Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole

Just like my Vegan Mashed Potatoes, this dish is a must-have on every vegan Thanksgiving menu. Best of all, you don’t have to be vegan to love it!

Why this recipe works

Dreamy fall comfort food

What do you get when you combine mashed sweet potatoes, browned butter, and crunchy toasted nuts and oats? The most indulgent and savory vegan sweet potato casserole! It’s what fall comfort food is made of, plain and simple. The filling is sweet but salty and features complex flavors thanks to browned vegan butter and freshly grated nutmeg. And who needs marshmallows when you can have the deeply flavored, crunchy, and rustic oat and walnut/pecan topping?

A traditional Thanksgiving side with a twist

Forget everything you know about traditional sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. My elevated vegan version is just as comforting and crowd-pleasing as the classic but comes with a few modern twists. It also happens to be naturally gluten-free.

It’s surprisingly easy

You won’t find any complicated steps, techniques, or ingredients in this casserole. All you need to do is roast the sweet potatoes, mash them with vegan butter and spices, then mix the simple crumble ingredients together with a fork. Assemble the two in a baking dish, bake, and you’re done! The process is even easier when you set some time aside to prep it in advance. You’ll find all kinds of time-saving and make-ahead tips in the Tips section below to help keep your holidays stress-free.

Ingredient notes

Sweet potatoes

Mashed sweet potatoes are the star of this recipe, of course. They’re naturally sweet and creamy but get even better when vanilla and warm spices are stirred into the batch. Sweet potatoes are available in most major grocery stores year-round but they’re at their best from late summer and throughout fall. When you’re shopping, pick up medium to large-sized potatoes that feel firm and have minimal dents or blemishes on the skin.

Vegan butter

Just when you think butter can’t get any better, you learn about brown butter. Yes, you can brown vegan butter pretty well! It works differently than dairy-based butter, but it does get nice and toasty in flavor and works perfectly in my epic Brown Butter Peach Cobbler as well as this vegan sweet potato bake. Vegan butter brands: I’ve had the best luck making vegan brown butter with Miyoko’s vegan butter, Violife Plant Butter, and Country Crock Plant Butter. Earth Balance tastes fine but doesn’t really brown. Miyoko’s browns quite well since it has some protein in it (similar to the milk proteins in dairy-based butter), but it browns very quickly so beware. Violife has a small amount of faba bean protein, which helps it brown well.

Warming spices

You need a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. This blend of warm spices is key in this classic Thanksgiving side, just as they are in other fall comfort foods, like Vegan Pumpkin Bread, Vegan Apple Crisp and Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake. If you can, use freshly grated nutmeg instead of ground nutmeg. It’s super fragrant and has a powerful depth of flavor, helping the sweet potato filling taste its best. You should be able to find whole nutmeg seeds in the bulk or spice section of well-stocked grocery stores. Grate them on a microplane directly over the filling and enjoy! PS: Feel free to add a dash of cloves or allspice if you have it on hand.

Walnuts or pecans

Instead of marshmallows, the casserole is topped with a nut and oat-based crumble made from either walnuts or pecans. They add a soft crunch and an incredibly rich and nutty flavor to each bite. Seriously, the aromas that come from the oven as the nuts bake are next level. Nut-free substitute: Try making the topping with a mixture of pepitas and thick coconut flakes or coconut chips (not the skinny shredded coconut) instead of the nuts.

Rolled oats

The other half of the crumble topping is made from old-fashioned rolled oats. Similar to the nuts and just like in homemade granola recipes, the oats become delightfully crunchy as they bake, adding a nice crispy crunch to every bite. To keep it gluten-free: Not all rolled oats are naturally gluten-free. So, if you want this to stay as a gluten-free vegan sweet potato casserole, make sure you use certified gluten-free rolled oats.

Step-by-step instructions

Start by baking the sweet potatoes in the oven until they’re fork tender. Set them aside to cool. Meanwhile, make the crumble topping by mixing the oats, nuts, almond meal, sugar, and spices in a bowl. Pour the melted butter and maple syrup over top and mix with a fork until it’s crumbly. Scrape off the sweet potato skins once they’re cool and transfer the flesh to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, ricer, or handheld electric mixer. Next, brown the vegan butter. Heat the butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat, stirring often and swirling the pan. You’ll know it’s ready when it foams, turns brown, and smells nutty. Pour the browned butter into the bowl with the mashed sweet potatoes, folding the two together with a spatula or wooden spoon. Finish the filling by folding in the vanilla extract and spices until it’s creamy and smooth. To assemble, dump the potato filling into the baking dish and smooth out the surface. Sprinkle the crumble topping on top. Bake the casserole until the sweet potato mixture just starts to pull away from the edges of the pan and the topping is nicely golden brown. Let it cool before serving, then enjoy!

Tips for making this recipe

Save time by prepping ahead

Save yourself some time and stress by preparing the elements or the entire casserole ahead of time. Here’s how it’s done:

Bake the sweet potatoes 1 to 3 days ahead of time. Keep them in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge until it’s time to make the filling. Make the mashed sweet potatoes 1 or 2 days in advance and store them in the fridge. Make the vegan brown butter 1 week in advance. It’ll stay rich and nutty when you keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Make the crumble topping and keep it in a glass jar or airtight container in your pantry for a few days. The night before serving, assemble the whole dish, cover it with a lid, and store it in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature the day of serving, then bake as normal.

Browning butter tips

Browning vegan butter isn’t exactly the same as regular dairy butter because there are no milk proteins. It still works fairly well and the nutty flavor is delightful. I recommend browning the butter in a light-colored pan so you can clearly see when the butter has browned.

Wait for it to cool

The texture and consistency of the sweet potato filling will be best if you wait for the casserole to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. This time helps the filling solidify a bit, making it easier to scoop. If you give this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!