Julie Clark
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Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole
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Whole30 sweet potato casserole is a healthy twist on a traditional side dish. Creamy sweet potatoes with a cinnamon pecan topping. An excellent Paleo Thanksgiving recipe!
When the holidays roll around, our healthy eating goals don’t have to go away! Today I’m sharing a Whole30 Thanksgiving recipe that is like gold.
It’s no doubt that my favorite Thanksgiving side dish is sweet potato casserole. We’ve shared our traditional sweet potato casserole, but today I’m lightening things up a bit with this Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole. It still has creamy, cinnamon-infused sweet potatoes topped with a cinnamon-nut topping, but you won’t find any brown sugar.
And you know what? You won’t miss it.
About this Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe:
The idea of this recipe came to me after making our sweet potato puffs. They had such a comforting flavor that they immediately made me think of my favorite holiday side dish.
I took that recipe that uses real sweet potatoes, added some cinnamon and nuts, and baked it in a casserole dish. The sweet potatoes are sweet enough, they don’t need any added brown sugar or marshmallows.
This healthy sweet potato casserole recipe is gluten free, dairy-free and grain free. But you won’t be skimping on the taste. I promise.
Are sweet potatoes allowed on Whole30?
Yes! Sweet potatoes are allowed on the Whole30. Sweet potatoes are full of fiber, antioxidants, potassium, and a whole list of vitamins.
Tips Before you Begin
- Use real sweet potatoes. Actually peel them, cube them and mash them. You won’t be sorry.
- Use your choice of butter or ghee. If you don’t need dairy-free, butter is a great option.
- Add your favorite milk. Cashew milk, macadamia milk, almond milk or coconut milk!
How to Make Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole
This Whole30 Thanksgiving side dish is easy to make! Here’s what to do:
- Cook the sweet potatoes. Boil water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place the chunks in the boiling water. Allow the potatoes to boil for 15-20 minutes* or until the chunks are fork-tender. Drain off the water.
- Mash the potatoes. In a large bowl, add the butter and milk to the drained potatoes. Use a hand mixer or potato masher to blend the potatoes until the butter is completely melted and the potatoes are smooth.
- Make the filling. Add the eggs, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until the egg is completely mixed in.
- Assemble the casserole. Spray the bottom of a 8×11″ pan with coconut oil spray. Sprinkle ¾ cup chopped pecans on the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the sweet potato mixture on top of the pecans, spreading to cover the entire bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining pecans. Dust the top with additional cinnamon.
- Bake. Bake for 40 minutes. This is simply to heat the casserole through and makes sure the eggs are cooked. The internal temperature of the casserole needs to be at least 165ºF.
Make Ahead Instructions
Make this Paleo sweet potato casserole a day in advance, and simply reheat in the oven on the day you want to serve it. Cover with foil and reheat at 325ºF until heated through.
You could also assemble the casserole, refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then bake. If you do this, remove the casserole from the fridge 1 hour before baking so that some of the chill comes off.
Serving Ideas
- If you allow 100% pure maple syrup in your healthy eating plan, you can drizzle a bit of this on top to give punch of sweetness. I ate it with a little syrup and without. Both were delicious.
- Eat leftovers with some paleo egg muffins for breakfast. The cinnamon and nuts mimic a healthy breakfast casserole.
- Add more spices as you’d like! Nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, whatever your favorite Thanksgiving spices are.
You may also love our oven baked potatoes and healthy side dish ideas to help you through your Whole30.
Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole
Whole30 sweet potato casserole is a healthy twist on a Thanksgiving side dish. Creamy sweet potatoes with a cinnamon pecan topping.
Servings 8 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1/3 cup butter softened, or ghee
- 1 tablespoon cashew milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans divided
- Cinnamon for sprinkling
Instructions
- Boil water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place the chunks in the boiling water. Allow the potatoes to boil for 15-20 minutes* or until the chunks are fork-tender. Drain off the water. 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, add the butter and milk to the drained potatoes. Use a hand mixer or potato masher to mash the potatoes until the butter is completely melted and the potatoes are smooth. ⅓ cup butter, 1 tablespoon cashew milk
- Add the eggs, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until the egg is completely mixed in. 2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spray the bottom of a 8×11" pan with coconut oil spray. Sprinkle ¾ cup chopped pecans on the bottom of the baking dish. 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- Pour the sweet potato mixture on top of the pecans, spreading to cover the entire bottom of the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining pecans. Dust the top with additional cinnamon. Cinnamon
- Bake for 40 minutes.
Notes
*Exact time will depend on how big the sweet potato cubes are.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the casserole. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Serving: 220g | Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g
Can you make ahead and reheat?
This was so good last year I have to make it again this year. Even got my wife who dislikes sweet potato to find it delish.
Looks wonderful! I am wondering if you would recommend any substitute for the 2 eggs.