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sweet potato casserole being scooped from white casserole dish with red and orange napkin
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Meaningful Eats

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole (Pecan Praline Topping!)

8 -servings
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!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Author Erin Collins

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 9x13 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!

Notes

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.
Just be sure to NOT cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces to steam them. The will absorb too much water and make the filling wet/watery.
MAKE IT AHEAD: Prepare the sweet potato filling and smooth it into the baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Prepare the topping in a separate container. Store everything in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, top the sweet potatoes with the pecan mixture and bake as directed.
MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: Use dairy-free butter in place the butter. 
MAKE IT EGG-FREE: You can easily omit the egg from the filling to make this egg-free. 

Nutrition

Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 331mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 6955IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1.8mg