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!
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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
(click to expand)
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Very good. I did not make any adjustments to the recipe, and I added a little dab of coco oil on top of some leftovers. This dish has lasted my partner and I 3 days, and it tastes even better the next day. Thanks AGAIN, Angela! 5 stars!
First time to prepare this Saweet! Potato Casserole with Crunchy Nut Crumble after searching for vegan menu. After reviewing menus, I consider it very healthy food, I prepared it for the holiday party yesterday. My friends and I love it. Right now I am prepare a second one for Vegan Society holiday party this evening.
I am wondering if I could use coconut nectar instead of maple syrup ?
I used to make a recipe called Pumpkin Pie Cake. It was an awesome pumpkin mixture topped with a cake mix, butter and nuts – full of sugar and bad fats. This tastes almost like that decadent dessert. AWESOME! I would eat this guilt free as a dessert any day.
Can I just say this is the bomb?! I just made it for Christmas Eve tomorrow and I really wish I made more because my boyfriend and I can’t stop eating it! Thanks for the recipe!
This is crazy good!
I just tried it tonight and I must say it was delicious! I didn’t sweeten the mashed potato and added a bit of hazelnut to the crumble and it was very tasty!
Based on what I’ve read, it seems to be quite a traditional dish in the US, but here in Québec we’ve never heard of it. That’s a shame really!
I’ll certainly make it again! Happy Holidays! :)
This is fantastic! I had ~1/2 lb. of some leftover diced butternut squash that I threw in with the sweet potatoes to boil, and then mixed in two diced Corland apples (skins intact) after the potato/squash was done and ~1/2 lb. I added 1 1/2 tsp. of Flax seed to the crumble mixture and decreased butter/maple syrup by a tad. It still came out as great as the original! Angela, you have such a way of crafting recipes and inspiring us to experiment in the kitchen. It’s all great!
Made this for a family get-together and I got so many compliments, it was almost embarrassing! :) Thanks for a great recipe!
These were so perfect for Christmas. Just the right amount of sweetness, but not to the point that you felt like you were already having dessert and therefore could not have a “real” dessert too ;). Thank you!
Took this recipe to a potluck and it was fabulous!
To finish the casserole in the over I put it in my Cast Iron skillet and it worked perfect!
Thank you for sharing!
Oh yumm. Sweet potatoes and oats in the same recipe! And some added sweetness, mmm. ;)
I have some sweet potatoes that will go bad in a few days if I don’t cook them. Definitely making this!
I can’t wait to try this tonight!
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Oh my goodness! This is so so good :-) Tastes so divine. Thank you for such a taste explosion Angela.
This looks delicious! Any substitutions for all the nuts for a person with a severe nut allergy? (I’m allergic to all peanuts and tree nuts)
I made this for a Thanksgiving potluck, and it was a delicious, under-the-radar-healthy, crowd pleaser. I used coconut flour instead of almond (solely because it’s 1/3 of the price), and it came out great!
Can’t wait to try this one!! Can I use coconut flour instead or almond?
Everyone loves this dish. My MIL was in love with the taste!! This will be my second time making. I just wish the topping was a little crunchier. I plan on not adding as much wet topping (butter and coconut oil).