Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Pecan Topping! It’s not Thanksgiving without this quintessential dish, and we’re bringing all the nostalgia with a healthy twist.

Sweet, cinnamony, and comforting, this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Pecan Topping is a classic holiday must have. Silky and ultra-creamy sweet potatoes and candied pecans all come together with wholesome plant-based ingredients. It’s easy to make the day of or prepared in advance for a delicious casserole that the whole family will love.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

This classic dish has been a long time in the making.  We found ourselves constantly tweaking the recipe over and over again, when we finally settled on the fact that the sweetness of the sweet potatoes was really the culprit that was influencing our constant changes.

No doubt about it, sweet potatoes have varying ranges of sweetness.  The beauty of this recipe is that it is totally customizable and easily modified to suit your personal preferences.  AND another great thing is that you can totally taste the casserole before committing it to the oven.  So you know exactly how it is going to taste before serving it to guests.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Pecans recipe is a Whole Food Plant Based version of the classic holiday dish.  It is sweet and decadent. Feel free to reduce the maple syrup and/or maple sugar (or coconut sugar) as needed in the sweet potato mixture.  Do not reduce the maple syrup in the candied pecan topping ingredients as it helps to coat the pecans and create that beautiful, candied look on top.
• Consistency of the Sweet Potatoes: We are not huge fans of a thick, “dry” sweet potato casserole.  We enjoy them with an almost pudding-like consistency.  If you prefer just a mashed sweet potato casserole in its simplest form, simply mash the cooked sweet potatoes, add some cinnamon and sea salt, and place in a casserole dish and cover them with the Candied Pecan Topping.
• Unsweetened Plain Plant Milk: The amount used is based largely upon the consistency of the dish.  If you prefer a more pudding like consistency, then use the full 3 Tablespoons (or more), if you prefer the dish thicker, then use less.
• Cinnamon: Not all cinnamon is created equal.  Some have sharp notes while others are mellow.  The beauty of this recipe is you can taste and adjust the sweet potato filling before committing it to the oven, so you know exactly how it is going to taste.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can easily substitute pumpkin pie spice if you prefer that flavor blend.
• Baking Powder: The baking powder is optional.  It does add a tiny bit of “lift” to the dish.
• Casserole Flavor Options: Sweet potatoes vary greatly in terms of sweetness.  The beauty of this recipe is that it is easily customizable, and please note that this recipe is also very forgiving. You are in total control of this recipe based upon the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.  Once you mash up the sweet potatoes, give them a taste.  Are they really sweet?  If yes, then you may wish to cut back on the maple sugar (coconut sugar) and maple syrup.  If they are not sweet and largely dependent upon how sweet you like your casserole, start on the low end of the maple sugar (coconut sugar) and maple syrup and add small amounts at a time until you are happy with the end results.   We did several tests where we didn’t need any maple sugar and only used maple syrup. It just depends upon your own personal preferences.
• Sweet Potatoes: We used 8 small sweet potatoes to arrive at 4 cups mashed.
• Sweet Potatoes Cooking Method Options:
  • Baked Sweet Potatoes: We loved the caramelization that occurs when baking sweet potatoes. Simple preheat the oven to 450 F.  Place the clean, unpeeled sweet potatoes on a large parchment paper lined baking sheet, prick the tops with a sharp knife and bake in a 450 F preheated oven for an hour or until a sharp knife slides through the baked sweet potato easily.  Allow to cool until you can easily pick them up with your bare hands to remove the skins, place the peeled sweet potatoes into a large bowl and mash thoroughly.
  • Steamed Sweet Potatoes: Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks, place into a steamer basket over boiling water and steam until perfectly tender.  Then place into a large bowl and mash thoroughly.
  • Boiled Sweet Potatoes: Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks, place into a pot of boiling water and boil until perfectly tender.  When tender, drain off the water and then place into a large bowl and mash thoroughly.
• Maple Sugar: You can substitute the maple sugar for coconut sugar.
• Almond Flour: The almond flour slightly thickens up the sweet potatoes every so slightly, and creates nice texture.  You can leave out the almond flour if you wish, but then you may wish to cut back on the plant milk.
• Make Ahead:  You can make this dish the day before or earlier in the day.  Sweet potatoes do tend to release extra liquids after being refrigerated.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This dish freezes well.

Pantry Products Used:

• Molasses:  We used Grandma’s Unsulfured Original Molasses.  Feel free to use your favorite molasses.  We do not recommend black strap molasses. You can leave the molasses out of the dish if you wish.  The molasses adds excellent depth of flavor and is reminiscent of brown sugar.
• Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products Used:

• Large baking sheet (if baking), steamer basket (if steaming) or stock pot (if boiling)
• Small casserole/baking dish (of choice) We used a 5.5  x 8.5  x 3 inch rectangular pan.  Note: Any small casserole or baking dish will work.

If you try this tasty side, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Pecan Topping

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 40 Minutes
• Total Time: 50 Minutes
• Yield: 6 Servings 1x
• Category: Side
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Sweet, cinnamony, and comforting, this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Pecan Topping is a classic holiday must have.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes *
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened plain plant milk (+/-)
• 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (+/-) *
• ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon maple sugar (or coconut sugar) (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon molasses (optional) *
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons almond flour (optional) *
• ½ teaspoon baking powder *
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (+/-) *
• Pinch nutmeg (optional)*
• ¼ to ¾ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *

Candied Pecan Topping Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecan halves, rough chop
• ¼ cup maple sugar (or coconut sugar) *
• 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup *
• 1 Tablespoon hot tap water
• Pinch sea salt (+/-) *

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Prepare the sweet potatoes (baking, steaming, or boiling). See blog notes for different methods. Allow them to slightly cool, then place into a large bowl and mash them well.
3. Place all the remaining Base Ingredients into the bowl with the mashed sweet potatoes, mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed, then place into a small casserole baking dish, set aside.
4. Next place all the Candied Pecan Topping Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well to ensure all the pecans are coated and moist. Sprinkle the Candied Pecan Topping evenly over top the mashed sweet potato mixture.
5. Place into a 350 F oven, bake for 40 minutes, uncovered.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings:  6

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