This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is the ultimate crowd-pleasing, allergy-friendly version of sweet potato casserole. Made with earthy sweet potato puree, warming spices, rich maple syrup, and a crunchy oat crumble, it is truly the best recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole. It just also happens to be dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly!
Ever since I was a little girl, my favorite Thanksgiving recipe has been Sweet Potato Casserole. Sweet, earthy, warming, creamy, and crunchy, this side dish tastes as rich and sweet as a dessert. No wonder I have always loved it!
As my extended family grew, I was tasked with taking my all-time favorite sweet potato casserole recipe and making it dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and vegan-friendly to accommodate everyone's food sensitivities.
After multiple tries, I nailed it!
In fact, this Gluten-Free Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is now our all-time favorite version of Sweet Potato Casserole and a family favorite (at my table and many of yours) that will passed down through the generations to be enjoyed again and again.
Notes on Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: Instead of using sweet potatoes that are canned in thick syrup, this Sweet Potato Casserole starts by making homemade sweet potato puree, which is as easy as mashing baked sweet potatoes or Instant Pot sweet potatoes.
- Apple Juice Concentrate: You read that right! This recipe uses apple juice concentrate, not apple juice. Defrosted apple juice concentrate replicates the sweetness in traditional sweet potato casseroles without refined sugars.
- Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup, not only keeps this sweet potato casserole vegan-friendly but also compliments the natural earthy flavor of the sweet potatoes.
- Oats: Use old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats for the topping, not steel-cut oats. Be sure to check that your oats are certified gluten-free if needed.
- Coconut Oil/Vegan Butter: Coconut oil makes a great dairy-free option to replace butter and gives the crumble on this casserole a rich, nutty finish. Feel free to use your favorite vegan butter in place of coconut oil if desired.
- Nuts: Use either walnuts or pecans, as both are delicious in this recipe.
Substitutions
- No Apple Juice Concentrate? The apple juice concentrate is key to adding sweetness without a lot of added sugars. If you don't have it on hand, use ¼ cup of apple juice and increase the maple syrup from ¼ cup to ½ cup in the sweet potato base.
- Nut-Free Sweet Potato Casserole: Omit the nuts and use 1&½ cups of oats instead of just ½ cup of oats for topping.
How to Make Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Prepare Sweet Potato Filling. After roasting or pressure-cooking sweet potatoes until tender, use a food processor or blender to blend the flesh of the baked sweet potatoes with the apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, spices, and vanilla until smooth.
Step Two: Prepare Topping. Wipe out the blender or food processor. No need to wash as the flavors are similar, just rinse or wipe out using a paper towel, and then pulse the oats, spices, coconut oil, and nuts together until everything comes together to form a crumble.
Step Three: Assemble and Bake. Evenly top the sweet potato puree with the oat crumble and bake until the crumble is golden brown and the sweet potato casserole is warmed through.
Make-Ahead Instructions
A huge time-saving tip is to prepare your sweet potato casserole ahead of time, making your Holiday dinner that much easier to pull together.
- Refrigerate (Prepare up to 48 days in advance): Prepare the base and the crumble of the sweet potato casserole as directed. Transfer the sweet potato puree to one large airtight container and the crumble to a separate airtight container. When ready to bake, assemble the casserole as the recipe directs. Let the casserole sit on the counter, as the oven preheats to 350 degrees F. Once the oven is fully preheated, bake for 55-60 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Freeze (Prepare up to 1 month in advance): Prepare the base and the crumble of the sweet potato casserole as directed. Assemble the casserole in a freezer-safe baking dish, such as a disposable foil baking pan. Wrap tightly in 3 layers of foil. Transfer the sweet potato casserole to the freezer and freeze for up to 1 month. Remove the casserole from the freezer 24 hours before baking, to allow it to fully defrost. Let the casserole sit on the counter, as the oven preheats to 350 degrees F. Once the oven is fully preheated, bake for 55-60 minutes, or until warmed through.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerate: Store leftover sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: While you can freeze the leftover baked casserole in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month, the topping will become soggy after defrosting, so I don't recommend it.
- Reheat: For large portions, bake covered with foil at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until warmed through. For individual servings, place on a heat-safe plate, cover with a paper towel, and microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
- Creative Leftover Idea: Use leftover sweet potato casserole, crumble, and all, in place of the sweet potato puree in Sweet Potato Pancakes or Sweet Potato Waffles. The crumble will add a delicious texture to the pancakes or waffles. Find more leftover Thanksgiving Recipes here.
More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
- Corn Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Butternut Squash
If you made this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and review below.
The Best Gluten-Free & Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes for a total of 3 cups of sweet potato puree
- ⅓ cup apple juice concentrate thawed
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg (whole bulb grated with a Microplane)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- dash of salt
For Topping
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped nuts walnuts or pecans
- ¼ cup coconut oil or vegan butter not melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg (whole bulb grated with a Microplane)
Instructions
To Prepare Sweet Potatoes
- Wash, dry, and prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Roast at 400℉ for 45 minutes until fork-tender. Alternatively, pressure cook on a trivet above 1½ cups of cold tap water for 22 minutes, following my recipe for Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
- Cool the sweet potatoes until just cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin of the sweet potatoes. Measure out 3 cups of the flesh of the sweet potatoes to use for the casserole. (Should be fairly close to what you have made.)
