Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
This warmly spiced sweet potato casserole is the perfect vegan centrepiece for a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast and can be made well ahead of the festivities.
From the book
Oh She Glows Every Day
Plant-based recipes to fall in love with
Inspiring vegan recipes
Vegan twists on family favourites
Introduction
You’ll want this dish to adorn your holiday dinner table! The crunchy nut crumble tastes just like an oatmeal cookie, and the creamy sweet potato filling has hints of cinnamon and vanilla to help complement the recipe’s natural sweetness. I recommend adding a pat of dairy-free spread or coconut oil on top of each serving to take the dish over the top. For an even more decadent twist, try serving it with Coconut Whipped Cream.
Ingredients
| For the sweet potato mash: | |
| 2 to 2.25kg | sweet potatoes (4 or 5 large), peeled and chopped into 2.5cm chunks |
| 4 tsp | dairy-free spread |
| 4 tsp | virgin coconut oil (or more dairy-free spread) |
| 37ml | pure maple syrup, or to taste |
| 1 tsp | pure vanilla extract |
| ¾ tsp | ground cinnamon |
| ⅛ tsp | ground nutmeg |
| ½ to ¾ tsp | fine sea salt, to taste |
| almond milk, as needed | |
| For the crunchy pecan crumble: | |
| 85g | gluten-free rolled oats |
| 190g | pecan halves, chopped |
| 25g | ground almonds or almond flour |
| 1 tsp | ground cinnamon |
| 1 tsp | fine sea salt |
| 2 tbsp | dairy-free spread, melted |
| 2 tbsp | virgin coconut oil (or more dairy-free spread), melted |
| 2 tbsp plus 1½ tsp | pure maple syrup |
| dairy-free spread or coconut oil, for serving |
Essential kit
You will need: a 2.5l casserole dish.
Method
Prep time: 35 minutes. Cook time: 29 to 38 minutes.
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 2.5l casserole dish with coconut oil or dairy-free spread.
2. Make the sweet potato mash Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-high, and gently boil for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain and transfer back into the pot.
3. Add the spread and coconut oil and mash until smooth. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if desired. If you’d like to thin it out a bit so it’s easy to spread, add some almond milk and stir again. Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and smooth out the top.
4. Make the crunchy pecan crumble In a food processor, pulse the oats until coarsely chopped. Do not grind them into a flour, as you want to retain some texture. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, chopped pecans, almond meal/fl our, cinnamon and salt. Pour on the melted spread, melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir until thoroughly combined.
5. Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the sweet potato mixture in an even layer.
6. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the dish is hot throughout. The topping will still be quite light in colour. Plate and serve immediately with a pat of dairy-free spread or coconut oil on top. The casserole will keep wrapped up in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or you can freeze it for up to 1 month. Sometimes I will prepare this casserole in 2 small oven-safe dishes, cook one of them and freeze the other for another time.
Tip: If you don’t want a light coconut flavour, be sure to use refined coconut oil.
Make it soya-free: Use soya-free, dairy-free spread.
