Healthier sweet potato casserole that’s low sugar, gluten-free, and grain-free with a pecan cookie crumble. Perfect to share with family as a holiday side!
Confession: I may or may not have started listening to Christmas music this week.
In my defense, I always feel a few weeks ahead of the rest of the world because in the “blogger-sphere” we constantly anticipate the upcoming seasonal recipes.
Dan came downstairs and told me it was a little weird, seeing as how it wasn’t Thanksgiving and all.
Ok, ok. We can give thanks first.
In my last post, I talked about how Thanksgiving sides rule, so today I want to introduce you to the one side that rules them all.
This Vegan & Grain-Free Sweet Potato Casserole is low in sugar and super easy to whip up in advance for your guests this week!
All you need are a bunch of taters and a cookie crumble topping!
Let’s get casserole-ing.
You guys are going to love this casserole as a healthy side for the whole family.
If you’re like me, I probably had you at sweet potato, but I’ll continue anyway.
Ahem.
It’s lightly sweet, nutty, and warm, while being packed with some serious Vitamin A, healthy fats and protein.
I’m talking smashed sweet potatoes, pure maple syrup, cinnamon, shredded coconut, and toasted pecans.
It’s also gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, paleo, and low sugar, making it ideal for guests of all lifestyles and diets!
What You Need to Make Vegan & Grain-Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Family recipes during the holiday season are the best, right?
Especially when they’re in casserole form; kind of like the ugly sweater of the food world with just as much knitted character.
This Vegan & Grain Free Sweet Potato Casserole is based on my mom’s classic version that I ate growing up.
It’s easily my favorite Thanksgiving dish of our annual spread– the one I secretly hope no one liked because, watch it, those leftovers have my name on it.
I texted my mom a few month’s back, knowing I wanted to recreate an F&V version for the blog.
“Recipe, please!” I asked, and she sent me back pictures of the recipe in her pretty handwriting scrolled across index cards.
Here’s what you need:
- sweet potatoes
- ground flaxseed
- unsweetened almond milk
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- dash of cinnamon
That’s it!
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole Vegan
The original version calls for the usual suspects– eggs, butter, and lots of sugar.
For eggs, I subbed a flax egg, which gels up and helps hold all of that bejeweled sweet potato puree together.
Almond milk and a bit of coconut oil make the smash creamy and dreamy without any butter.
If you’re oil-free, omit the coconut oil altogether and sub a bit more almond milk and it’ll still be delicious!
For the sugar, I subbed a drizzle of maple syrup– this is optional, guys, because sweet potatoes already have sweet in their name, am I right?
However, if you’re serving for family this season, it’s sometimes nice to add a little extra natural sweetness to wow the guests.
How to Make a Sweet Potato Casserole Grain-Free
For the topping, my mom’s recipe called for brown sugar, coconut, chopped nuts, flour, and butter.
I used Sejoyia Vanilla Maple Coco-Roons, pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
This is where my favorite snack-able cashew cookies save the dish.
The inclusion of “coconut” as an ingredient on my mom’s recipe got me craving Coco-Roons, and imagining them crumbled on top of sweet potatoes told me this marriage needed to happen.
Vanilla Maple Coco-Roons create the perfect crumble base to this healthy-fied casserole to keep the recipe gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, and naturally sweetened.
I added a drizzle of maple syrup and a cup of chopped pecans for stick-to and texture.
The crumble browns beautifully in the oven; toasting the pecans and rendering the cookie pieces fragrant and toasty.
How to Serve Vegan & Grain-Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Enjoy this Vegan & Grain-Free Sweet Potato Casserole as a quick and nutritious side for your holiday spread.
I’ll be bringing this side-dish to our family Thanksgiving this week at my parents!
The dish reheats well, so try making it in advance the night before and heating before serving for the big feast.
If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the bake time altogether and enjoy the baked sweet potato mash warm with a raw Coco-Roon pecan crumble.
