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
{ 89 comments… read them below or add one }
That looks so good! I think I’m going to have to make your pumpkin and sweet potato pie at some point this holiday season. Thank you so much for doing this :)
Sweet Potato Casserole is my favorite dish at Thanksgiving!!!
Looks like a great recipe! I think it’s great that you are showing that there are lots of alternatives!!!!
I sent you an email a few days ago about your glo-bars… I hope you got it!!! :)
Thought you might like this, it’s my big brother’s vegan Thanksgiving song: http://mchatton.com/2009/11/the-happy-vegan-thanksgiving-s/
I love your site! Much love & Enjoy!
Oh. my. gosh.
From the looks of this dish I would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!
I don’t know how you do it – but all your recipes look SO amazing, and moist, and delicious, and all around perfect! I cannot wait to be done school (3 more weeks) so that I can make them all!!!!!!!!
This looks really good, especially with the maple syrup. Yum :)
Angela, you SO rock. I love your dedication to this, and it looks AMAZING !!!
Happy Turkey (tofurkey!!) day,
Kris
That pie looks awesome! I’ve never eaten pumpkin casserole before but I bet it is good :).
i can’t wait to make this! it looks so good angela!!
Holy Moly Angela! That sweet potatoe casserole looks AWESOME! I’m so going to the store today (again) to pick up some sweet potatoes! Woo hoo!!! You don’t know how excited I am to be able to bring this vegan dish with me and no one will be the wiser!
This is my first Thanksgiving as a Vegan, and no one in my family even knows I’ve gone vegan (well, except my husband obviously :) ) and I’m still not sure I want to blurt it out, just want them to see the proof in the pudding that you can be vegan and EAT really really good food, and look good in the process! :)
Oh my gosh that looks amazing!!! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
This looks unreal!!
Thanks for the recipe. Perfect timing, too. I just made it to take to the in-laws tomorrow. The filling is delicious!
I adapted this one for Thanksgiving this year. The sweet potato mash tastes awesome! Reduced the maple syrup, upped the soy milk, and added fresh ground black pepper. Enough to satisfy anyone, vegan or not! :-) Thanks
THis looks great- my sis is lactose intolerant and her hubby is vegan- so this will fit the bill- can’t wait, but have to go to the store for non dairy products before they close for Thanksgiving!
We tried this today. It was delicious! My husband said it was very easy to make.
This was a total hit at my table! I’m the only real healthy eater in my family and everyone was so impressed that this wasn’t as decadent as it seemed! Thanks for the wonderful recipe :)
Hey!
This is completely random… I added your blog to my google reader yesterday (and I shall be ordering some bars soon!) and scrolled through the posts. This casserole caught my eye, looks delish! Anyway, this morning I read a post on http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ where she mentions vegan marshmallows. I remembered being disappointed to read that you couldn’t find any so I thought I would point you toward her blog in the hope’s you can find some of these vegan marshmallows. Random good timing on my reading through some of your old posts!
Katie
I am making this for Christmas DINNER!
Made this last night for our big Christmas Eve dinner and it was delicious. The chia seeds were a nice touch (luckily they had them at our local food co-op).
That looks delicious :) It even kind of looks like pumpkin pie almost! A great autumn dinner :)
This looks amazing! Could you please sugges a gluten free flour that I could use as a substitute? Thanks!
Hmm I’m not too sure. Anyone know?
Oat flour tends to be fine for those that have a gluten intolerance, otherwise I would use buckwheat flour, which is 100% gluten free and acceptable for those with Celiac.
Just made the casserole, putting it in the fridge all made up and will put in the oven tomorrow morning. From what I have been taste testing I can’t wait for the finished product. Super quick and easy to put together. My topping wasn’t really a “crumble”, more smooth, I think too much earth balance. Added a little more flour to hopefully stiffen it up a little. Still tastes wonderful though!!
Turned out PERFECT!!!
This looks GREAT! I’ve always thought sweet potatoes were awesome by themselves and that traditional sweet potato casseroles masked the wonderful flavor of the main ingredient. I am allergic to eggs so not having to alter the recipe is a bonus. My 4yr old son will love this. We try to eat a rainbow every day and according to him, orange foods are more fun. :-)
This was delicious and easy to make, thanks so much for posting it! My idea of success is when meat-eaters love it as much as I do and this was a success :)
Hi Angela,
I made this casserole and it was a total hit with my friends. The only part that I had trouble with was the amount of sweet potatoes. I ended up with about half the amount of casserole (which made it even sweeter and more dessert-like) because the potatoes were too small. Could you write in the approximate weight of the sweet potatoes? I really enjoy reading your posts and trying your recipes. I’ve probably made about half of them in total, so far and they are always popular with my husband. Thanks!