Sweet Potato Casserole
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with coconut oil or vegan butter.
- In a food processor fitted with an s-blade, place 3 cups of the flesh of the sweet potatoes. Add ⅓ cup apple juice concentrate, ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Process until the mixture is well combined and the sweet potatoes are creamy and smooth. Transfer the sweet potato puree to the prepared baking dish.
- Wipe out the food processor and return to the base. Add the ½ cup oats, 1 cup nuts, ¼ cup coconut oil (or vegan butter), ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg to the food processor fitted with an s-blade. Pulse a few times until the mixture is just combined and crumbly. Don't overprocess, you want the topping to have a bit of texture.
- Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the casserole is warmed through.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Refrigerate (Prepare up to 48 days in advance): Prepare the base and the crumble of the sweet potato casserole as directed. Transfer the sweet potato puree to one large airtight container and the crumble to a separate airtight container. When ready to bake, assemble the casserole as the recipe directs. Let the casserole sit on the counter, as the oven preheats to 350 degrees F. Once the oven is fully preheated, bake for 55-60 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Freeze (Prepare up to 1 month in advance): Prepare the base and the crumble of the sweet potato casserole as directed. Assemble the casserole in a freezer-safe baking dish, such as a disposable foil baking pan. Wrap tightly in 3 layers of foil. Transfer the sweet potato casserole to the freezer and freeze for up to 1 month. Remove the casserole from the freezer 24 hours prior to baking, to allow it to fully defrost. Let the casserole sit on the counter, as the oven preheats to 350 degrees F. Once the oven is fully preheated, bake for 55-60 minutes, or until warmed through.
Cynthia McCoy
You didn’t put Measurements of contents for the recipe ???
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cynthia! The measurements are in the recipe card. Before that, I was just explaining why I use what I use 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Betsy
My kiddos are allergic to nuts. Do you think it will negatively impact the crumble if I leave out the nuts? Do I need to replace the nuts with another ingredient?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Betsy! I would use 1/4 cup more oats and leave out the nuts--it will be perfect!
Millican Pecan
This looks great! My husband is a picky eater too, and I look for recipes without certain ingredients, otherwise I have to make a separate casserole for him (no onions or mushrooms, for example). We both love sweet potatoes and will eat them baked, but sometimes you just have to change it up. Thank you for your recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad to hear you both can enjoy this casserole Millican.
Laura
This is far and away the best sweet potato casserole I've ever had! It is just sweet enough without being cloying. And you are right about the apple juice concentrate being essential; the flavor compliments the sweet potatoes perfectly.
And no one would be able to tell that this is gluten free and vegan unless I told them. This may become my new go-to potluck recipe :).
The only thing I'll do differently next time is use a shallower casserole dish; I used a 2-quart dish as recommended, but it was too deep and not wide enough, quite, and so the outcome was a little watery. It didn't hurt the flavor, though!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so so glad to hear you love this sweet potato casserole as much as we do! And I just served it to my family yesterday---and they had no clue it was vegan either.
Clarrissa
Do you think it would be ok not To mash the potatoes?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Clarrisa, I think you need to at least semi mash them so that they can absorb the spices, maple syrup, and apple cider concentrate. You can leave them chunky for sure, but I am not sure if they would turn out without mashing. I understand some recipes call for just sliced sweet potatoes, but in order to get the sweet potatoes tender you would need to cook so long the sugary syrup would burn as well. Sorry! If you like firmer sweet potatoes, try this recipe: https://amindfullmom.com/hasselback-sweet-potatoes/
Tony
Miss Kristin,
In your reply, here, you mentioned “apple ‘Cider’ concentrate”. Was that a typo? The ‘cider’ part sounds a bit more inviting, to me. But being diabetic, ‘concentrates’ are not friendly. If needed, can I omit the concentrate and increase the maple syrup. For some reason, maple syrup doesn’t seem to affect me, like juices do.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Thomas! Yes, this recipe does call for concentrate. HOWEVER, by all means, omit the concentrate and increase the maple syrup. I have done this in the past with great success. I would suggest using 1/2 cup maple syrup. I hope you enjoy!
Janey
What’s a good sub oil for coconut?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Janey! You can use canola oil or melted butter in place of coconut oil 🙂 Enjoy!
Carolyn Ingram
This looks delicious! I love that it is gluten-free!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Carolyn, it is a great option to serve to gluten-free guests at the Holidays.
Phoebe Hendricks
Sweet Potato Casserole is one of my favorites! Can't wait to try your healthier version!
Kristen Chidsey
I am willing to be you will LOVE it 😉
Lisa
Quick question - when you say "coconut juice, melted", do you mean coconut oil? I would assume so, but wanted to be sure. 🙂 And I'm so excited to try this!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh goodness yes!! I need to change that ASAP! And you can watch me prep this here if you are interested: https://www.facebook.com/amindfullmom/videos/1795576154048856/
Debra @ Bowl Me Over
Boy this looks fabulous! Got my eye on this recipe for T-Day! Wanted to pop by and do some sharing and also let you know I'm featuring your recipe this week on Foodie FriDIY! See you again soon!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much for the feature Debra! Happy Thanksgiving!