If you can’t find Coco-Roons near you, check them out on Amazon or sub your favorite topping instead.
I think a simple toasted cinnamon pecan crumble would be great here, too!
More Vegan Thanksgiving Side Recipes
-
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Hazelnut Butter Sauce
-
Dijon Tahini Green Beans
-
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Figs & Pecans
-
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes With Almond Butter Gravy
-
Harissa Roasted Cauliflower With Cranberries & Hazelnuts
-
Roasted Squash & Arugula Salad
-
Butternut Squash Noodle Cranberry Salad
-
Tri-Colored Roasted Cauliflower Salad
-
Stovetop Cauliflower Rice Stuffing
-
Low-Sugar Orange Cranberry Sauce
-
Delicata Chickpea Bake With Almond Butter “Gravy”
-
Pumpkin Cornbread Mini Muffins
-
2-Way Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
-
Candied Yams with Cacao Nibs & Pecans
I Want to Hear From You
If you make this Vegan & Grain-Free Sweet Potato Casserole recipe, let me know!
Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.
Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.
Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.
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XO Lauren

Vegan & Grain Free Sweet Potato Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Healthier sweet potato casserole that’s low sugar, gluten-free, and grain-free with a pecan cookie crumble. Perfect to share with family as a holiday side!
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Casserole
- 4–5 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean and halved
- 1 flax egg (1 TBSP ground flaxseed + 3 TBSP filtered water)
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 TBSP coconut oil (or sub another TBSP almond milk if oil-free)
- 1 TBSP maple syrup (optional, for sweeter casserole)
- dash of cinnamon
Pecan Cookie Crumble
- 2 bags Sejoyia Vanilla Maple Coco-Roons, crumbled
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- dash of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking dish with parchment paper.
- Lightly grease a casserole dish with coconut oil and set aside.
- Add the scrubbed sweet potato halves to the baking dish, facedown, and bake them for ~30 minutes, or until they’re fork tender. Once done, flip them over with a spatula and allow them to cool slightly.
- Mix up the flax egg in a large mixing bowl and allow it to gel for about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the skins from the slightly cooled potatoes and add the sweet potato flesh to the flax egg mixing bowl with the almond milk, optional coconut oil, maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon. Mash them lightly with a fork to combine.
- Add the sweet potato casserole mash to the casserole dish and spread it into an even layer with a spoon or spatula.
- Mix the toppings in a small bowl by mixing the crumbled Coco-Roons with the chopped pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon with your hands until it’s a sticky rough crumble.
- Crumble the topping over the sweet potato casserole in en even layer.
- Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potato mash is warm and the Coco-Roon crumble is slightly brown and fragrant. Watch the dish closely in the last 5 minutes to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Serve the casserole warm from the oven. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side
- Method: Oven-Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free
This post is brought to you by Sejoyia, but all words and eats are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep me hungry!
This looks absolutely delicious! sweet potato casserole is my favorite! Love your blog and thanks for sharing this recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much, Tara! Hope you enjoy this recipe if you try it! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your fam!!! XOXO.
Help! Where does the flax egg go?
Katie!!! Add the flax egg in with the rest of the ingredients– so sorry this wasn’t clear in the recipe! I’ve updated it for you! Hope you enjoy. XOXO.
This recipe was to die for!! My family devoured this dish on Thanksgiving. They loved it so much that I made it twice— once on Thursday for Thanksgiving part 1 & then again on Saturday for Thanksgiving part 2. I could not find the coco roons so I substituted them for 6 oz of Paleo Bites ( I found the paleo bites at Costco). I used my kitchen scale to get the exact # of ounces. Then I used a food chopper to get the crumble effect. I increased the amount of syrup to 1 TBSP instead of a tsp for the topping to get the sticky consistency. Bake time is the same 🙂
Hi Amber!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m so glad you found a substitute for the Coco-Roons. Thanks for sharing your version so others can try it with the paleo bites! 🙂 Sounds fantastic!
XOXO Lauren