This Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole is a nod to the classic that we all love but made with better ingredients that won’t leave you feeling sick and tired!
One of my husband’s favorite holiday recipes is his Nana’s Sweet Potato Casserole.
It is an absolute must at every Thanksgiving and even makes an appearance at the occasional Christmas Dinner.
Yes, it’s that good!
Nana’s cooking style was Pennsylvania Dutch. If you aren’t familiar, think chicken pot-pies, potatoes, roasts, casseroles, lots of butter, flour, and heavy cream. Essentially hearty farm food.
I decided to take Nana’s original recipe and tweak it a bit to make it my own.
A Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole version with a strong nod to the original.
If you are looking for a delicious tasting but better for you preparation for sweet potatoes for your Thanksgiving or holiday table, look no further.
This is such a delicious dish and a show stopper on the table! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
WHAT IS ALMOND MEAL?
Almond meal OR Unblanched almond flour is made from almonds that still have the skins on. It is nuttier and grittier than its sister, blanched almond flour, which is made from almonds that have the skins removed.
The coarse texture works really well here. Almond meal is available in a lot of stores in the bulk section or at Trader Joe’s if you live nearby one of their stores (it’s cheap there as well).
WHAT IS COCONUT PALM SUGAR?
Coconut palm sugar or sometimes called coconut sugar, is made from the sap of the coconut palm. The sap is extracted from the tree and then boiled and dehydrated.
The sugar is caramel colored and has a similar taste to brown sugar.
It is lower on the glycemic scale and unrefined.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole is a nod to the classic that we all love but made with better ingredients that won't leave you feeling sick and tired!
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes roasted, cooled, peeled and mashed
- 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
- pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 large eggs beaten until foamy
- 2 T butter (or Ghee) melted
- 2 T butter (or Ghee) melted
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 4 ounces whole raw pecans
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Preheat oven to 400F.
Scrub potatoes and poke with fork holes. Place on foil lined (or silpat) baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.
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Once sweet potatoes are done cooking and soft to the touch, remove, cool a bit, peel and mash insides.
Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
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Add palm sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla, non-dairy milk, beaten eggs and melted butter to mashed potato mixture.
Mix until well combined and transfer to an oven-safe baking dish.
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Combine melted butter with almond meal and coconut sugar until well mixed.
Evenly pour over sweet potato mixture.
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Place whole pecans on top of almond meal mixture in a pattern. I used an oval baking dish for the images shown here and began my pattern with an outside oval layer of pecans.
I then connected the outside layer with a straight center line and filled in each "half" with half circles.
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Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until pecans are golden (but not burnt!).
Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, serve and Enjoy!
- I used Coconut Palm Sugar instead of brown sugar because it is low on the glycemic index, unrefined, and tastes unbelievable. It is a natural brown sugar (as opposed to white refined sugar coated in molasses).
- TOPPING DESIGN OPTION:
- If you can't be bothered with strategically placing individual pecans on the top, use chopped pecans and mix in with butter, almond meal and coconut sugar mixture. Then, just sprinkle on top, bake and serve!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Originally Posted: November 16th, 2011 | Updated: November 21st, 2018
This is our family’s favorite side. The topping is the best part!
Thank you so much Krystle!!
I am a sucker for sweet potato casserole and loving this healthy version so much.
The leftovers are the best part!