Sweet, gooey, and a little toasty, this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is an easy veganized classic for your holiday table. With roasted sweet potatoes (instead of boiled), vegan marshmallows, and a whole lot of flavor, this delicious side dish will steal the show.
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Hey Internet, so… much like my vegan green bean casserole I published a week before this, sweet potato casserole was something I’d heard of but never eaten.
Actually, neither my husband nor I had ever tried it before I tested this recipe a few weeks ago.
To be honest, the idea turned my stomach. I’m already not a huge fan of sweet potatoes (too sweet for me), but I wanted to fill out my vegan holiday guide for you and to be honest I was a little curious.
Well dang. I’m SHOCKED with how much I loved this.
But wait, it doesn’t make sense. I don’t like how sweet normal sweet potatoes are, so why would I like a dish with them that has more sugar (even if it’s unrefined!) and marshmallows on top?
I don’t know, really. Maybe it’s because I’ve been trying to make sweet potatoes into something they’re not, i.e. savory.
I’ve been putting them in salads (although that’s pretty decent but I still prefer regular potatoes), curries, soups, etc. I liked my pumpkin and sweet potato soup but that’s mostly because I love pumpkin.
But there’s just something about this dish. It’s sweet, buttery, warm, and topped with gooey toasted vegan marshmallows… I mean, it’s just like a fall smores casserole or something and I love it.
Okay, if you’re not a fan of sweet potato casserole, I beg you to try this recipe. It’s an upgrade from the traditional with a bit more salt to balance the sweetness and coconut sugar which is less sweet than brown sugar but just as warming.
What You’ll Need
- Large sweet potatoes: I used 5, but 4 also works. 5 just gets you a nice thick layer of sweet potatoes--it also depends on what size baking dish you’re using. If you’re using a 9x13 or similar, I’d go with 5 sweet potatoes. If you’re using an 8” or 9” square or round baking dish, stick with 4.
- Coconut sugar: While you can use organic brown sugar, I highly recommend trying coconut sugar. It’s not as sweet but has a warmer, more cinnamon like quality and it’s delicious in this. It goes especially well with the toasted marshmallows.
- Vegan butter (OPTIONAL): It’s not necessary, but melted vegan butter helps make the sweet potato mixture more luscious and smooth and delicious. Leave it out if you prefer--and you can add a bit more plant milk instead if you’d like.
- Non-dairy milk: I prefer an unsweetened non-dairy milk for this dish. I actually used oat milk because it’s what I had on hand and I think it worked very well because it was quite creamy and on the thicker side for a carton non-dairy milk. But any will work, such as soy, almond, hemp, flax, etc.
- Vanilla extract: Don’t skip this if you have it on hand--it really adds something to the dish.
- Sea salt: DEFINITELY don’t skip this. It really helps balance the flavors.
- Vegan Mini Marshmallows: If you didn’t know, regular marshmallows contain gelatin, made from pigs. However, there are now vegan marshmallows which are absolutely delicious. I mean, I had to go buy new marshmallows twice during the testing process--not because I didn’t buy enough originally, but because my husband kept snacking on them! We used Dandies vegan marshmallows but Trader Joe’s also sells good vegan mini marshmallows.
- Pecans (optional): I didn’t want to include pecans in my recipe but I’ve seen some folks who do. I’d take about a cup of pecans and sprinkle them on top with the marshmallows (or instead of marshmallows, in which case I’d use 2 cups).
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Start by roasting 4-5 whole large sweet potatoes in a lined or greased baking dish at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) for 50-60 minutes or until soft. We like to pierce our sweet potatoes first with a fork, but you can also wrap them in foil if you prefer. When gooey amber liquid starts to ooze from the holes you made in the sweet potatoes, that’s a good sign they’re done. Let them cool for a few minutes and remove the skins.
- Turn the oven heat down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius) and grease a baking dish with spray or vegan butter.
- In a large bowl (preferably with tall sides to avoid making a mess), use a handheld mixer or a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes up.
- Once they’re mostly broken up, add the coconut sugar, melted vegan butter, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and sea salt and blend until smooth and creamy looking. Add a little bit more non-dairy milk if needed but keep the mixture quite thick.
- Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Top with mini marshmallows--your choice how much coverage you’d like--go full coverage or just a sprinkle. Or use pecans. Or both!
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the marshmallows are starting to brown. If you prefer your marshmallows even more browned, you can throw it under the broiler or turn up the temperature by 50 degrees or so for the last 5 minutes of cooking. I ended up turning my oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) for the last 6-7 minutes of baking to achieve the color in the pictures.
- Let it cool for a few minutes before serving and enjoy!
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
More Vegan Holiday Recipes
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Seitan Turkey
- Seitan Ham
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Challah Stuffing
- Mushroom Lentil Loaf
- Vegan Pumpkin Risotto
- Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
- Mashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Gravy
- Beyond Meat Meatloaf
- Quick Vegan Gravy
- Vegan Custard (Pumpkin Pie flavored)
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Anything Else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too.
I literally ran around my apartment like a crazy person because this was so good and I was so shocked!
This Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is:
- Sweet
- Cozy
- Autumnal
- Creamy
- Toasty
- Luscious
- Rich
- Satisfying
- And perfect for a holiday table.
Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
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Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Sweet, gooey, and a little toasty, this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole is an easy veganized classic for your holiday table.
Ingredients
- 5 large sweet potatoes (see note 1)
- ½ cup coconut sugar (see note 2)
- ¼ cup melted vegan butter, optional (see note 3)
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 10-16 ounces vegan mini marshmallows (see note 4)
- 1-2 cups pecans, optional (see note 5)
Instructions
- Roast sweet potatoes: Start by roasting 4-5 whole large sweet potatoes in a lined or greased baking dish at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) for 50-60 minutes or until soft. We like to pierce our sweet potatoes first with a fork, but you can also wrap them in foil if you prefer. When gooey amber liquid starts to ooze from the holes you made in the sweet potatoes, that’s a good sign they’re done. Let them cool for a few minutes and remove the skins.
- Prep: Turn the oven heat down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius) and grease a baking dish with spray or vegan butter.
- Mash sweet potatoes: In a large bowl (preferably with tall sides to avoid making a mess), use a handheld mixer or a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes up.
- Add remaining ingredients except marshmallows: Once they’re mostly broken up, add the coconut sugar, melted vegan butter, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and sea salt and blend until smooth and creamy looking. Add a little bit more non-dairy milk if needed but keep the mixture quite thick.
- Assemble: Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Top with mini marshmallows--your choice how much coverage you’d like--go full coverage or just a sprinkle. Or use pecans. Or both!
- Bake and brown: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the marshmallows are starting to brown. If you prefer your marshmallows even more browned, you can throw it under the broiler or turn up the temperature by 50 degrees or so for the last 5 minutes of cooking. I ended up turning my oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) for the last 6-7 minutes of baking to achieve the color in the pictures.
- Serve: Let it cool for a few minutes before serving and enjoy!
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- Note 1: I used 5, but 4 also works. 5 just gets you a nice thick layer of sweet potatoes--it also depends on what size baking dish you’re using. If you’re using a 9x13 or similar, I’d go with 5 sweet potatoes. If you’re using an 8” or 9” square or round baking dish, stick with 4.
- Note 2: While you can use organic brown sugar, I highly recommend trying coconut sugar. It’s not as sweet but has a warmer, more cinnamon like quality and it’s delicious in this. It goes especially well with the toasted marshmallows.
- Note 3: It’s not necessary, but melted vegan butter helps make the sweet potato mixture more luscious and smooth and delicious. Leave it out if you prefer--and you can add a bit more plant milk instead if you’d like.
- Note 4: If you didn’t know, regular marshmallows contain gelatin, made from pigs. However, there are now vegan marshmallows which are absolutely delicious. I mean, I had to go buy new marshmallows twice during the testing process--not because I didn’t buy enough originally, but because my husband kept snacking on them! We used Dandies vegan marshmallows but Trader Joe’s also sells good vegan mini marshmallows.
- Note 5: I didn’t want to include pecans in my recipe but I’ve seen some folks who do. I’d take about a cup of pecans and sprinkle them on top with the marshmallows (or instead of marshmallows, in which case I’d use 2 cups).
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Category: Holidays
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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