Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
Published 11/16/2021 • Updated 12/5/2023
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This healthy sweet potato casserole is everything you love about the classic with a wholesome twist. It’s made with a brown sugar, pecan, and oat topping and will sweeten up any Thanksgiving table.
Our goal with all of our recipes is to keep classic flavors while using wholesome, nourishing ingredients when possible. Trust me when I say this healthy sweet potato casserole doesn’t taste “healthy!” We’ve perfected this wholesome version of a holiday classic know you’ll love it, too.
In addition to creating a healthier version, our sweet potato casserole recipe is also simple – we’ve streamlined much of the process! While the diced sweet potatoes roast in the oven, you’ll make the crunchy pecan topping in a food processor. We actually prefer an oat + pecan topping for sweet potato casserole as opposed to marshmallows. One taste and you’ll know why!
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, use the same food processor (less dishes!) to combine the potatoes with Greek yogurt and almond milk to create a super creamy base. Top the mashed sweet potato mixture with the crumbly topping and bake until warmed through. The crunch, sweet yet savory flavor, texture, and overall coziness of this casserole is all just so good.
Featured Comment
“My soon to be MIL stopped eating and turned to me and proclaimed “what is in these sweet potatoes?? They are the BEST I’ve ever had in my life! I have to have the recipe!” This was also my first time hosting Thanksgiving so I was really out to impress and this recipe did just that!” – Mika
What You Need for Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
There are 2 parts to this sweet potato casserole. Here’s what you need for each:
Sweet Potato Base
- Sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Almond milk
- Greek yogurt
- Salt
Pecan Streusel Topping
- Pecans
- Oats
- Bacon
- Butter
- Spices
- Brown sugar
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole Variations
Where to start? There are so many ways to customize this casserole to your tastes, preferences, and what you have on hand. Here are just a few swaps and substitutions we recommend:
- Replace the pecans with the same amount of walnuts.
- Sweeten the casserole with brown sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup.
- Use butter or coconut oil.
- Omit the bacon for a vegetarian option. While the bacon adds a delightful burst of savory flavor, this casserole tastes great without it.
- Make it dairy free! Use a plain non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, coconut oil or vegan butter in place of the butter, and omit the bacon (add a little salt).
FAQ
Yams have a thicker skin and a texture that is similar to yucca. Sweet potatoes have a thinner skin and a sweeter interior.
This is definitely an extra step compared to other sweet potato casserole recipes, but you get more of that delicious caramelized flavor in every bite by peeling, dicing, and roasting the potatoes.
Absolutely! Follow our baked sweet potato recipe to roast the potatoes without peeling or chopping. Once baked, let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes before scooping out the flesh and placing it into your food processor. Then, continue with step 6.
Instead of a food processor, use a high-speed blender. If you don’t have either, chop all of the topping ingredients using a sharp knife (or place the ingredients in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to smash it up) and use a hand mixer in step 6. Note that the topping will not form a crumble without a food processor or blender.
Yes! This is a naturally gluten free sweet potato casserole. Make sure to use certified GF oats in the topping.
Storage
Store any leftover sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For best results, we do NOT recommend freezing this sweet potato casserole.
Keeping sweet potato casserole warm
After your sweet potato casserole has cooked all the way, remove it from the oven and cover it with foil. It should stay warm for up to 30 minutes. You can also keep it in the oven at 160ºF until the rest of the meal is ready!
Make Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole
We recommend making the sweet potato casserole up to 2 days before you’d like to serve it. Here’s how:
- Follow the directions as written and let the casserole cool completely.
- Once cool, tightly cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator.
- When ready to serve, cover the casserole with foil and place it in the oven at 325ºF for 15-25 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. Heat until warmed through.
More of our Favorite…
Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
Looking for more healthy Thanksgiving recipes to fill your holiday table with? Check out all of our best turkey day recipes in one spot!
Serving Suggestions
It’s not Thanksgiving without sweet potato casserole! Serve this healthy version alongside other classics like cheesy scalloped potatoes, healthy green bean casserole, lemon ginger cranberry sauce, and smoked turkey breast.
