This gluten-free sweet potato casserole with pecan praline topping is a long-time reader and family favorite recipe. It always steals the show!
Hundreds of reviewers agree this sweet potato casserole is a keeper! This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2013 and is one of my #1 holiday recipes today!
The my gluten and dairy-free version of a treasured southern family recipe. It features delicious mashed sweet potatoes with a buttery, brown sugar pecan topping. It’s my all-time favorite thanksgiving side and I hope you love it too!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Nobody can tell it’s gluten-free! The last 10 years I’ve been making it with gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. Nobody can EVER tell it’s gluten-free!
- Crowd-pleaser – This is always one of the most popular dishes at any holiday or Thanksgiving table I’ve made it for. (PS the leftovers are even delicious cold out of the fridge the next day!)
- The Topping – The sweet potato filling is smooth and creamy while the topping is crunchy, buttery and laced with nuts/brown sugar. I much prefer this sweet potato casserole to the marshmallow-topped variety.
- Make-Ahead – This dish can easily be prepared in advance for one less thing you have to make on Thanksgiving day. See my full collection of gluten-free thanksgiving recipes! I like to mix together the filling and smooth it into the baking dish and re
- Dairy-free! This gluten-free sweet potato casserole can easily be made dairy-free!
Round out your Thanksgiving feast with these gluten-free crescent rolls and gluten-free pumpkin roll for dessert! Check out this full collection of gluten-free thanksgiving recipes!
How to Make Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole
- Steam the sweet potatoes. You can do this in the instant pot or on the stove top.
- Peel the steamed sweet potatoes and add the filling ingredients.
- Whip the filling until smooth and creamy with a hand mixer.
- Measure out the ingredients for the pecan praline topping.
- Mash together the ingredients for the topping until you have pea-sized chunks of butter.
- Spread the filling into the pan.
- Top with the pecan topping.
- Bake until golden, bubbly and delicious!
You also might like these roasted sweet potatoes and roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts.
Original Photo from 2013:
How to Steam Sweet Potatoes for Sweet Potato Casserole
How you steam the sweet potatoes is an important step to ensure your filling comes out smooth, but not watery. Lately, my favorite way to steam the sweet potatoes is in the instant pot. It’s so easy to do and the sweet potatoes come out perfect every time.
COOKING SWEET POTATOES IN THE INSTANT POT
- Place a rack in the instant pot and add 1 cup of water.
- Place the washed sweet potatoes on the rack and cook on MANUAL (high pressure) for 15 minutes.
- Allow the sweet potatoes to natural release until the valve drops on its own.
- The sweet potatoes will be soft and easy to peel!
If you don’t have an instant pot you can also steam the potatoes on the stovetop. You do this by adding the sweet potatoes (whole and unpeeled) to a large pot and covering with water. Cover with a lid and boil for 10 minutes. Puncture the sweet potatoes 3 times, then boil for another 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
Make-Ahead Instructions
This sweet potato casserole is a great make-ahead dish. I’m always looking for recipes I can make in advance before Thanksgiving. This one turns out great!
Up to 3 days in advance you can prepare the sweet potato filling and smooth it into a baking dish. Once cooled, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Then prepare the topping and store it in an airtight container. Store everything in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, top the sweet potatoes with the pecan mixture and bake as directed.
More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes
- Gluten-Free Gravy
- Gluten-Free Stuffing
- Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole
- Gluten-Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Gluten-Free Cheesy Potatoes
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Thanksgiving Fruit Salad
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole (Pecan Praline Topping!)
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 3-4 large sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup coconut milk or whole milk
- 1/3-1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 egg
For the Topping:
- 1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup softened butter or coconut oil in solid form
Instructions
STEAM THE SWEET POTATOES
- In the INSTANT POT (preferred method): Place a rack in the instant pot and add 1 cup of water. Place the washed sweet potatoes on top of the rack. Cook on MANUAL (high pressure) for 15 minutes. Allow the sweet potatoes to natural release, until the valve drops on its own.
