Are you ready for another recipe for a very #AmbitiousThanksgiving?! I know I am.
If I had to pick only ONE thing to eat at Thanksgiving, it would be this healthy sweet potato casserole. I started making it four years ago and love republishing it on the blog every fall because it’s an absolute must-make.
In fact, now my mother-in-law requests that I bring it to Thanksgiving every year. That’s how you know it’s good, am I right?!
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What makes this sweet potato casserole healthy and yet still oh so good?
- Instead of tons of butter mixed into the sweet potatoes, we’re adding some almond milk for the perfect amount of moisture. You’ll just need 3 tablespoons of butter total for that delicious crumb topping, but feel free to use vegan butter or coconut oil.
- The sweet potato mixture is just sweetened with a bit of pure maple syrup.
- We’re skipping the marshmallow topping and adding a crunchy, addicting pecan oatmeal topping instead. YUM!
I’m not going to lie, there have been plenty of times when I’ve preferred this as my Thanksgiving dessert because it’s so delicious. Add a little whipped cream on top or serve with vanilla ice cream, and you’re set.
Healthy sweet potato casserole ingredients
This incredible, healthy sweet potato casserole recipe is simple and delicious. You’ll basically need sweet potatoes, spices, oats, and pecans to make the whole thing. So easy! Here’s everything you need:
- Roasted sweet potatoes: This recipe starts with roasted sweet potatoes, which is critical to keeping the casserole sweet, creamy, and delicious without having to use a ton of excess sweeteners.
- Pure maple syrup: I love adding pure maple syrup to the sweet potato filling. It’s only 2 tablespoons, so you can feel free to use honey if you’d like, but I ALWAYS vote maple.
- Almond milk: a little almond milk helps smooth things out and make the sweet potato filling uber creamy. Feel free to use whatever milk you’d like. I think coconut or cashew milk would also be delicious!
- Egg: I typically add 1 egg to the sweet potato mixture for a little extra moisture. Feel free to leave it out if you’re vegan.
- Spices: Add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of allspice for just the right amount of spice.
- Pecan oatmeal crumble: Who doesn’t love a crunchy oat topping? This one includes a little butter, brown sugar, whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats, and pecans! Trust me, it’s fabulous.
Simple ingredient swaps
Out of a few ingredients? No problem! This sweet potato casserole is easy to customize:
- For the butter: feel free to sub coconut oil or vegan butter.
- For the brown sugar: you can also use coconut sugar, or make your own brown sugar with this tutorial!
- For the flour: if you don’t have any whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to use regular, all purpose flour. See below for a gluten-free option.
Easily make it dairy-free or vegan
That’s right, you can easily turn this into a vegan sweet potato casserole! Use coconut oil or vegan butter instead of regular butter in the topping to keep it dairy-free, and if vegan, skip the egg in the sweet potato mixture. It will still be delicious!
How to make gluten-free sweet potato casserole
Simply use oat flour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour.
How to make sweet potato casserole ahead of time
Here’s some good news: not only is this recipe EASY, but you can also make it a day ahead of time if you’d like. Simply:
- Prepare the recipe as directed.
- Cover with foil and place it in the refrigerator.
- Once ready, bake as directed and serve!
Alternatively, you can just roast your sweet potatoes ahead of time. They take an hour, so I like to bake them a few days before, then wrap them in foil and place in the fridge until ready to bake the casserole. I’m always happy when I can save as much time as possible during Thanksgiving, as it means there’s more time for wine and good conversations with the people you love.
How to store & reheat leftover sweet potato casserole
- To store: store any leftover healthy sweet potato casserole covered in the baking pan or in separate, airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days.
- To reheat: simply reheat a portion of the healthy sweet potato casserole in the microwave, or feel free to re-warm the entire baking dish to enjoy a few more servings.
Tools you’ll need
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Baking dish, 8×8-inch pan, or 9-inch pie pan
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer
Get all of my kitchen essentials here!
