Last week when I asked you to send in your favourite Thanksgiving recipes that you wanted veganized, a certain email from Julianna spoke to me:
Hey Angela,
This is a famous recipe that has been in our family for generations. Our family calls it the Senator Russell after some Senator in Georgia a long time ago. It’s very Southern and delicious.
As the token vegetarian (and most days vegan except for honey and occasional greek yogurt) in my Southern family I would love a way to make this so that I could enjoy it as well.
I knew that I had to try out my first vegan sweet potato casserole. My mom has been making sweet potato casserole ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper and it is a treat that I always enjoyed! I was determined to make a vegan sweet potato casserole that would taste delicious.
Out of respect for Julianna’s family, I am not going to post their recipe on here, but I will tell you some ingredients that I chose to do without: eggs, white sugar, butter, evaporated milk, brown sugar, white flour. I couldn’t have selected a better recipe to make healthier too!
My first attempt was a huge and utter epic failure. It tasted good, but the texture was not up to par. Too much liquid. But I knew that could be easily resolved.
Last night, I jumped into my car at 10pm and booted it to the grocery store to buy more sweet potatoes. From 10:30-midnight, I was working on attempt #2. How is that for dedication?!
This morning I popped the casserole into the oven…and voila, my friends. Magic happened. Second time is a charm. ;) Not to mention I got to photograph in natural light which is always superior!
Oh She Glows
This Ain’t Grandma’s Sweet Potato Casserole (Vegan)
adapted from Fat Free Vegan blog.
Ingredients:
- 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance
- 1/2 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)
- 1/3 cup white or spelt flour (or gluten-free)
- 3/4 cups chopped pecans (I didn’t have- optional)
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish with canola oil. I wipe a bit on with a paper towel. Peel and then boil sweet potatoes until tender. Mash the sweet potatoes with the margarine until smooth. Add the vanilla, maple syrup, sea salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into casserole dish. Next, mix the topping ingredients together until well-combined. Sprinkle topping mixture over the casserole and bake for approx. 50 minutes, checking it every so often.
Makes 10 servings at approximately 215 calories per serving (without pecans)
Note:
1) You can add marshmallows if you’d like (Dandie’s brand are vegan). I thought it was fine without any though.
How did it taste?
JACKPOT!!
This sweet potato casserole is a big winner in my books! Both the sweet potato mixture and the sweet spelt topping was utterly divine. I did not miss the marshmallow topping, in fact I liked this one better.
I cut down the sugar by over half. I really DID NOT miss the 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 T of maple syrup that I cut out. It was still very sweet. I actually can’t imagine having it any sweeter than it already was. It was ‘just right’ in my opinion and isn’t going to give you a tummy ache. ;)
I also removed the pecans because I didn’t have any. I actually mixed in some chia seeds into the topping! The best thing about this dish is that you can adapt it to however you’d like it
We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Oh my goodness, this looks so delicious! I love holiday recipes! I also love learning new ones and trying them out! Thanks for sharing! Thanks for your help with Project Feed Me too! You’re awesome!!! xoxo nat
Trying a new recipe at 10:30?? You have such dedication! Looks delicious!!
This is awesome! Can’t believe you veganized it and it looks delicious! :)
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. Sweet potato casserole is my obsession and I live for it all year long. This version looks AMAZING and I NEEEEED to make it. You have no idea how much I need this. This is my favorite post of yours ever.
I have been wanting to make over my mom’s sweet potato casserole and this looks like it would do the trick!
YAY! This looks awesome and I’m no where near vegan or even vegetarian. My first intro to sweet potatoes was in a buttery, sugary casserole a few thanksgivings ago at my hubby’s family thanksgiving. I since then have learned to appreciate the sweet potato unadorned, or with hummus or beans on it. But I think this is something I would make and enjoy!
Thanks!
Courtney
Adventures in Tri-ing
BALLER!
I am thankful for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it out!
