your kids enjoyed my recipe and that’s totally fine the way you credited me. I know a lot of parents have made these pumpkin oatmeal cookies https://jessicainthekitchen.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-breakfast-cookies/ and these quinoa pizza bites https://jessicainthekitchen.com/quinoa-pizza-bites/for their kids so I think they would enjoy these too. You’re so welcome and God bless you and your family!!
I made this for Thanksgiving this year – my favorite dish every year is my mom’s sweet potato casserole with pecan topping. However, hers is loaded with sugar and is not vegan. When I saw this recipe, I decided to try it out to see if I could live with it as an alternative. It was such a hit at the Thanksgiving table, and I liked it so much I’m making it again tonight. I’ve been craving it ever since the holiday. And that topping is addictive!
This will definitely be a staple for our Thanksgivings to come. Thanks so much for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Hi Sara,
Oh wow!! Thank you so much for letting me know! I am SO glad that you enjoyed my casserole recipe. Your mom’s own sounds SO yummy! Thank you so much for your feedback and you are so very welcome. I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!!