More Thanksgiving recipes to serve
- The Best Homemade Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Parmesan Bacon Sourdough Mushroom Stuffing
- Roasted Garlic and Herb Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes (so creamy!)
- Herb Butter Maple Roasted Turkey
- Asiago Arugula Pear Salad
- Best Ever Healthy Pumpkin Pie
- Apple Snacking Cake with Salted Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Don’t forget to check out all of our healthy, delicious Thanksgiving recipes here, and tips for hosting Thanksgiving here!
I hope you love this amazing, healthy sweet potato casserole recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Oat Streusel
Ingredients
- For the potatoes:
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large or 5 medium sweet potatoes)
- 2 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120g) unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg (or can leave out if vegan)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- For the topping:
- ¼ cup (28g) whole wheat pastry flour or regular flour (if GF, use gluten free oat flour)
- ⅓ cup (32g) rolled oats (gluten free if desired)
- ⅓ cup (71g) packed brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ½ cup (56g) coarsely chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (or sub vegan butter or coconut oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roast the sweet potatoes: Wash sweet potatoes and use a fork to poke holes in sweet potatoes; about 4-5 pokes per potato used. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast for 45 minutes-1 hour or until very fork tender. Allow potatoes to cool for 5-10 minutes. Lower oven heat to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 8x8 inch pan, 9 inch pie pan, or a 1 1/2 quart or 2 quart safe baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- Make the sweet potato mixture: Cut open sweet potatoes and discard the skin, place sweet potato flesh in a large bowl and add in maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth, adding a splash more almond milk if you want them to be creamier. Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth top.
- To make the topping: Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, and pecans. Use a fork to stir in melted butter until a nice crumb forms. Sprinkle all over the top of the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serves 8.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen Photography by: Yoga of Cooking
This post was originally published on November 4th, 2014, republished on November 8th, 2021, republished on November 23rd, 2024, and republished on November 10th, 2025.
This is my family’s go-to sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving. So delicious and love that it is lightened up and not overly sweet. Just perfect.
I’m so glad!
Thoughts on using browned butter??
I approve of browned butter always!
This was so good! The crumble topping was phenomenal. I took the extra step of putting my sweet potatoes through a ricer, and it was very creamy and flavorful. Love that this is dairy free since I used coconut oil in the topping.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
I made this for Thanksgiving. It was a smash hit among people with all kinds of dietary preferences! I loved making it in phases (Tuesday – roast sweet potatoes; Wednesday – assemble; Thursday – bake it!). I did not have pastry flour, but regular flour worked great. I will definitely be making this dish again next year!
So easy and delicious! Glad it was a hit with everyone!
My new favorite recipe for sweet potato casserole! It is my favorite dish at Thanksgiving and one that I’m always in charge of making, but this year I wanted to lighten it up and this recipe didn’t disappoint! No one could tell it didn’t have all the added sugar and the topping gave all the crunch and richness, while the spiced inside gave a great texture and flavor. I honestly liked it better than pumpkin pie and will probably make it again for Christmas. Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe! I doubled the recipe and increased the amount of spice by adding an additional tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. This will be my new go-to recipe!
Amazing! So happy it was a hit 🙂 One of my favorite sides to make, too!
My family didn’t know it was a healthier version and it was voted the best side!
So happy to hear that!
Absolutely the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever had. I skipped the egg and used coconut sugar for the topping, and I highly recommend fresh nutmeg. These are just what I had on hand, but they worked beautifully. This will forever be a part of my Thanksgiving table. Thank you!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
The NI for this recipe appears way off. I use an app to plug in my recipes before I make them and put all the mess as shown and it’s 364 cals for 8 servings . Huge variation.
Hi! I tweak this recipe every so often to make it even better – just updated the nutrition info, but I still do not get 364 cals per serving!
I wish I could eat this year round it’s so good!! Sweet potato casserole with a pecan/oat topping > sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping 🙂
YES so delicious! I say why not eat it all year round 🙂
This is the best part of Thanksgiving with no guilt from too much cream, butter, sugar. I have been making it for years!