What is Earth Balance? I’m new to this site and have never heard of it.
It is a company that makes organic and vegan products, I have their soy butter and it tastes pretty good!
I am going to attempt this and add cranberry raisins to the mixture for added texture. Another addition you could use is chopped Granny Smith apples. This is definitely a recipe you can have fun with. You can use agave nectar as well in place of maple syrup. It is low on the glycemic index.
mmmmmm, how I wish I could have some right now! But since I’ve already bought butternut squash and not sweet pots, do you think the switch would work the same or would it be too wet from all the liquid in the squash? Thanks for another divine recipe.
That’s a great question and I’m not sure, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to try! Maybe if you think it will be too liquid-y you could try adding a bit of cornstarch or arrowroot powder to absorb the water? Let me know how it goes if you try it out.
HI! I would love to try the recipe! But I have one little question that i hope can be answered before my attempt later today. I know, asking a lot but thought I would ask just incase you read this today…
You stated that you cut the sugar and maple syrup in half. Did you mean half of what you wrote for the ingredient measurement list, or is that already halved. Meaning, you wrote 1/2 cup of sugar, is that already halved or should I further half it from there to use only 1/4 cup? Thanks again!! :)
Hey Lauren, The amount stated in the recipe is the amount I used. I hope this helps!
I am headed to my grandparents’ house for thanksgiving tomorrow, and I know the kitchen will be crowded. Do you think it would work as well if I pre-mixed all the ingredients today, refrigerated it, and then baked it at my grandparents’ place tomorrow? Would love to know, because this looks delicious!
I havent tried that myself but I can see why it wouldnt work! Let me know how it goes.
I just wanted to thank you for this recipe- in searching for a vegan but still decadent tasting sweet potato casserole, I came across this and had to try it for Thanksgiving. I used about the same tweaks you did, except I kept the pecans. It was simple to make and amaaaazing to eat, smelled wonderful while it baked and my whole omnivore family gobbled it up. Thank you for a vegan version of an old favorite that had all the flavor of the original versions!
Im so happy to hear that Valerie!
This was amazing! Was so nice to have a sweet potato dish that wasn’t swimming in loads of sugar like typical sweet potato dishes during the holidays. Everyone at my Thanksgiving table loved it! Since I didn’t have maple syrup, I used Agave Nectar and it worked great! For the topping I ended up using quinoa flower and added some applesauce to moisten it a little bit… thank you for a great recipe, I will definitely make it again! :)
I made this for Thanksgiving this year. WOW! Super delicious! Everyone absolutely loved it and had seconds! Big surprise to everyone that it was vegan! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this Sweet Potato casserole last night. It was delicious. I am not a fan of pecans but I told myself it didn’t matter. Your recipes are incredible and I knew if it called for pecans then it had to have them. It was sublime. Soft and flavorful with a mildly, beautiful crunch from the sweet pecan topping. My family loved this dish. I am amazed at the healthy vegetables I am able to feed my children ( w/the help of your recipes) without them taking notice and spitting it back out. The classic Green Monster is also a regular on the menu in my kitchen. Thank you for your thoughtfulness in posting your recipes online. I don’t know where I would be on my path toward being a vegan if I hadn’t stumbled upon your blog.
Hi Star, Thank you so much for your lovely comment! It warms my heart to read about how much you enjoy the blog. Thank you for trying the recipes!
Hi,
I made this casserole with modifications this past Thanksgiving. My son just called and asked for the recipe so he could take it a company Christmas party.
My daughter has “food issues” and starting with a vegan recipe makes it much easier to cook for her.
First, I didn’t thoroughly read the recipe and tossed the potatoes in the oven and baked them. This can help cut down on the amount of water in the potatoes and it can be done a day or two in advance. Just put them in the refrigerator until needed. This is supposed to increase the flavor as well.
Next, I cut back on the sweetener. I used just 2 Tbsp. of maple syrup. I, also, added 2 Tbsp. of tapioca flour to help it set a little more. I assembled the casserole the day before, covered it and put it in the refrigerator. I brought it up to room temperature before baking.
On the topping I cut back the brown sugar to 1/4 cup. Since my daughter cannot have nuts, I used 3/4 cup of oatmeal and 2 Tbsp. of chia seeds, as well as, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free flour. But, I stuck with the Earth Balance spread. I had all the ingredients ready to be assembled and made the topping just before baking. It came out nice and crispy with a creamy “pudding” underneath.
Everyone loved it.
Hi Susan, Thanks for your amazing feedback on the recipe! Im so glad that it turned out for you.
Does your site have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to send you an email.
I’ve got some creative ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it develop over time.
Yes please see my press page – thanks!
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