Best Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Caramelized Pecans

the vegan sweet potato casserole in a large casserole dish with a spoon scooping into it.

5 from 56 votes

Best Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Caramelized Pecans

This vegan pecan sweet potato casserole is filled with creamy sweet potatoes with hints of brown sugar and a caramelized pecan topping.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 359kcal

Author: Allie Petersen

Equipment

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 large sweet potatoes (~ 2 pounds)* peeled and chopped - See note
1/3 cup non-dairy milk unsweetened (such as almond or soy)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp vegan butter melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice* See note

Pecan Topping

1 cup halved or chopped pecans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp vegan butter cold (solid), sliced or cubed
1 tbsp maple syrup optional
pinch salt
pinch pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

Peel & Chop Sweet Potatoes

Wash and dry your sweet potato. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin.
3 large sweet potatoes (~ 2 pounds)*
Chop into large cubes (no need to be that precise with this).

Boil Sweet Potatoes

Add your sweet potatoes to a large pot of boiling water.
Boil for ~15 minutes until fork tender. Check them a few minutes early for doneness.

Mash/Blend Sweet Potatoes

In a large bowl, add your drained sweet potatoes.
Now you have two options: use a potato masher or immersion blender.
I prefer the immersion blender as its quicker and takes less effort. It also tends to get rid of more lumps than the regular potato masher.
Mash or blend your potatoes until smooth or desired consistency.

Mix Sweet Potatoes

Add in non-dairy milk, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the sweet potato mixture. Mix well until combined.
1/3 cup non-dairy milk, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tbsp vegan butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

Prep Pecan Topping

At this time begin to preheat oven to 325 F.
In small bowl, add brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon. Mix well. Then add in cold butter slices and using a pastry cutter or fork, press butter until its in small pieces and incorporated in the flour/brown sugar mix. Add in chopped or halved pecans and maple syrup (optional) and mix until combined.
1 cup halved or chopped pecans, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp vegan butter, pinch salt, pinch pumpkin pie spice, 1 tbsp maple syrup

Prepare Casserole

In a 9x13 baking dish, add in sweet potato mix and smooth evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle over pecan mix.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cooking time may vary based on the oven so you may need slightly longer to achieve that crisp topping.
Let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes before servings. Enjoy!

Notes

⭐️ 3 large sweet potatoes can vary greatly in size. I recommend weighing your sweet potatoes if possible to keep measurements more accurate. In this recipe I used ~ 2 lbs of sweet potatoes.

⭐️Pumpkin pie spice is a common spice found at most grocery stores which includes cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. If you don't have access to this, you can use just regular cinnamon in its place!

Nutrition