Maple Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole with an oat, pecan and cranberries topping and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Gluten-free, no refined sugar added!

This sweet potato casserole was almost a no-go.

Since American Thanksgiving is coming up, I wanted to test out some healthier versions of traditional sides.

My first attempt was a big pile of mush that was a result of trying to make it healthy AND vegan, which meant subbing applesauce for eggs and coconut oil for butter.

Nope.

Running out of maple syrup mid-way through didn’t help either, since I also was going sugar-free.

After wasting that much sweet potato, I almost gave up.

Then that night I was snacking on the pecan mix I used in these “nachos” and realized that same sweet and savory combo with pecans & dried cranberries would be a great topping for my next attempt.

Re-inspired and re-stocked with more pure maple syrup, I hit the kitchen again.

I still made 2 out of 3 of my original goals – while it’s not vegan, it’s still a healthier version and NO added sugar.

(Also accidentally gluten-free since I used an oat topping instead of flour.)

Don’t worry, it’s still sweet from the maple and has some of the best holiday spices for flavor.

Bonus – you can forgo an extra bowl if you want and just mix it up in your casserole dish!

I’m probably not the first to put dried cranberries on top of a sweet potato casserole but I think it’s pretty amazing.

I know fresh cranberries are all the rage this time of year but the dried ones add just the right flavor.

You’re going to want to make a big batch of mashed sweet potatoes so that you can make this casserole and those amazing rolls I shared with you the other day. Okay?

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Yield: 6

Healthier Maple Sweet Potato Casserole

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Sweet potato casserole with an oat, pecan and cranberries topping and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Gluten-free, no refined sugar added!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For sweet potatoes:

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (about 1.5 pounds or 5 medium potatoes)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For topping:

• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted (or unsalted butter with an extra pinch of salt)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

For sweet potatoes:

1. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the mashed sweet potatoes and eggs until combined. Stir in milk, maple syrup and cinnamon.
2. Transfer to a 9 inch casserole dish and top with sea salt and nutmeg.

For pecan topping:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the pecan pieces, oats, maple syrup, cranberries and butter.
2. Pour pecan mixture evenly on top of sweet potatoes. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 400Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 335mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 4gSugar: 34gProtein: 6g

Nutrition information is calculated automatically by an online tool at Nutritionix. It is not always accurate. Please use your own tools to check if you rely on this information.