Try our Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, brimming with rich spices and vibrant flavors of orange, rosemary, and maple. A delicious, easy dish that will impress your guests at any gathering! Gluten-free.
Why you will Love this
In all my years as a chef, creating with yams and sweet potatoes is one of my favorite things! The simplicity of this dish is a testament to the perfect palette of the yam. One huge perk to this recipe is you don’t create a huge mess in the kitchen with a lot of extra dishes to wash, my kind of cooking!
Bursting with a vibrant blend of spices, this casserole features a bright splash of orange that enhances the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes, fresh rosemary brings a lovely aromatic touch that complements the dish beautifully, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup adds warm depth-we skip the vegan marshmallows!
Be prepared to leave your guests smiling, eager for seconds, and marveling at how something so healthy can be so deliciously enjoyable!
Ingredients
- Yams or sweet potatoes: Since we leave the peel on, organic is preferred.
- Spices: Cinnamon, allspice, ground coriander, ancho chile powder (or use smoked paprika), salt, and black pepper.
- Coconut sugar or brown sugar and maple syrup: For sweet, caramelized flavor.
- Fresh rosemary: For warm, woody flavor.
- Orange zest and juice: Adds a vibrant, zesty taste.
- Coconut oil: Adds a bit of nutty, sweet flavor and helps the yams get soft and delicious! You could try this with vegan butter.
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Preheat oven to 425F.
1. Mix spices. Add cinnamon, allspice, coriander, ancho chile, salt, pepper, and coconut sugar to a small bowl and mix.
2. Whisk the orange coconut oil. Whisk together rosemary, orange zest, orange juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, hot water, and 2 teaspoons of the spice mix.
3. Prep the yams. Rinse the yams, then slice with a mandoline an 1/8 inch thick (no peeling needed). Arrange in a 9×13 baking dish. One trick is making 5-6 stacks of sliced yams and fanning them sideways. No need for a potato masher here! We don’t mash the potatoes for this recipe or boil them, simply let them bake and get tender!
4. Pour orange coconut oil over top. Sprinkle with the remaining spices.
5. Bake. Bake for 30 minutes, covered. Remove foil and bake the sweet potato mixture for an additional 30 minutes until fork-tender and edges slightly crusty.
Chef’s Tips
- Create a pecan topping (or try other nuts!). Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or pumpkin seeds would all be delicious. Coarsely chop and sprinkle over the top after you remove the foil for a crunchy pecan crumble topping.
- Prepare on the day of serving. Sometimes sweet potatoes can oxidize when cut, turning them dark in places. We recommend making this dish on the day of serving. It can be baked a few hours ahead and then reheated to serve.
Storing vegan sweet Potato Casserole
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole makes a lovely side dish for Thanksgiving. Pair it with our other Veggie-Forward Thanksgiving Side Dishes, or try:
- Mushroom stuffing
- Vegan green bean casserole
- Wild Rice Pilaf
- Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Kale and Pecans
- Vegan Pot Pie
FAQs
We use coconut oil in this sweet potato casserole, which enhances the natural sweetness of the potatoes.
Yams and sweet potatoes are actually different vegetables, but you can use either in this recipe!
Sure! We like to sprinkle nuts over top, but you could also add crispy oats as a topping.
Enjoy the dairy-free Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole recipe, and tell us how it turned out in the comments below!
xoxo
More Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: side dish, vegan , thanksgiving recipes,
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan sweet potato casserole is a healthy Thanksgiving side dish that is rich in flavor and so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds yams or sweet potatoes (organic is best especially when leaving the peel on)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder (or use smoked paprika)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup hot water
Instructions
- Mix spices: Add cinnamon, allspice, coriander, ancho chile, salt, pepper, and coconut sugar together in a small bowl.
- Combine rosemary, orange zest, orange juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, hot water and 2 teaspoons of the spice mix.
- Wash the yams well, no need to peel! Slice the yams with a mandoline about 1/8 inch thick. Arrange yam slices in a 9×13 baking pan. One trick is making 5-6 stacks of the sliced yams and then arranging them fanned out sideways in the casserole dish (no need to oil it).
- Pour the orange coconut oil liquid evenly over the top of the yams. Sprinkle the remaining spices over the top.
- Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes more until yams are melty tender and edges get slightly crusty.
Notes
Enhance with nuts. Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or pumpkin seeds would all be delicious. Coarsely chop and sprinkle over the top after you remove the foil.
Sometimes sweet potatoes can oxidize when cut, turning them dark in places. We recommend making this dish on the day of serving. It can be baked a few hours ahead and then reheated to serve.
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Feel free to cut back on the sugar or maple, the dish is on the sweet side.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 219
- Sugar: 13.6 g
- Sodium: 240.8 mg
- Fat: 6.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.6 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Now that I made the recipe, I’m ready to rate. 5 stars! Make it immediately. I made this as part of our Thanksgiving dinner. The was so tasty. Instead of ancho chile powder, I used the optional smoked paprika as a replacement. Delicious! Lots of fans of this one, and of course no leftovers. I will have to make again soon.
Wonderful! Appreciate the review.
Oh my gosh, so good.I made this (and the non-vegan one too, which was also great!) for Thanksgiving this year and it got rave reviews. I’m excited to add it to our traditional table every year, and will be making it throughout the winter as well! Yummo! It’s also super beautiful!
Glad you gave it a try Mozhon!
I have a very sensitive hot spice palate. Will the ancho Chile still create some level of heat? Is it better to just go with the smoked paprika?
It is very mild but just sticking with smoked paprika with be fine.
I’m going to add this dish to our Thanksgiving menu. I would like to make it a day before and then reheat. How would you recommend I reheat it?
Hey Pam! Reheat at 350F, tented with foil, until internal temp reaches 145F. Remove foil if you want more browning.
Do you think walnut oil might be a good substitute for the fat? Saturated fat is a concern. Walnut oil is surprisingly flavorful.
I think that would work Celeste!
The walnut oil worked very well. I am definitely going to invest in a mandolin. I love the zen of sliced no my veggies but not on thanksgiving morning 😂
Haha- yes a mandolin is an amazing tool. Glad the walnut oil worked out!
So so good! Maybe a tad too sweet so I would use about half of the maple syrup next time. And probably more sweet potatoes too. But super good, no complaints!
Thanks Michele! Please do adjust to your taste!
This was so scrumptious!
So happy to hear you enjoyed Colleen!
Could I replace the coconut oil with avocado or olive oil with good results?
The coconut oil adds such rich flavor, if not I would recommend vegan butter or regular butter. Haven’t tried it with avo oil but you could certainly give it a try!