This is a side dish you’re going to want on the holiday dinner table. Or maybe, on your regular fall dinner table. Because who can wait for the holidays? It is sweet potato season after all, which means in this house we’re cooking them a couple times a week. Give me all the sweet potatoes, please. They are the edible equivalent to a big warm hug.
Now that it’s officially November (plus chilly and dark at 6pm…tear…sob), I figure some of us are thinking about happier things…like the holidays and all the delightful holiday food. I know I am. It’s my favourite time of the year to cook and bake. For some reason, I always have oodles and oodles of recipe ideas floating through my mind this time of the year and can’t keep up with testing them all out. You should see my “to make” list…it’s massive!
In preparation for the holidays, I decided to do something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time; I revamped my old sweet potato casserole recipe from 2009. It’s a good recipe, but with 5 years of recipe development under my belt I knew I could improve upon it. This version got lightened up and given a crazy good pecan oat maple crumble topping. It totally blew us away and the previous recipe is all but history in my mind.
Just look at this crunchy crumble…
Here are a few things I changed up:
1) cut sweetener by over half (you won’t even notice)
2) added some heart-healthy virgin coconut oil
3) added a new and improved crunchy topping – gives it a great texture contrast!
4) made this one gluten-free as the old one wasn’t
5) amped up the maple + cinnamon flavours
6) new photos…because 2009 wasn’t my best year for photography…hehe
I recommend serving each portion with a pat of vegan butter or coconut oil on top to really take it over the edge. The butter/oil melts and cascades all over the casserole. Bliss!!
I love you, sweet potatoes.
PS- If you haven’t tried it already, check out my Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole. Dessert for breakfast!
Sweet Potato Crumble Casserole
Yield
12 large side servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is a side dish you're going to want on the holiday dinner table! The crunchy nut crumble tastes just like an oatmeal cookie. I recommend serving this casserole with a pat of vegan butter or coconut oil to really take it over the top. Also try serving it with Coconut Whipped Cream for a decadent twist. In this recipe, I swapped out half the vegan butter for virgin coconut oil to add some heart-healthy fats while still retaining that lovely butter flavour.
Ingredients
For the sweet potato mash:
- 4 1/2 to 5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 to 5 large)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 mL) vegan butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 mL) virgin coconut oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (37 mL) pure maple syrup, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt, or to taste
For the Crunchy Nut Crumble:
- 1 cup rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 1/3 cups pecan halves, chopped
- 1/3 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegan butter, melted
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (37 mL) pure maple syrup
Directions
- Peel and roughly chop sweet potatoes into large chunks. Place into a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and gently boil for 10 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 2 1/2-quart (10-cup) casserole dish and set aside.
- Prepare the crumble topping: Pulse the oats in a food processor until coarsely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together the chopped pecans, oats, almond meal/flour, cinnamon, and salt. Pour on melted coconut oil, melted butter, and maple syrup. Stir until combined.
- Once cooked and drained, place sweet potatoes into a large bowl.
- Mash potatoes with the butter and coconut oil until smooth. Now, stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Adjust to taste if desired. Spoon into casserole dish and smooth out.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the sweet potato mixture, evenly.
- Bake, uncovered, at 375°F (190°C) for 16 to 23 minutes, until the dish is hot throughout. Plate and serve immediately with a pat of vegan butter or coconut oil.
Tip:
- For a creamy twist, try subbing some of the butter/oil in the sweet potato mash for full-fat canned coconut cream.
Nutrition Information
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This was fantastic! Not that I had any doubts. I’ve actually enjoyed the leftovers more today than I liked the right-out-of-the-oven creation last night. I followed the recipe as written, except added about 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and 1/4 cup of sweetened coconut flakes CAUSE IT’S THE HOLLIDAYS YA’LL! Thanks for the great recipe!
haha love your additions…why not right? And I agree with you that the leftovers are so good. Really nice topped on a hot bowl of oatmeal, too!
can’t wait to make this for christmas day! what do you think about using coconut butter instead of something like earth balance?
Hey Heather, Oh that’s a great question. I’m not sure if it would be too “coconut-y” or not if using coconut butter. I find it can have a strong taste, but maybe the potatoes would mellow it out. If you try anything please let me know how it goes!
Great recipe!!! I absolutely love it!!! However, I was slightly disappointed because I was searching for a main dinner dish and this one was suggested. My BF and I really loved it but really thought we were having dessert for dinner… But hey, no harm done!! We enjoy breaking the rules on occasion!! Thanks Angela!!
Hey Ve-Jen, Oh thank you so much for trying it! Glad it was a hit. And also thanks for the mention that it’s coming up under a main dish (it shouldn’t be!), so I will go fix that now.
Can you make this ahead of time without baking and then bake it the day of? Would you leave the toppings off until ready to bake?
How would you go about preparing it the day before? Thank you!!
Hey Stephanie, Yes you certainly can! I’ve done this the day before (wrap it up well so it doesn’t dry out) and then I let it come to room temperature before baking it (or I simply tack on some extra bake time to make up for the chilled state).
Hey Angela! Hoping to bring this to a potluck…would it work in a slow cooker?
Oh wow, that’s a fun idea!! I’m really not sure. I wonder if the slow cooker would allow the crumble to get crunchy enough? If you try anything I would love to hear how it goes.
Hi Angela!
SO love your blog and your recipes. Quick question – any issues with just skipping the nuts? Or a swap idea? We have to be nut-free due to allergies…
Thanks!
Crissie
Hey Crissie, Oh good question! I would probably swap the nuts for sunflower seeds, but I haven’t had a chance to try this out I don’t think. I think if you totally omitted them you might miss the crunch factor. ;) I would probably try 3/4 cup sunflower seeds (just so they don’t overwhelm the flavours as they are more bitter) and omit the almond flour (potentially replace it with a tablespoon or two of oat flour).
This will be my 3rd Thanksgiving making this dish and it’s always a hit! Just reread the recipe and can’t wait for next week! I always double the topping which pushes this into borderline dessert territory. Thanks for the recipe and sweet potatoes rule!!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Scott! Happy cooking :)
Nice blog comment Thank you
Thanks Angela! I’ve been making this recipe for like 3 years now. Just made it again for Christmas Eve. Happy holidays!
I swear this is so good. It’s even good the next day to eat cold as a desert.