This gluten free sweet potato casserole is a must-have dish on your holiday table. It's a take on the traditional dish but without common allergens including wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, and nuts.
In recent years, sweet potatoes have made their way onto our Thanksgiving menu. The sweet and savory flavors go so well together!
Even though we think of it as a side dish for a holiday feast, it's a delicious treat to make any meal more special.
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Why we love this dish
What's not to love, really? Sweet potatoes on their own are delicious but, add a few additional ingredients and top with marshmallows, and they're downright decadent.
I especially like to make them for holiday feasts because:
- They're easy to make! Like really, really simple. The hardest part is waiting for them to bake.
- They can be made ahead of time. This makes them ideal for those holiday meals when you've got a lot going on in the kitchen. For Thanksgiving, I usually start them the day before and finish them off in the oven once the turkey comes out. For more on that, see the tips below.
- They are delicious without gluten and other allergens like dairy! Entertaining people who can eat anything? They won't know this dish is "free from" anything!
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes - You'll need 5 pounds of sweet potatoes. Try to choose potatoes that are about the same size so they bake in about the same amount of time.
- Dairy free margarine - We use Earth Balance dairy free margarine to make this dairy free. If you can have dairy and prefer the flavor of butter, feel free to make that substitution.
- Dairy free milk substitute - Again, we use dairy free milk for this dish. I have used oat and soy milk mostly and both work well. If you can have dairy milk, you can use that instead.
- Brown sugar
- Spices including cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg - Watch ingredient lists for advisory statements regarding gluten and other potential allergens. If you avoid nuts, don't worry, nutmeg is not considered a tree nut.
How to make it
To make this sweet potato casserole, you'll start by scrubbing the potatoes to get any dirt off the outside.
Then poke them several times with a fork or knife to allow steam to escape as they bake. Place them on foil in the oven and bake at 425 degrees F for about an hour.
They are done when you can poke a knife into the center easily.
Take the potatoes out of the oven and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes so they are cool enough to handle.
Slice them down the middle and use a spoon to scoop out the inside (sometimes you don't even need a spoon - the potato will just slide right off of the skin).
Discard the skins and put the potatoes in a mixing bowl.
I like to use my Kitchenaid mixer to mash the potatoes. It makes the process so easy!
Add the milk, sugar, and spices to the bowl and mix well.
Transfer the potato mixture to a baking dish that holds 7-8 cups (the one pictured is a 1.8-quart casserole dish).
Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F until it is heated through.
Add marshmallows and bake for 10 more minutes until they're toasted to the desired darkness.
Remove from the oven and serve!
Recipe faqs
Can I make this ahead of time?
When I host Thanksgiving or another holiday. I try to have as much food prep done the day before as I can.
To do this with this dish, bake the potatoes, remove the skins and mix in the milk, margarine, sugar, and spices, put in a casserole dish, and cover. Put it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it.
On the day of your feast, you'll want to remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to bake it so it can come to room temperature. It's fine if you skip this step, but it will take longer for the potatoes to be heated through.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, you can! I have done this for larger gatherings and it works great! You will just want to make sure to allow for extra baking time, especially if you had it in the refrigerator overnight. I would plan on 45 minutes or so.
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📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 pounds sweet potatoes About 6 medium
- 2 tablespoons dairy free margarine such as Earth Balance
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup dairy free milk such as oat milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes. Poke each of them with a fork 5-7 times. Place on a baking sheet or piece of foil and bake in the preheated oven for an hour. Insert a knife into the center of the potato; if it goes in easily, the potatoes are done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the potato and put into a mixing bowl. Add the margarine, brown sugar, dairy free milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into the mixing bowl. Mix until potatoes are smooth and creamy. Transfer to a baking dish that holds about 8 cups.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake potato mixture for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and top with 2 cups of mini marshmallows. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until the marshmallows are to the desired toastiness. Serve immediately.
Notes
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Jenny
These potatoes were a hit! Very good and easy to make!