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This classic vegan sweet potato casserole is silky smooth with golden brown toasted marshmallows and crunchy candied pecans on top. It’s completely dairy-free and can be made ahead of time for holiday dinners like Thanksgiving.
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
This casserole is probably one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving sides. Your traditional sweet potato casserole often has butter and milk in it. Today, I’ll show you how to make the best Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole topped with candied pecans and toasted marshmallows.
Here are a few reasons we love this recipe and you will too!
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Silky Smooth, Creamy Texture: This casserole has a divine texture without any dairy!
- Simple Crunchy Toppings: Use pecans (or other nuts) plus vegan marshmallows fo a winner casserole that will rival traditional versions.
- Easy Recipe: Only 8 ingredients are needed to make this!
- Perfect Side Dish for You Holiday Table: This casserole is sweet and easy and pairs wonderfully with other holiday main courses or side dishes.
The Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
These are the main ingredient for the sweet potato filling. Pick large sweet potatoes that are free from holes or sprouts.
Vegan Butter
I use Violife, Melt Organics or Country Crock Plant Butter in this recipe. Because the vegan butter is melted, most brands will work well.
Oat Milk
This helps create a smooth, creamy texture. If you don’t have oat milk you can use full-fat coconut milk, soy milk, cashew milk or almond milk in its place.
Brown Sugar
To help sweeten the casserole and for the candied pecan topping. If your sweet potatoes are very sweet, you can omit this. This can be substituted with pure maple syrup or coconut sugar.
Flavorings
A little bit of ground cinnamon adds lots of fall flavor and warmth to the dish. This can be substituted with other warm spices like a pumpkin pie spice blend or an apple pie spice blend.
Plus, vanilla adds a nice layer of flavor as well.
Vegan Marshmallows
The vegan marshmallows I’m using in this recipe are from Trader Joe’s. You could also order Dandies Marshmallows online if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you.
Since I couldn’t find mini marshmallows, I chose to cut the full-sized vegan marshmallows into quarters. This helps the marshmallow layer from being too thick on the top.
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Exact ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below.
Pre-Baking Sweet Potatoes
To get a super silky smooth and sweet casserole filling, I recommend baking the sweet potatoes instead of preparing them a different way. Baking helps soften the sweet potatoes while caramelizing the insides, bringing out the natural sweetness. Here’s how to do it:
Bake them at 375F for about 1.5 hours. After they’re done baking, you can let them cool slightly at room temperature and remove the skins.
In a food processor add the baked sweet potatoes, melted vegan butter, oat milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
Blend until the mixture is smooth and combined.
Transfer the blended sweet potato mixture to the greased baking dish, smoothing out the top with a spatula. Make sure the mashed potatoes are in an even layer.
Making the Toppings
To top this casserole, I’m using both candied pecans and vegan marshmallows. Both of these are traditional casserole toppings, but why pick one when we can use both?!
STEP 6: The crunchy pecan topping is super simple to make. Before putting them on the casserole, you can mix chopped pecans with melted vegan butter, brown sugar, and a little cinnamon. When the casserole bakes, the heat will caramelize and candy the exterior of the pecans.
Cover the sweet potato layer with toppings of choice, like vegan marshmallows or candied pecans.
Bake for 35 minutes at 375F. Increase the temperature to 425 and bake for another 3-5 minutes to brown the vegan marshmallows.
Serving
After baking in the oven, the marshmallows get super toasty and a little crunchy. And the pecans are perfectly candied! This classic vegan sweet potato casserole is a definite crowd-pleaser.
It has just the right amount of sweetness and the perfect combination of textures. This recipe should make about 8 good-sized servings or about 10 smaller side portions.
Serve this casserole alongside other classic Thanksgiving side dishes like:
- Maple Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
- Glazed Rainbow Carrots
- Vegan Cornbread
- Vegan Brioche Rolls
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
- Or even this Stuffed Acorn Squash!
Storage
This casserole is great because it can be made ahead of time or the day before you’d like to serve it. Just prep the filling and spread it into your casserole dish.
Cover the casserole and store in the fridge for 1-2 days, wait to put any topping on the sweet potato mash until you’re ready to bake it. After you bake it, it will say fresh in the fridge (stored in an airtight container) for up to 5 days.
And there you have it…the best vegan sweet potato casserole with candied pecans and marshmallows on top. Perfect for the holidays, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas.
More Vegan Sides to Try
The Best Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Casserole
- 5 large sweet potatoes, about 7 cups or 1.4kg after baking
- 3 tbsp melted vegan butter
- ¾ cup unsweetened oat milk, or other dairy-free milk
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
- Vegan Marshmallows, I use Trader Joe’s or Dandies (If gluten-free, make sure they're completely gluten free)
Instructions
- Bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Wash the sweet potatoes, poke a few holes with a fork, and bake 1 -1.5 hours until tender. Cool 5–10 minutes, then remove the skins.5 large sweet potatoes
- Prep the baking dish: Keep the oven at 375°F and grease a 9×13" casserole dish.
- Blend the filling: Add the baked sweet potatoes, melted vegan butter, oat milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to a food processor. Blend until smooth, then season with a pinch of salt and adjust sweetness as needed.3 tbsp melted vegan butter, ¾ cup unsweetened oat milk, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, ⅛ tsp fine salt
- Assemble the casserole: Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the prepared dish and smooth the top. If using full-size marshmallows, cut them into quarters (a wet knife helps). Scatter the marshmallows over the surface. See notes for pecan topping.
- Bake: Bake for 30–35 minutes. Increase the heat to 425°F and bake an additional 3–5 minutes to brown the marshmallows. Keep a close eye so they don’t burn.
Recipe notes
Candied Pecans (optional)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp melted vegan butter
- 2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
Did You Make This?
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