Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

One of my favorite dishes to eat (and make) on Thanksgiving is healthy sweet potato casserole!

This healthier take on the classic has notes of brown sugar, butter and vanilla and comes with a crunchy cornflake pecan topping.

It’s the dish EVERYONE asks me to bring to holiday potlucks.

How to make healthy sweet potato casserole

Featured Ingredients

For the topping:

• Cornflakes or bran flakes. Add them to a bag and crush them up a little. So. Much. Crunch.
• Pecans. I love the nuttiness the pecans add to the topping!
• Butter. Provides flavor, allows the topping to crunch up when baked and brings the topping ingredients together.
• Brown sugar. Light or dark!

For the filling:

• Sweet potatoes. I bake 3-4 medium sweet potatoes, take the skins off and transfer the mash to a measuring cup – you’ll need 3 cups.
• Eggs. To make everything fluff up and hold together.
• Brown sugar. I use dark brown, but light works, too.
• Butter. Less than the classic sweet potato casserole, but still enough to add so much deliciousness.
• Vanilla. This is such an important ingredient to make this sweet potato taste phenomenal!
• Cinnamon. This is optional, but adds such a warm holiday flavor!
• Salt. Don’t forget the salt! Just a little pinch brings out the flavors of everything else.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×9 baking dish or 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, sweet potatoes, cinnamon (if using) and salt, until smooth.
3. Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Bake 20 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix together corn flakes, pecans, brown sugar and butter.
5. Evenly distribute topping on the sweet potato filling.
6. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until filling is set and pulling away from the sides.
7. Allow to slightly cool before serving.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

• Sweet potatoes: If you don’t want to bake fresh potatoes, you can use canned sweet potatoes.
  • Try and get the variety that doesn’t have added sugar.
  • You can also use frozen sweet potatoes; simply steam them according to the package directions.
• Brown sugar: You can use light or dark. Maple syrup or honey would work, too.
• Butter: I don’t recommend substituting this because of the classic flavor it provides to the sweet potato casserole, but you can use vegan butter or coconut oil as a substitute.
• Evaporated milk: You can use fat free, low fat or regular evaporated milk.
• Vanilla: You could use vanilla bean paste or pure extract.
• Cornflakes: You can also use bran flakes or old-fashioned rolled oats.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make this gluten free: This recipe is naturally gluten free (if using cornflakes). Be sure all other packaged ingredients are gluten free.
• To make this dairy free: Try dairy free milk instead of evaporated milk.
• To make this vegan: Use vegan butter instead of regular butter.
• To make this nut free: Skip the pecans and add another 1/2 cup cornflakes.

What makes this sweet potato casserole healthier?

• Less butter and sugar than the classic/traditional recipes.
• A focus on sweet potato, vanilla and cinnamon for flavor.
• Using nuts for the topping and an option to use bran flakes (higher fiber) instead of cornflakes.
• This recipe is low sodium.

Check out these other holiday-inspired recipes:

• Sweet Potato Pie with Maple Whipped Cream
• Cranberry Maple French Toast Cups
• Simple Brussels Sprout Salad
• Cranberry & Goat Cheese Stuffed Pears
• Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

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A healthier take on the classic, this sweet potato casserole has notes of brown sugar, butter and vanilla and comes with a crunchy pecan cornflake topping. 

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 16 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner, Side Dish
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Filling:

• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup evaporated milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups cooked sweet potatoes*
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• Pinch coarse salt

Topping:

• 1 cup corn or bran flakes, crushed
• ½ cup pecans, chopped
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup melted butter

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×9 baking dish or 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, sweet potatoes, cinnamon (if using) and salt, until smooth. Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Bake 20 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix together corn flakes, pecans, brown sugar and butter. Evenly distribute topping on the sweet potato filling. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until filling is set and pulling away from the sides. Allow to slightly cool before serving.

Notes

Cooking Tip: If using fresh sweet potatoes, poke 3-4 medium sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour, until very soft. Remove skins and scoop filling into a measuring cup. If using canned, drain a 40 ounce can of sweet potatoes and scoop into a measuring cup. Both should measure 3 cups.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 158
• Sugar: 12g
• Sodium: 47mg
• Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 18g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 2g
• Cholesterol: 39mg