Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe – Let’s be honest, the average Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe is much more of a dessert than an actual side dish to your holiday meal. Loaded with sugar, and topped with marshmallows, this popular dish is not only delicious, but a total holiday favorite!
While it sounds like it doesn’t make the cut for being considered “clean eating”, it is actually incredibly easy to revamp. This Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe is not only sweet and tasty, but it is also nutrient-dense, and healthy! What more could you ask for?
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Every holiday season, sweet potato casserole is the dish I look forward to the most. However, when I began eating clean around 6 years ago, I thought I had to avoid it altogether to maintain an anti-inflammatory diet. Little did I know just how easy it is to clean up, and make completely healthy!
And before you ask, yes…it actually tastes just like the real thing! I have served this at numerous holiday get togethers. Each time, I have been complimented on how difficult it is to tell the difference between my Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe, and the unhealthy version everyone is use to eating. If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is!
The nice part of this recipe is that the main ingredient can stay exactly the same…sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, and are an incredibly healthy carb to add in as a regular part of your diet. They’re filled with vitamins and minerals, and have high levels of vitamin A, B6, C, and much more!
The unhealthful part of this classic holiday dish is not in the whole ingredients like sweet potatoes or pecans, but rather in the added sugar. This is great, because this makes the recipes easy peasy to modify!
The sugar lies in the sugar and butter mixed in with the sweet potatoes, and the ooey gooey marshmallows layered on top. But like I mentioned above, all of these are incredibly easy fixes!
The Problem with Refined Sugar
We all know that eating refined sugar is by no means a healthy choice. However, giving up refined sugar is easier said than done when like flour, refined sugar can be found nearly everywhere! Start reading labels, and you’ll find sugar hidden in everything, even foods you may not initially recognize as sweet! From spaghetti sauce to breakfast cereals to frozen food entrees, refined sugar can be found everywhere.
The issue is that refined sugar is an empty carb, offering nearly no nutritional value to your diet. It is incredibly inflammatory, and highly addictive. The more you have it, the more you’ll crave it, quickly turning into a vicious cycle.
Thankfully, living a healthy lifestyle by no means calls for giving up your sweets. Instead, clean eating requires you simply find a swap for refined sugar, such as nutrient-rich natural sugars like maple syrup, honey, fruit, and more! Keep reading for more detail on how we made this Sweet Potato Casserole naturally sweet.
How to Make Clean Sweet Potato Casserole
With just a few simple swaps, you can make a clean eating Sweet Potato Casserole in no time! It’s also great to know that all of the ingredients in this recipe are very easy to source, and easily found in your average grocery store.
Swap Refined-Sugar for Maple Syrup
Instead of using refined-cane sugar, why not swap it out for a nutrient-dense, beneficial alternative? Here at Clean Cuisine, we don’t avoid sugar. We simply avoid refined sugar! Instead, we opt for natural sweeteners in our recipes. In this recipe, we chose maple syrup!
Maple syrup contains many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and is much gentler on your digestive system than cane sugar. Just a few tablespoons are needed for a sweet and crave worthy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe!
Swap Butter for Coconut Cream
Here at Clean Cuisine, we simply do not believe that dairy does the body any good. We actually believe that dairy does the body more harm than good, especially when there are numerous safer, and much healthier ways to benefit from the same nutrients.
While we would normally suggest swapping butter for coconut oil, the coconut cream in this recipe gives the casserole a rich and creamy flavor you simply do not want to miss! Coconut cream is a great source of healthy fats, and also offers a hefty dose of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, and much more.
Looking for that creamy flavor in an upcoming recipe? Coconut cream is definitely the way to go!
Swap Store-Bought Marshmallows for Homemade Marshmallows
The average store-bought marshmallow is filled with artificial flavors, dyes, corn syrup, and many more unnecessary ingredients! Want to know how to make marshmallows from home? Well…it requires only 4 ingredients: maple syrup or honey, water, vanilla, and gelatin. That’s it! Easy, clean, and tastes just like the real thing!
If you double the recipe, you can even have some leftover marshmallows for homemade s’mores, trail mix, or to mix into healthy, homemade ice cream, like our Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe!
Holiday Dish Ideas
With Sweet Potato Casserole being a classic holiday dish we simply can’t miss out on, we also transformed more holiday dishes into healthy versions! Here are a few of our favorite clean holiday recipes:
How to Make Green Bean Casserole: Ever wondered How to Make Green Bean Casserole healthy? Now is the time to ditch your mushroom soup, and move on to better things!
Cranberry Sauce Orange Juice: Tangy, sweet and bursting with antioxidants, this Cranberry Sauce Orange Juice Recipe is a healthy, festive holiday condiment!
Gluten Free Biscuit Recipe: Gluten Free Biscuit recipe is perfect for dinner. With 7 ingredients, you can bake these while making dinner and they’ll be ready on time!
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is a perfect comfort food. Our recipe uses gluten free pasta and a dairy free creamy sauce.
Sweet Mashed Potatoes: Using Japanese sweet potatoes for their creamy, and slightly sweet flavor, these Sweet Mashed Potatoes are a recipe you do not want to miss!
I absolutely cannot wait for you to dive into this Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe. I just know you’re going to love it! If you’re ready, let’s get into the details!
Kitchen Favorites
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe is not only sweet and tasty, but it is also nutrient-dense, and healthy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour + 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours + 25 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Ingredients
CASSEROLE
- 12 small/medium sweet potatoes
- 3/4 cup coconut cream
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1–2 teaspoons cinnamon powder, to taste
MARSHMALLOWS
- 1 cup water – divided
- 1 cup maple syrup, may swap for honey
- 3 tablespoons high-quality gelatin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 425º f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash sweet potatoes, and poke holes on all sides.
- Place on baking sheet, and bake until easily pierced with a fork (mine take around 1 hour).
- While sweet potatoes are baking, begin making marshmallows.
- Add 1/2 cup water to a small pot, and 1/2 cup into a bowl.
- Sprinkle gelatin on top of water in bowl, and set aside.
- Add maple syrup from marshmallow ingredients to water in the pot, and turn on medium heat.
- Stir every couple of minutes, and allow mixture to reach a simmer. Once simmering, reduce to medium/low heat, stirring only occasionally.
- Allow mixture to reach the soft ball stage (240ºf). -This takes mine 20 minutes or so.
- Once soft ball stage is reached, combine with gelatin and water mixture into a large mixing bowl.
- Using an electric mixture on high speed, mix for 10+ minutes, or until a gooey, thick marshmallow texture has been achieved. Set aside.
- Once sweet potatoes are removed from the oven, allow to cool enough to safely peel skin. Peel skin, and place in a large mixing bowl, or KitchenAid to prepare for mixing.
- Mash potatoes by hand, and then add coconut cream, and maple syrup from casserole section.
- Mix by hand, or with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add in chopped pecans, and cinnamon, and mix again.
- Place mixture in a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Grabbing small portions at a time, cover casserole with marshmallow pieces.
- Place in the oven on 425º for 15-20 minutes, or until marshmallows are browned to desired level.
- Remove from oven, and serve warm. Enjoy!
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