This Sweet Potato Casserole has been a healthy Thanksgiving tradition in our house for almost a decade! Easy to make, no refined sugar, & Paleo.
Once you try this healthy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe it will become a tradition for your family as well. A delightfully simple dish, it derives its sweetness and delicious flavor from yams (a variety of sweet potato) complimented with a hint of maple syrup, sprinkled nutmeg, and chopped pecans.
As a mother, I’m always trying to find ways to keep my family healthy during the winter months. Serving nutrient-dense foods like this Sweet Potato Casserole is one way that I am able to help growing little bodies and two hard-working parents stay energized & healthy.
There are two options for making the casserole depending on your dietary needs (both of them are delicious!):
- Grass-fed butter & organic grass-fed milk: the traditional approach (with extra Vitamin A from the butter)
- Unrefined or refined coconut oil & full-fat coconut milk: the dairy-free/Paleo approach (full of nourishing fats, refined coconut oil removes the coconut taste, we recommend the Nutiva brand.)
My husband, William, and I started making this recipe together when we got engaged. If it weren’t for this picture providing proof of our youth, I would say there is no way that nine years have passed since our first Thanksgiving together in Laramie, Wyoming.
Oh, little Laramie …I don’t miss your long winters, gusting wind or the white-out conditions on your roads!
This photo was taken during my senior year at the University of Wyoming, where I studied for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Will was just finishing his second bachelor’s degree and we were both working in the Emergency Department at the little community hospital. Such a busy time of life with school, work, graduation coming up, and our wedding day in May 2010 fast approaching!
Our friends all went home for Thanksgiving but Will and I were stuck working in the ER most of the holiday weekend. So, we cooked a giant turkey (no gravy of course because we incorrectly thought fat was bad for us back then) and a huge dish of Sweet Potato Casserole which we shared at the ER potluck dinner. And that was the birth of this delicious tradition!
Bake this healthy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe in any dish you have on hand (glass & stoneware work great). Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to one week!
This side dish goes great with:
Don’t forget to save this healthy Sweet Potato Casserole recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later!

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This Sweet Potato Casserole has been a healthy Thanksgiving tradition in our house for almost a decade! Easy to make, no refined sugar, & Paleo.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs cooked sweet potatoes organe colored yam variety is best
- 1/4 cup milk any kind
- 1 lg eggs see note
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup pure, organic
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 4 Tbsp butter (grass-fed) or substitute coconut oil
- 1/3 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg for sprinkling on top
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
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Bake method: Pierce through the sweet potato skin with a fork, place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 F. until soft. Let cool, remove skins.
Instant Pot method: peel and dice sweet potatoes. Place in pot or similar pressure cooker with recommended amount of liquid per the manufacturer (usually 1/2 cup). I use 3/4 cup water in mine. Cook under pressure for 20 minutes.
Slow cooker method: peel and dice sweet potatoes. Place in slow cooker with 1 cup water and cook on high x 4-5 hours or until soft.
Casserole
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Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a glass or stone pan (8x10 to 9x13 size works well).
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Place all ingredients except pecans & nutmeg in to bowl and whisk to combine. This is easiest to do with a high powered mixer like the KitchenAid.
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Whip on high x 2 minutes.
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Pour into prepared dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle with pecans & nutmeg.
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Bake covered x 15 minutes & uncovered an additional 15-20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Free range eggs: learn more about the health benefits of free range eggs from chicken eating primarily insects (instead of corn/soy) by reading the post for my Sausage Quiche with a Yam Crust.
Tools used to make this recipe (click photo or link to learn more):
- Baking Dish: the casserole dish I used in my pictures is one that I picked up at a thrift store for $5. I absolutely love a good bargain! This white dish from Amazon is similar but it is definitely not a bargain. Try your local thrift store sometime, you might be pleasantly surprised!
- KitchenAid: a kitchen appliance that is built to last & an almost essential luxury for cooking real food quickly
I’ve been looking for a new side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you for this recipe!
You are welcome! I hope you love it as much as we do 🙂
How long do you actually bake the casserole. Just clarifying
Half hour is what i read
Jessica,
Bake it 15 minutes covered and then uncover the casserole and bake it an additional 15-20 minutes until the top has just begun to brown. Total bake time is 30-35 minutes. Hope that helps!
Enjoy! – Rashele
Thank you. Hope it turns out? my daughter has lymes disease and can have no gluten sugar or dairy.