Sweet potato casserole is an all-time favorite on Thanksgiving for decades. Usually this dish requires dairy and several other ingredients your body just should not be consuming. I transformed this unhealthy dish typically loaded with heavy creams, butter, oil and refined sugars into a GLUTEN-FREE, REFINED SUGAR-FREE, VEGAN, AND PALEO delight without compromising the taste.
From a baby’s first meal to a rich, decadent casserole, sweet potatoes have been enjoyed by many and not just on Thanksgiving. This lovely root vegetable is loaded with vitamins making it a healthy side dish that sometimes can be disguised as a dessert. If all desserts were this healthy, we would not be plagued with such a high obesity rate!
Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene and among all the carotenoids, this one can be converted to vitamin A in the human body. They are also rich in antioxidants, which help protect us from free radical damage. Although sweet potatoes have a high sugar content, surprisingly it has the ability to regulate blood sugar levels. But beware, with 400 different varieties of sweet potatoes some have been grown with a higher fructose level.
Several studies have revealed the combination of good fats with sweet potatoes helps the absorption of beta-carotene found in the potatoes. With just 5 grams of an unsaturated fat added will help you achieve the appropriate amount. By including pecans, which contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, not only worked well with this dish it added an extra bit of crunch. 
Although some may assume baking the sweet potato might be the best route in preserving the nutritional content but recent studies have revealed otherwise. Steaming has shown an excellent preservation of sweet potato anthocyanins. When boiling the sweet potato the beta-carotene levels are much higher. It also has better blood sugar effects which allows the achievement of a lower glycemic index.
With just a few substitutions, I was able to make this all-time favorite casserole into a guilt-free, rich and decadent delight. Eliminating dairy and oils from this recipe brought down the fat content dramatically which makes it much easier to go back for seconds. If that was not enough, I substituted refined sugar for maple syrup and dates making it a much healthier dish!
Now you can wow your guests with a beautifully presented Thanksgiving dish that is sure to have their taste buds satisfied. It also makes for a fantastic kid friendly dish!
| Servings |
| 6-8 servings |
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Sweet potatoes make a wonderful dish not only because it tastes delicious, it also provides numerous amounts of health benefits. I transformed this not-so-healthy side dish and made it into a dairy free, oil free, and refined sugar free delight and still managed to keep it’s rich creamy taste.
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- 3/4 cup pecans
- 4 medjool dates
- 1 cup marshmallows dye-free
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk unsweetened
- 2 flax meal eggs (2 tbsp. flaxseed meal and 3 oz. water)
- For the topping, place dates and pecans in a food processor and pulse until it is crumbled. Do not over-pulse. Place it in a bowl and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Thoroughly wash and scrub the sweet potatoes and choose a method of cooking from the description below.
- Baking: place them on a pyrex in the oven for about 1 – 1 ½ hours until the potatoes are soft. Once it cools peel off the skin. Set aside.
- Boiling: peel the skin, cut the sweet potatoes into chunks and place in a large pot filled with water. On high heat bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat so that the water is at a steady simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very tender. Once done, drain the sweet potatoes and set aside to let them cool just a bit.
- Steaming: peel the skin, cut the sweet potatoes into chunks and place in a steamer. Depending on how big the sweet potato pieces are, cooking times will vary from about 15-20 minutes.
- To make the flax meal egg, combine flax meal and water together in a large bowl until it becomes a yolk-like consistency. Let sit for a few minutes.
- Add sweet potatoes, nutmeg, cinnamon, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, and flax meal egg to the food processor and pulse on high speed until it is a smooth consistency.
- Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Layer the crumbled topping evenly on the sweet potatoes and then add another layer of the marshmallows. Cover and place in the oven for 10 minutes. If you prefer the marshmallows crunchy cook without the lid.
Delicious!! It’s my all time favorite dish for the holidays! You certainly know how to get my attention. Keep up the great posts. You’ve helped me expand my cooking repertoire!
Thank you so much!
You make it look so easy. Thanks for your step by step guide. I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you! Let me know what you think!!
YUMMMMM!!! Sweet potatoes are my BESTIES!!!
Thank you! I love sweet potatoes!
Looks Delicious!
Thank you Robin. Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!