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 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!
Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes! I battle inflammation in my back so badly that I could hardly get out of bed on my one. I got sick of western medicine and turned to an awesome natural path to avoid surgery…. long story short, gluten free and dairy free. I can get out of bed on my own, I can put on my shoes and socks without trouble, I can bend over and touch my toes while standing and most of all… I can pick my 3 and 5 year old girls up!!!! Your recipes have made this transition for me so much easier!! Thank you!
This comment brought tears to my eyes! I’m so glad my recipes have been helpful. It’s amazing what food can do. I’m glad you found something to help your pain! Thank you!
Can I make this with canned yams? How many cups of sweet potato do you think you end up with? Not sure how many cans to use….
Hi Kirstin! I wouldn’t make this with canned yams. I don’t think the flavor/texture would be the same. Sorry about that!
Hi!
I have 30 people for Thanksgiving so anything I can make ahead and freeze is a life-saver. Does this freeze well?
Thanks!
Pam
Hi Pam! I haven’t tried freezing this ahead of time so I’m not sure! However, I have made this 2 days in advance and kept the topping in a seperate bag. I sprinkle the topping on just before baking and it works great. Good luck with your Thanksgiving for 30!
Can you replace the egg with anything? Thanks!
You can just leave the egg out! It will still be delicious!
Oh awesome! And which do you like using better, coconut oil or butter? Mine would be earth balance butter (vegan) as I am allergic to dairy. Thanks so much! Really excited to make this! I was thinking about adding some marshmallows to the topping 🙂
I am so wanting to make this for thanksgiving! But is there any replacement for the egg?? Thanks! 🙂
This recipe will be great without the egg! You can just leave it out 🙂
I’m a little confused. Are you using ALL of the sweet potatoes that you boiled initially?
I just tried this today on a Thanksgiving Pot Luck here at work. One of my co-workers made it and I was absolutely in heaven and asked for the recipe. I have never ever commented on a recipe, but this one is just fantastic!!! Can’t express how delicious it was.Thank you. I will be making one myself next weeek.
This recipe is fabulously delicious! My sister-in-law has a dairy allergy and I wanted be sensitive to her, so I made this recipe to test it out. My boys thought it was better than the traditional one I make and didn’t know it was gluten and dairy free. Thank you for helping us keep one of our favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes on the table.
This is great to hear! I’m happy it will be on your table this year!
Is the coconut milk what you buy in the grocer’s dairy section – like plain ol’ unsweetened coconut milk? Can you sub unsweetened almond milk instead? (I have that on hand all the time). Thanks!
Yes you can substitute almond milk just fine! I buy canned coconut milk on Amazon and never use the boxed refrigerated kind. I like the brands Native Forest or Natural Value. You can also usually find it in the Asian food section or at Trader Joe’s!
Will refrigerated almond coconut milk work? That is all I have on hand.
Yes! In a lot of my recipes you can only used canned coconut milk, but this is one where you can use refrigerated almond or coconut milk. It’s just to thin the filling out slightly so it should work great!
The recipe looks great. I was wondering if you could sub almond milk for the coconut milk.
Yes that should work great!
I made this a couple weks ago and everyone LOVED it!! I LOVED it!! I ate the leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next day : ) The praline topping is perfect! I am loving your website so much! I’ve been gluten and dairy free for a year and half now and getting away from refined sugar for the past few months and your website has been so refreshing. Thanks for all you do! It really makes a difference in peoples’ lives.
What a lovely comment! Thanks so much! Glad you liked the sweet potatoes 🙂
I made this for Christmas dinner. SO YUMMY!
I’m so glad you liked it!
This was absolutely delicious! It was a HUGE hit at our Thanksgiving. I left out the maple syrup and only used a tbsp of brown sugar for the topping, and it was still the perfect amount of sweet!
I’m so glad you liked it!
We are making this too! I had pinned another recipe but I much prefers yours, of course. Wish we could be celebrating with you guys!
Hi there!
Thanks so much for posting!!! My boys are GFDF and I am making this now for Thursday!!
One thing – I think you left out WHEN to put the egg in!
Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving!
Elizabeth in Atlanta
Thanks for pointing that out! You add it in with the mashed sweet potatoes 🙂 I’ll update the recipe!
Can you do this without the egg?
Yes this would work great without the egg! You can easily leave it out.