This Sweet Potato Casserole is made with roasted sweet potatoes, vanilla, and cinnamon, along with a crisp praline topping, for a delicious Thanksgiving side dish!
Lightened-Up Sweet Potato Casserole
Elevate your Thanksgiving table with this irresistible Sweet Potato Casserole! Roasted sweet potatoes are blended with warm vanilla and fragrant cinnamon, creating a creamy, perfectly spiced base. Topped with a golden, crunchy praline layer, this dish is a mouthwatering balance of sweetness and texture that will have everyone coming back for seconds—and since it’s made with brown monk fruit sweetener, it’s lighter than the traditional version. I also have this old- fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow recipe or Mashed Sweet Potato Brulee. Perfect to serve with my Dry Brine Turkey!
My Favorite Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Thanksgiving is a day for joy, gratitude, and incredible food—so why not make it a celebration of abundance without the compromise? By incorporating healthier, lightened-up dishes into your spread, you can enjoy every bite without feeling the need to hold back. Opt for recipes that highlight wholesome ingredients, like my roasted green beans and roasted Brussels sprouts, or lightened up classics like buttermilk mashed potatoes or this sweet potato casserole with its dreamy praline topping. Here’s why it’s my favorite sweet potato casserole recipe:
- Enhanced Flavor: Roasting caramelizes the natural sugars in sweet potatoes, creating a deeper, richer sweetness that pairs beautifully with the vanilla and cinnamon in the casserole.
- Better Texture: Roasted sweet potatoes have a creamy, velvety texture that makes the base of the casserole smooth and luscious, without the need for extra butter or cream.
- Healthier Option: Roasting requires minimal oil and enhances the natural taste of the sweet potatoes, allowing you to keep the dish light while still tasting indulgent.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
First up, let’s talk about what you’ll need for the filling:
- Sweet Potatoes: You’ll need 2 ½ pounds (about four to six medium potatoes).
- Milk: I made it with fat-free milk, but 1% or 2% would work. Or, if you want to keep it dairy-free, try it with almond milk or another milk alternative.
- Pure Maple Syrup just a touch for a bit of sweetness
- Vanilla: Enhances the natural sweetness of the roasted sweet potatoes while adding a warm, aromatic depth
- Salt to balance out the sweetness
- Cinnamon for warm holiday flavor
- Eggs to bind the casserole and improve the texture
Next up – the praline topping!
- Nuts: Choose chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Flour: If you’re gluten-free, swap all-purpose flour for gluten-free.
- Oats: Get quick-cooking oatmeal or gluten-free oats.
- Brown Monk Fruit Sweetener: Substitute it for brown sugar, if you prefer.
- Seasoning: Just a little cinnamon and salt enhances the flavor.
- Butter: Melted butter or coconut oil will work as a dairy-free option.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
I tested out this easy sweet potato casserole a few ways. First, I boiled the sweet potatoes, but I loved it better with roasted ones since they caramelize and get sweet in the oven. See recipe card below for printable instructions:
- Bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375°F, prick the potatoes with a fork, and place them on a sheet pan. Bake for an hour or so until tender and set aside to cool.
- Mash: Peel off the skin and mash the potatoes with a fork in a large bowl. This step can be done a few days ahead to save time.
- Mix: Combine the milk, maple syrup, salt, spices, and eggs with the potatoes, and pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Make the topping: Stir the nuts, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together and then mix in the butter or coconut oil. Sprinkle the praline mixture across the top of the sweet potato casserole.
- Bake: Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for at least five minutes before serving.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping
Equipment
- 9 x 9-inch baking dish
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
- 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, about 4 to 6 medium total*
- Olive oil spray
- 1/2 cup fat free milk , or dairy-free milk alternative
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, beaten
FOR THE TOPPING:
- 2/3 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or gluten-free flour
- 1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, or gluten-free oats
- 3 tablespoons brown monk fruit sweetener, or brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, or coconut oil to make it dairy-free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prick potatoes with a fork and place on a sheet pan.
- Bake until tender, about 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile spray a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, 9 inch deep pie dish, or or 2 quart safe baking dish and set aside.
- Remove all the potatoes from the skin and mash with a fork or potato masher in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk, maple syrup, salt, spices and eggs to the bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until uniform in texture.
- Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish and smooth the top with a spatula.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the nuts, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Stir in the butter or coconut oil and mix well.
- Sprinkle the mixture evenly across the top of the sweet potato mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Tips and Variations
- Buy potatoes that are the same size and shape: This will ensure that they’re all tender and baked through at the same time. The softer your potatoes are after roasting, the more natural sweetness your sweet potato casserole will have.
- Swap the maple syrup for honey: It will give the sweet potatoes a slightly different, but still sweet and delicious, flavor.
- Make it nut-free: Use pepitas instead, which will give the topping a nice crunch without nuts.
Make Ahead Tips
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, it’s essential to do some prep ahead of time. You can bake, peel, and mash the sweet potatoes a couple of days in advance. You could even make the potato mixture and topping a day before, but I’d wait to sprinkle the praline topping over the casserole until right before baking.
Serving Suggestions
This sweet potato casserole pairs well with a variety of main dishes and other sides, from Thanksgiving favorites to classic comfort foods!
Main Dishes
Serve this sweet potato casserole with these main dish proteins.
Side Dishes
These side dishes are the perfect complement to this sweet potato casserole recipe if you’re putting together a holiday menu!