THANK YOU!! :) It was totally worth the anticipation :)
Angela, this looks delicious! I think I may make this for Turkey Day!
Yum!!! and dairy-free…perfect:-) cc
HOLY YUM!!!!! I am SO trying this – my mouth is watering looking at your pictures :) hehe I love recipes that our Non-vegan family members can’t complain about – this will certainly be one of them :)
Thanks for adapting and posting the recipe!
xoxo love you doll!
That looks awesome! I may just make it for a regular dinner :-)
looks amazing! Love that you cut the sugar, too — Nice work, Ange!
Also I don’t know if you saw this article…
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/recipes-for-a-vegan-thanksgiving/
Great quote from Emerson! He’s one of my favorite quotable philosophers.
Thanks for this recipe, it sounds super yummy! Can’t wait to try it out :-)
YUMMY!!!
Thanks again for helping me get the word out, Angela. We’ve raised $30 so far, but I know that we can get $500 by the end of the day!
Glad it was a success! I think I’m going to have to try your recipe :)
Looks great. We are using my mother in laws recipe for ours that we plan to bring to a party so I hope it goes well. No marshmallows for me either.
Oh my god, this looks amazinggggg! I love the crust. How you manage to look so fabulous and eat meals like this all the time is such a testament to your focus, drive, and healthy living philosophy!! :)
Great recipe! I am so happy to see you not use sugar! you know me…I think sugar is the enemy! ;) Natural baby!
That dish is so pretty I could lick the computer screen. I think I may have to give the family thanksgiving sweet potatoes and peaches casserole (oops, my southerner is showing) a makeover based on this and mash it all up just so I can add the topping…
I have never tried ANY form of a sweet potato casserole before (my fam was never big on any casserole type dish actually) – but this I think I must try!!!
wow does that ever look good.
your recipes continue to impress me! keep them coming!
I really wish my parents weren’t already set on their sweet potato dish for Thursday, because I would totally make this instead. Though, they sweet potatoes mashed with bananas and topped with strudel that we’re having are good too….
I’ll be putting this on our Christmas menu, though :)
Oh yum – I would eat that for dessert!
Happy un-Turkey Day!
I’ve never had a sweet potato casserole before, as I usually prefer my sweet potatoes with a more savory topping — like hot sauce!– but that looks SO good. I will have to try it at some point. :)
Hey Angela, I know you live near(ish) Toronto, and there’s a little all-vegan store there called Panacea that sells sweet and sara marshmallows! Maybe for your next sweet potato casserole? :)
Sweet potato casserole is a very, very big weakness of mine. This looks great!
YUMMY! I may actually like that sweet tator casserole. You do a great job veganizing these and we really do appreciate it!
I’m super impressed by your dedication and amazing recreation of that sweet potato casserole!
Oh my gosh Angela! That looks insane! On my “to do” list for sure now :-) Aloha!
That looks and sounds amazing! I wouldn’t know what to compare it to, though – I’ve never had the real deal either!
I am making this on Thanksgiving day for my whole freaking family. WOW!!!!
My husband found vegan marshmallows from Dandies Candies that actually melt(!), so last night we made s’mores: http://www.flickr.com/photos/snutur/4131281751/
They were delicious, but I couldn’t find any big graham crackers that didn’t have HFCS and/or trans fats. Lame.
I love ANYTHING sweet potato, so this is definite temptation! Most of all, thanks for leading me to the Fat Free Vegan blog. My, oh my, I might be here for hrs. :S
This looks deliicous! Perfect…I was looking for some vegan recipes to make for Thanksgiving!
That looks so delish and I’m not even a big casserole fan!
Potatoes are just sooo sooo comforting anytime of the year. I’m really enjoying new pototoes as the moment as it’s summer time here in New Zealand!
Yum yum yum yum!
WOW. that looks uh-mazing! Awesome job OSG!
That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing. I feel like sweet potato casserole is one of those things that is always loaded with calories and fat, but shouldn’t be! It’s nice to see a healthy alternative.
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