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Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole is made with a warm sweet potato mash and topped with an oat and pecan crumble topping. Baked together in one dish, you end up with a sweet and comforting side dish for the holidays!
You can almost always find a sweet and comforting sweet potato casserole on the Thanksgiving or Christmas table. It’s essential for a great holiday! Thankfully, this Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole is suitable for all of your guests and is so delicious, they won’t even realize it’s gluten free.
The ingredients you need to make a sweet potato casserole are simple. The sweet potato mash is nicely seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon before it’s topped with a sweet and crunchy streusel-like oat, pecan, and brown sugar crumble. Pop it in the oven for 30 minutes or freeze it so you’re prepared before the holidays arrive.
Want to use up the rest of your sweet potatoes during the holidays? They’d be perfect in these Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Flourless Sweet Potato Brownies.
Recipe features
- Naturally gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and easy to make paleo, making it the best side dish for all kinds of guests.
- It’s almost like eating a sweet potato pie for dessert. Still sweet, creamy, and decadent, but in the form of a side dish!
- The recipe can easily be made with regular flour, milk, or butter if you don’t need it to be gluten free or vegan.
Ingredient notes:
- ​​Sweet potato - You should need about 3 large sweet potatoes. They’re boiled, mashed, and stirred with some dairy free milk and warm spices before being baked with the crunchy topping.
- Milk - Dairy free (soy, oat, coconut) or regular if you don’t need the casserole to be vegan.
- Vanilla extract - For a warm flavor and balance.
- Brown sugar - Or coconut sugar to help the potatoes taste less sweet.
- Cinnamon - Feel free to add a little nutmeg as well if you want lots of warm flavors.
- Rolled oats - Make sure they’re certified gluten free.
- Flour - Oat, coconut, or almond flour. A 1:1 gluten free flour blend will also work.
- Pecans - For some crunch and sweetness. To make the casserole nut free, omit the pecans and replace them with pepitas.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Boil the potatoes. Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large pot and fill it with water. Bring the water up to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water, then place them back in the pot.
Step 2: Mash the potatoes. Add the milk, dairy free butter, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to the pot with the potatoes. Mash everything together with a potato masher. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a prepared baking dish or casserole dish.
Step 3: Make the topping. Stir the oats, flour, pecans, brown sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter on top, stir, then sprinkle the topping over the mashed potatoes.
Step 4: Bake, then eat. Bake the sweet potato casserole for 25 to 30 minutes in the oven. When it’s done, let the casserole rest for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Expert tips and FAQs
- Instead of the oat topping: Use this almond flour-based crumble topping instead. It’s still warm, comforting, and sweet without needing any oats or nuts.
- Feel free to steam the potatoes or cook them in the microwave instead of boiling them.
- Peel the sweet potatoes so you don’t have flecks of skin in the mash.
How can you make a paleo sweet potato casserole?
Replace the oats with another nut or omit them entirely. Use maple syrup or honey instead of the sugar, and use almond flour or coconut flour in the topping.
Can this be made with marshmallows?
Traditional sweet potato casserole is baked with a pecans and mini marshmallows on top but I left them out of this recipe so the casserole isn’t as sweet. You can add some instead or on top of the crumble, but make sure to use vegan marshmallows (which are almost always naturally gluten free).
Can you make this ahead of time?
Sweet potato casseroles are one of the best make-ahead sides. Go ahead and make the potato filling up to 3 days in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. Transfer it to a baking dish, sprinkle the oat and pecan mixture on top, then bake and enjoy!
How long does it last?
The leftovers keep well in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Can you freeze sweet potato casserole?
Make the mashed potatoes as normal but leave the streusel topping off. Cover the dish with the potatoes and freeze for up to 1 month.
More gluten free side dishes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups diced sweet potato peeled (approx. 3 large sweet potatoes)
- ½ cup oat milk or milk of choice
- ¼ cup butter regular or vegan
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
for the topping:
- ¾ cup rolled oats see notes for oat-free version
- â…“ cup oat flour or sub almond flour
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter regular or vegan, melted
Instructions
- Add diced sweet potatoes to a large pot, then fill it with water so that the potatoes are covered by one inch. Bring to a boil, then continue boiling until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork, 8-10 minutes. Drain, then place the potatoes back into the pot.
- Preheat oven to 350° then grease a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Add the milk, butter, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to the pot, then use a potato masher to mash the potatoes; transfer them to your prepared baking dish, using the back of a spoon to smooth them out.
- Next, make the topping. In a large bowl, stir the oats, flour, pecans, brown sugar, and salt together; then, pour the melted butter overtop and stir to combine. Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake the casserole for 25-30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and wait 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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