So glad you love it!
I am so excited to be making your best homemade healthy green bean casserole and you’re healthy sweet potato casserole. They sound wonderful with all healthy ingredients.
Thank you so much for having such inspiring recipes, healthy and simple!!!
Absolutely! I hope you love them!
What size baking dish if I double this? How does the baking time change? Can I bake it the day before and reheat?
I’d suggest dividing it into 2 pans (any of the dimensions listed) so that you can have the same baking time! I also have instructions for how to make it ahead of time within the post 🙂
Can this also be frozen ahead of time then placed in the fridge the night before to thaw?
Yes, but I’d suggest adding the topping after it’s thawed and then baking it before serving so that the topping doesn’t get mushy.
Yum . So good!!!! Made it for Thanksgiving this year and it was so delicious. Really good spice blend and sweet crunchy top.
The best!! Glad it was a hit!
i made this recipe a few Thanksgivings ago. We have a group where some people like sweet potatoes and some don’t. So I was making this for those who do. Everyone LOVED it! Which was great to hear, but the recipe, for me, was a bit time-consuming and felt like a lot of steps. Probably just me being tired and overworked at that time of year. The second year I “microwave-roasted” the sweet potatoes, which proved a decent shortcut. I don’t love to cook, so I would rather dump something in the crockpot and be done with it. But no one will let me! Now that they have had this recipe, this is what they want every year and will not settle for less, lol. Now I just plan better and allow time for the steps.
Such a great shortcut! Glad this was a hit!
I made this wonderful recipe- following the directions as given and it was absolutely delicious! I love the addition of oatmeal to the topping and the sweet potatoes were perfect 👌. This will be my new go to recipe but not just for holidays but regularly! I literally could not stop eating it! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! Blessings!
So happy you loved it!!
This is the right way to do potatoes. Been looking for my most favored recipes for holidays and tbh this one is winning! It’s the right balance of fantastic flavors without just relying on sugar for flavor. I left the syrup out. Bonus, roasting the potatoes made peeling super simple which worked well since I had teeny potates.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Soooo delicious! A huge hit at thanksgiving. Barely had leftovers!
So happy to hear that!
I had made an old Cooking Light sweet potato casserole every holiday meal. It became the “famous” dish that was requested whenever I was not hosting and offered to bring something. Unfortunately I lost the cookbook (I have no idea how that happened!) and was lost this Thanksgiving.
Fortunately, I found your recipe. It was as good, if not better, than my old standby. Thank you so much for saving my Thanksgiving!
Your recipes are always the best.
Amazing! So glad you found this one!
This was a big hit with everyone at the table! I don’t even like sweet potato casserole but it’s my husban’s fav so I went with this recipe as I received it in my inbox via the newsletter.
WOW so good and easy to prep ahead. I went back for seconds!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Made this exactly as posted for Thanksgiving and it came out great! Everyone loved it! I’ll definitely make it again but use less crumble topping ~ the sweet potatoes provide plenty of sweetness
Amazing! Perfect for the holidays 🙂
Hi there, need a substitution because unlike myself who loves pecans others in my family do not. What other nut could I use for the strudel topping.
Thank you this sounds delicious & healthy!
Hi! Feel free to use the crumble topping from THIS pie, which just uses flour, oats, brown sugar, and butter.
Would peeling and boiling the potatoes instead of baking work instead?
Yes that should work!
Would peeling and boiling the potatoes instead of baking work instead?
FABULOUS! Because I am Vegan, I omitted the egg and because my family likes “chunky” sweet potatoes, I cut the sweet potatoes into 1″ chunks and mixed with soy milk and the spices. Let that soak in for 20-30 minutes. I patted it down it down and sprinkled the topping on and into the oven it went. It turned out to be the best sweet potatoes I’ve ever made, and I’ve made plenty in my 71 years! Thank you for this great recipe, Monique!
Perfect! So happy to hear that!
Can you cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave to save time?
That should work!
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, that should work! Just use a larger pan or two separate pans.