- On the STOVE TOP: Place the sweet potatoes (whole and unpeeled) in a large pot and covering with water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. then puncture each sweet potatoes 3 times. Boil for another 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. In a bowl, combine the pecans, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or mix with your hands until the mixture is sandy, with pea-sized chunks of butter. Set aside.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and add them to a bowl with with the other filling ingredients. Use a hand mixer to whip the sweet potatoes until smooth. Taste and add more salt, sugar or milk as needed. (You may need to adjust the consistency/flavor based on how big your sweet potatoes are.) Whip the sweet potatoes until they are creamy and completely smooth.
- Smooth the sweet potato filling into the prepared dish. Top with the pecan mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden and the sweet potatoes are bubbling. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
My “normal” sweet potato casserole recipe was a copycat recipe from a large chain steakhouse. I decided to give Erin’s a spin this year instead; this will be my new casserole recipe! This was delicious, and I loved the spices added to the potatoes; the nutmeg gave them extra depth!
Hi! How many people does this serve? I couldn’t find that info in the recipe but I could have overlooked it?! Thank you so much—Jessie
Hi Jessie, this recipe is for a 9×13 baking dish, which typically serves 10-12 people.
Great! Thank you so much Brooke—looking forward to making for a Thanksgiving gathering we’re going to on Saturday!
Could you sub coconut sugar for brown sugar in the topping? I see the maple syrup sub in the filling. Just trying to avoid refined sugars.
Hi Laura, we don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes. The coconut sugar may work, but it is drier than brown sugar so the swap may change the texture of the topping. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I tried this recipe with coconut sugar last year and it turned out great! Planning to do it again this year!
Hi Ivy, thanks so much for the comment! Glad it worked out well with the coconut sugar!
This is always a big hit with the family! It’s the perfect mix of flavors! A repeat winner!
Hi there, so glad your family enjoyed the sweet potatoes! Thanks for the review!
Can this be made ahead and be frozen?
Hi Ron, for the best texture we’d recommend freezing it before baking. You can prep the filling and freeze it in the pan, then thaw it overnight in the fridge when you’re ready. The topping is best placed on the filling just before baking. We hope you enjoy the casserole!
I have been making this for the last several years. Everyone loves it and looks forward to it every year. Love it!!
Aww, we’re happy to hear it has become such a go-to recipe for you, Tina! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Approx. how many cups of sweet potato are 3-4 large sweet potatoes?
Hi Jenny, generally it would be about 5-6 cups when chopped. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I have a kitchen because it came with the house! I tell people I can make 5 dishes. I will invite guests over 5 different times and then I start all over with the same dishes! After making this recipe I now have 6 dishes I can make! (J/k) I followed the casserole recipe as listed and it came out perfectly. The Only thing I did different was baked my sweet potatoes. I appreciate knowing how to make this a head of time which I will be doing for this year’s Thanksgiving. Thank you Erin, I so appreciate your food talent. It truly is a blessing.
Aww we’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much, Leigh! Thank you for such kind feedback about Erin’s recipes!
Is it possible to half this recipe?
Hi Alex, you can cut it in half and use an 8×8 pan with the same temperature and time since that pan will offer a similar thickness with the half recipe. We hope you enjoy the casserole!
Do not have an Instapot. Please provide a different way to cook potatoes?
Thanks
Hi Cheryl, for stovetop you can skip step 1 and go straight to step 2 which covers stovetop instructions. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
This is my hubby’s favorite!! He loves anything sweet potato, but this is at the top!! It’s so tasty & I love that it’s dairy & gluten free!
Made this for Christmas and it was incredible! So delicious. Everyone loved it. This recipe is a keeper.
One of my favorite recipes ever! Seriously I could just eat this for dinner and be happy!
I’m glad I tried this recipe. I used the instant pot method, and true enough the potatoes came out perfect. Thanks for sharing!
I can see why this is one of your most popular recipes! It was fantastic! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!