Lighter Sweet Potato Casserole (gluten-free, dairy-free)

This lighter sweet potato casserole is gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free, and so, so rich! Reliable for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving!

At a glance

What stands out: This recipe is great for potlucks because everyone can enjoy, even those with dietary restrictions.

How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 50 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, electric mixer, 9×13 pan, oven
Servings: 10

This lighter sweet potato casserole recipe is a slightly different take on a classic dish. The creamy mashed sweet potatoes are topped with a crunchy topping made of pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chia seeds, and rolled oats.

There’s a heated debate surrounding sweet potato casserole. Are you “team marshmallow” or do you want nothing to do with the soft pillows of sweetness?

We confess that we're no stranger to pairing marshmallows and sweet potatoes. We love decadent sweet potato bread pudding that’s piled with marshmallows. Kids think these fun hand-held sweet potato casserole boats are the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially the marshmallows on top.

Nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free. We wanted to create a recipe that our kids and everyone in our family could enjoy, not to mention all the other people out there with allergies. This recipe is also gluten-free and dairy-free (as an option). It’s not your normal sweet potato casserole.

Even though there are no nuts, gluten, or dairy, this sweet potato casserole is not free of flavor. Are you willing to try something just a bit out of the norm? You’ll discover that you don’t need to add a bunch of sugar, butter, and nuts to make sweet potatoes taste great.

About this healthier Casserole

It’s made with real sweet potatoes. You won’t find sugar-laden canned yams in this casserole! It has honest-to-goodness real sweet potatoes, nutritious and low in calories.

It’s rich and rich. The filling is rich and nearly custard-like, with the addition of two eggs. Sweetened with maple syrup, it’s smooth and rich … everything you want from sweet potato casserole.

You’ll love the topping! Instead of nuts or marshmallows, this casserole is topped with oat topping, almost like granola. It has plenty of crunch with good-for-you rolled oats, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Sweet Potatoes: Choose smooth-skinned potatoes that are not wrinkled, bruised, or cracked. Store uncooked sweet potatoes in a cool dark place for up to week. Don’t refrigerate them.
• Eggs: Provide a custard-like structure and bind the casserole together.
• Maple Syrup: A natural flavorful sweetener. Substitute brown sugar if you prefer, or make it with honey. Prefer sugar-free? Omit the sweeteners entirely. Sweet potatoes have a lot of natural sweet flavor which is enhanced by the cinnamon and vanilla.
• Milk: For a non-dairy alternative, use unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk.
• Pure Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Salt: Simple seasonings that you won’t want to leave out.
• Rolled Oats: The base of the topping, rolled oats provide hearty texture, much like granola. Don’t substitute instant oats or steel-cut oats
• Pumpkin Seeds: Shelled pumpkin seeds are also called pepitas. They are dark green in color. Make sure you get unsalted raw seeds.
• Chia Seeds: nutritious and widely available. Have you tried this maple cinnamon chia pudding recipe? It’s pretty memorable.
• Coconut Oil and Maple Syrup: This team will hold the topping together and help it crisp up. Again, you can make this sugar-free but it won’t have quite the same flavor. Shredded coconut can be added for natural sweetness.

How it comes together

Cook the potatoes. Begin by cooking the sweet potatoes in the oven, microwave, or Instant Pot. The FAQ section has more about how to cook sweet potatoes.

Once the potatoes have cooked and cooled off a bit, remove the peelings and add the potatoes to a large bowl.

Make the filling. Add the eggs, milk, syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl. Use an electric mixer to whip it together. If you prefer a coarser mash, use a potato masher.

Spread the mashed potatoes into a greased casserole dish and smooth the top.

Make the topping. Add the topping ingredients to another bowl and mix well.

Sprinkle topping evenly on top the mashed sweet potatoes.

Bake the casserole 45 to 50 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes look set. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes or so.

Straightforward peasy, right? Enjoy for a Thanksgiving side dish or any day of the week. Quite honestly, we even like eating the leftovers for breakfast.

Before you start

Adaptations – Make It Your Own

• To make nut-free: Use cow’s milk or coconut milk.
• To make dairy-free: Use almond milk or coconut milk.
• To make nut-free and dairy-free: Use coconut milk.
• If you don’t need to make it nut free: Try adding pecans to the topping. You can also substitute the streusel used in this recipe for twice baked sweet potatoes. Make a double batch of the streusel.
• Don’t want to use maple syrup: We get it, it’s pricey! Use brown sugar, or even better, dark brown sugar. Coconut sugar also works well in this recipe.
• Allergic to coconut? No worries, you can eat this too! Use butter or ghee instead of coconut oil.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Thanksgiving can be HARD. So much to do, so little time! And you 100% deserve to relax and enjoy the day, too. Here’s how to make the day a little easier:

Up to 2 days ahead: Cook the sweet potatoes two days in advance and pop them in the fridge.

One day before you want to serve this: Prep the sweet potato mixture and spread it in the pan, keep it covered in the fridge. Also, mix the dry ingredients of the topping together in a bowl. Cover that and leave it on your counter.

On Thanksgiving Day: all that’s left to do is add the maple syrup and coconut oil to the topping, stir it together, sprinkle it on top, and bake. So straightforward!

Recipe Tip

IMPORTANT: Make sure to let your glass pan come to room temperature before putting it in the hot oven! The abrupt temperature change could crack your dish.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover sweet potato casserole will keep in the fridge for up to four days. You can freeze the casserole, too, for up to three months. Warning: the topping loses its crispness when refrigerated or frozen.

Reheat: Warm in the oven or in the microwave until heated through.

Lighter Thanksgiving Recipes: Looking for healthier alternatives to rich holiday foods? Take a look at our collection of 18+ lighter Thanksgiving recipes for rich but better-for-you ideas.

• Yield: 10 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 50 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes

• 3 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes (3 to 4 large potatoes)
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk (unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened coconut milk can be substituted)
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray 9 x 13 inch pan (we like to use coconut oil spray).
2. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until smooth. If you prefer a coarser texture, mash the sweet potatoes by hand. Spread into an even layer in prepared pan.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, chia seeds, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Stir so that all dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Sprinkle oat mixture on top of sweet potatoes evenly.
5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until topping is golden brown and sweet potatoes look set.
6. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

To make nut-free: Use cow’s milk or coconut milk.

To make dairy-free: Use almond milk or coconut milk.

To make nut-free and dairy-free: Use coconut milk.

If you don’t need to make it nut free: Try adding pecans to the topping.

Instead of maple syrup: Substitute brown sugar, dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar.

Allergic to coconut? Use butter or ghee instead of coconut oil.