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Casserole
Pecan Topping
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 6 slices cooked bacon, diced
- 3 tablespoons room temperature butter, or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or coconut sugar or maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (or line it with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray). Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 2-inch cubes. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat the potatoes.
- Bake until tender, about 25 minutes. Toss halfway through baking.
- While the sweet potatoes are baking, make the topping. Place all of the topping ingredients (except the bacon) into a large food processor. Pulse on high until the mixture forms a crumble.
- Add the diced bacon to the food processor and pulse a couple more times to incorporate the bacon bits into the mixture. Transfer the crumble to a separate bowl.
- Once the potatoes are cooked reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF. Transfer the potatoes to the same food processor you used for the pecan mixture. Add the almond milk, yogurt, and salt. Use the pulse feature to combine the ingredients, but do not totally purée the sweet potato. You want some chunks.
- Once mashed, transfer the sweet potato mixture to the baking dish. Use a spatula to evenly spread it out. Sprinkle the pecan mixture on top.
- Bake the casserole for 25 minutes. For a crispier topping, broil the sweet potato casserole for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Tips & Notes
- Storage: Store leftover sweet potato casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole: To make a vegan version, omit the Greek yogurt and bacon and swap the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Well, where to begin. My grandma always makes a sweet potato casserole at thanksgiving and always says she uses half the sugar it calls for. I look forward to it every year! So, I set out this year to make something similar since we wouldn’t be together (still not sure why I didn’t just ask for her recipe, but glad I didn’t now). I found a different recipe and made it. It called for a cup of sugar in the sweet potato mash and another in the topping so I did half that but also accidentally doubled the butter…. I tried to salvage it but it made my fiancé almost throw up. So, back to the drawing board and back to my trusty FFF website. I roasted the potatoes whole so I didn’t have to peel them and quickly made the whole dish the night before thanksgiving and then only had to heat it up on thanksgiving because it can be made ahead! Also, by comparison this recipe only calls for 2 tbs of sugar so you already know it’s way better. My soon to be MIL stopped eating and turned to me and proclaimed “what is in these sweet potatoes?? They are the BEST I’ve ever had in my life! I have to have the recipe!” To which I responded happily “FFF and then only use Greek yogurt and coconut oil”. Mind you this was also my first time hosting thanksgiving so I was really out to impress and this recipe did just that! Everyone should make this and then make it again!
This is such a fun review!!! Thank you so much!
Love this so much! Would like weight for potatoes in recipe though, because what is large and how do know what 3 cups is when you are the store.
For anyone looking to simplify and use less kitchen items, I did this without cutting up the sweet potato and without the food processor. I used my moral method to make sweet potatoes roasting them whole. The skin pulls away completely and you get some caramel on the flesh. I then cut them open, scooped out the flesh into the baking dish, added the things to mix with the potato and mixed it in the dish and then spread out. For the topping, I got chopped pecans and just put everything in a bowl and mashed with my hand to incorporate. I am sure that made it more chunky but I like it that way. Doing it that way saved me from peeling and cutting the potato, and having to lug out and wash the food processor when my kitchen was already a mess more Thanksgiving.
Can you go without the bacon for the crumble topping? Can’t wait to try!
I made this without the bacon and my whole family loved it.
Everyone loved this healthy sweet potato recipe I made for Christmas dinner. Thanks Linley!
Love from Ohio
Camille & Marty
So glad you loved it! I’ll let Lin know you guys say hi!!
Could you give me reheating advice if I make it tonight for thanksgiving tomorrow? Thank you!!
I’d love to make this recipe but we have a nut allergy in the family – any suggestions to sub the pecans? Maybe just more oats? Any ideas? Thanks, it looks delicious!
Hi! Yes, more oats! Hope you guys love this <3
This casserole looks amazing. Would it be possible to use other type of milk?
Why the almond milk? Can regular milk be used instead?
You can definitely sub for dairy milk in this recipe!
This looks delicious! Can you sub any other type of milk for the almond milk and get the same yummy results? (Nut allergy in the fam).
Yes! You can definitely sub an equal amount of dairy milk! 🙂