Chunky Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

Chunkily cut sweet potatoes are mixed with a cinnamon sugar crumble, crunchy pecans, and red raisins–then baked until tender and caramelized. This simple sweet potato casserole is as beautiful as it is tasty. 

When it comes to sweet potato casseroles, I march to the beat of my own drum. The classic casserole--you know the one made with mashed sweet potatoes that are drowning in candy-sweet syrup and topped with marshmallows--never appealed to me much. And once I got into cooking and eating vegan, definitely did not hit the mark. 

Instead, I wanted to create an easy sweet potato casserole recipe that would celebrate this little tuber in all its glory! 

I decided to take a simple approach and combine diced sweet potatoes with just a few complimentary ingredients before baking until tender and moist. If I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll top this with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream for a treat, but on its own it makes a great side dish or meal base.

Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients

• Chickpea flour -  Helps to create the crumble mixture. I like the flavor and texture of chickpea flour, but almond flour would work just fine too. 
• Coconut sugar -  I used coconut sugar as it has a nice dark coloring and high moisture content, but other sugars switch as organic cane sugar or organic dark brown sugar would work well too. I try to use only organic sugars as some non-organic refined sugars are made using animal products. 
• Ground cinnamon - Goes hand in hand with the flavor of sweet potato, giving this dish a rather autumnal flavor profile. 
• Vegan butter - You can use your own preferred brand of vegan butter or check out our Vegan Butter Taste Test and Review for a few recommendations. 
• Pecans - Pecans pair so well with sweet potatoes and cinnamon! Walnuts or almonds would likely work nicely here too. 
• Raisins - I like the color contrast that red or black raisins give to this casserole, but golden raisins would be just as delicious. 
• Sweet potatoes - Though canned sweet potatoes are ultra convenient, using fresh sweet potatoes in this recipe produces a far superior result. Canned sweet potatoes tend to seep extra liquid as they cook, which would dramatically alter the texture of the final dish.  

How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole

1. Make the crumble. First things first, preheat your oven to 350℉, then start making your crumble mixture. In a small food processor or blender, combine the chickpea flour, coconut sugar, ground cinnamon, and vegan butter. Blend until well-combined and paste-like. 
2. Transfer. Place the crumble mixture in a large bowl. 
3. Combine remaining ingredients. To the crumble mixture, add the chopped pecans, raisins, and peeled & diced sweet potato. 
4. Mix. Stir until well-mixed, making sure that the crumble is evenly distributed. 
5. Arrange the casserole. Pour the sweet potato mixture in a lightly greased 8x10 casserole or baking dish. Smooth the sweet potatoes into an even layer. 
6. Bake. Place the casserole in your preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes--the cooked sweet potatoes should be tender and lightly caramelized on top. 
7. Serve! Serve your sweet potato casserole piping hot. I love mine with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream for an extra sweet treat.

Watch Us Make Sweet Potato Casserole

Chef Tips 

Check on your casserole about 20 minutes into the cooking time to see how everything is doing. If you notice the pecans starting to burn, cover the sweet potato casserole with a sheet of aluminum foil. 

Cut the sweet potato in uniformly sized pieces as best you can. This helps to ensure that all of the pieces will cook evenly. If some are very large while others are much smaller, the large ones may be crunchy while the smaller sized pieces are turning to mush. Consistency is key!   

How to Store 

Refrigerating. Allow leftover sweet potato casserole to cool down, then pack it into an airtight container. If you'd like to make the entire sweet potato casserole ahead of a holiday or big event, simply let it cool in the casserole dish, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil before refrigerating. The casserole will keep this way for up to 3 days.

Freezing. You can freeze sweet potato casserole with good results! Wrap the cooled casserole tightly in several layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn, or, transfer it to a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. You can store sweet potato casserole in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Thawing. Transfer the casserole to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. 

Reheating. To reheat sweet potato casserole (either from refrigerated or frozen & thawed), place it in a 375℉ oven for about 15 minutes. 

📋 Recipe