Proper Storage
- Refrigerator: Refrigerated leftovers will last 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Stored in an airtight container or freezer bag, this sweet potato casserole will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm leftovers in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven until heated through.
SO good! It’s like eating candy and was very easy. Highly recommend!
New Thanksgiving favorite!! It’s delicious.
We were looking for a healthier alternative to the traditional sweet potato recipes we’ve used in the past. This was a huge hit on our thanksgiving table this year.
I followed the recipe using the suggested substitutions (skim milk, brown sugar & walnuts) and I made 1 1/2 times the recipe. For our large crowd. It filled a 13×9 pan & was absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this again!
Thank you for trusting me!
I make this every year at Thanksgiving, everyone loves it!
Can you top with marshmallows instead? How would that change the cooking time?
Yes! You can definitely top it with marshmallows instead. If the potatoes are already hot, just add mini marshmallows and broil for 1–2 minutes until golden (watch closely — they toast fast!).
No big change to the cook time — just skip the sugar brûlée step and finish with the broil.
I’m not sure if I should call this a savory side dish or a not-too-sweet dessert? I am sure that I can call it delicious, though! I’ve never used fresh sweet potatoes for a casserole – always canned – but not any more. This was so easy,… and did I mention delicious?
Isn’t it SO good!
Can you top with marshmallows instead? How would that change the cooking time?
Can we use regular rolled oats instead?
Sure
I’ve made this twice now and everyone loves it! I’ve been instructed to make this every holiday but honestly it’s so good I’m going to make it on the regular.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. Definitely will make again!
So good! My whole family loved it
Can this be cooked at 350° with other items vs 375°?
I’m planning to try this. Looks fabulous! Does anyone know if this freezes well?
Could this recipe be made using butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes?
I have not tried but might be yummy! Let us know
/butternut squash is what i’m going to use instead of sweet potatoes. I’ve found them to be a perfect substitute. Also use butternut in place of pumpkin for “pumpkin” pie.
This looks great! Question: Can all or part of this be made ahead?
Thanks! Love your recipes, Gina.
Make it all ahead, but don’t put the topping on until the end when you heat it up.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I make it all throughout the year. It’s a great side for chicken or pork. It’s delicious and freezes well.
So happy you love it!!
what can I substitute for the Maple syrup?
Honey
My grandchildren are gf. How big a dish would I need to use if I double the recipe?
Great this is GF. I would use 2 9 x 12 dishes if you double.
This recipe was delicious! I usually make the traditional sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows and wanted to try something different, and this was perfect! Everyone loved it. I made it in an 8 1/2 by 11 glass casserole dish and it filled it to the rim. I also used about 3 tablespoons of butter to mix with the topping; otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
This is the easiest, most delicious sweet potato dish I have ever had. I made it for our “Friendsgiving” at work and there was not a bite left. Everyone asked for the recipe. This is going to be an every year recipe.
I needed to make this gluten and dairy free. I used GF flour, almond milk, coconut oil, and Swerve.
This makes me SO happy!!!
Made this for Thanksgiving and my family LOVED it. No one knew it was a healthier version. I made it with GF flour and oats so that GF family members could enjoy and it was so good! I couldn’t taste a difference using cup for cup GF flour. Will definitely make again- would be a delicious fall/winter side to any dish.
Could you use canned yams?
If I double the recipe, how does that change the cooking time?
Same cook time as long as it’s heated through.
Could this be baked as a pie rather than a casserole? The recipe is close to your pie recipe except for the cooking time– 1 hour for pie while just 30 min for casserole. I’m wondering how to add this topping to the pie recipe without burning it in the oven. Any tips??
I’m diabetic – wondering if I could use sugar free syrup instead of maple?
Sure
Can you use brown sugar instead if monk fruit? Thanks
Sure
Excellent taste. Good vanilla makes all the difference.
Simple and delicious! It was a total hit with my family.
Will add this to the fall/holiday menu from now on! Thanks!
I love this recipe so much! A perfect amount of sweet and crunchy and my family loves it, too! It’s the perfect recipe for the holidays.
Can canned sweet potatoes be used? If so, how much?
hello😊 yes, I’m wondering too,as Pat, if cann0ed sweet potatoes in place of baking them
Is it ok to use canned?
Wont be as good but yes, you can.
I made this today. Half with marshmallows. The other half the praline topping. I also used vanilla almond milk in place of the regular milk. It was DELICIOUS!!! DEFINITELY ALREADY ON THE MENU FOR NEXT YEAR!!
Time saving tip….microwave potatoes then “roast them for about 10 minutes at 400 in your air fryer. Tastes like they were roasted a long time.
Thanks for the tip!
Could a different sweetener besides monk fruit be used? If so, what and how much?
I’m pretty sure the conversion for monk fruit to sugar is 1:1.
I used brown sugar, same measurement.
Can it be made in advance?
It did say you could make it a day ahead of time, but wait until just before baking to put the topping on. Hope this helps!
Delicious! My family has had a sweet potato casserole recipe we’ve had every Thanksgiving and Christmas my whole life, yummy but I find it too sweet. This one will likely be my own holiday sweet potato recipe for holidays from now on! I made the 2 components a day ahead and assembled Thanksgiving day. And I used regular brown sugar in place of monk sweetener, same measurement.
I have a family member with an egg allergy. Would a flax egg or soy yogurt be a decent alternative?
I was wondering the same thing!
I’m wondering too since I have three vegans to cook for.
Wondering the same, maybe apple sauce?
I think you can just omit it!