Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole

This recipe has been updated from it’s original version (Oct. 2015)!

Spoonful of Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole cooked in a crock pot for Thanksgiving.Starchy sweet potatoes.

Natural coconut sugar.

Soft pecans.

All of these delicious ingredients are wrapped up in this delightful and healthy side dish aptly named Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole. It tastes so indulgent you will wonder how it is so “skinny”!

Diced and cooked sweet potatoes in a small crock pot ready to assemble casserole.

Can you believe that I grew up not liking sweet potatoes, much less a casserole made out of them. I often mourn the years I wasted not loving them. Okay, I may be exaggerating. Ha! 

I was inspired to make this Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole on a very special Thanksgiving a few years ago.

My family and I traveled 3 hours to spend the holiday with my sister and brother-in-law, aunt, cousins, and friends. It was a blessed time full of treasured memories…and amazing food.

Always the food, right? ๐Ÿ™‚

Vegan sweet potato casserole with candied pecans on a white plate.Soon after we arrived at my aunt’s home to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, I spied a tiny crock-pot near the stove. You see I had been wondering for months if I too needed a tiny crock-pot. I always managed to talk myself out of it though, reasoning that I already had so many kitchen appliances. Surely it would not be used often.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Mashed sweet potatoes in a crock pot.

One taste of that delicious and healthy sweet potato crock pot recipe prepared by my sweet aunt and I knew I NEEDED this tiny cooking device too.

After returning home and using all the Kohl’s coupons I had (thanks Kohl’s, you rock!), I inexpensively purchased my favorite new kitchen appliance.

A spoonful of sweet potato puree with pecans and coconut sugar on top.

Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole #cleaneating #healthy #fallrecipes Click To Tweet

And guess what? I use it almost weekly! Obviously, I don’t make this casserole weekly. However, I do cook a lot of chicken breasts and small roasts to then shred for salads or to use in main dishes.

Small crock pot with a sugary layer of pecans on top ready to cook.

Shortly after my purchase, I started “healthifying” the sweet potato recipe my aunt shared with me right away in my beloved little slow cooker and haven’t looked back since.

The skinny aspect of this recipe comes in the fact that it contains very little sugar and all whole food ingredients. Your guests will never guess this dish has been “lightened” up though.

It is every bit as indulgent as the original version even though it is dairy free, gluten free, and vegan.

Beautiful plate of gluten free slow cooker sweet potato bake.

This healthy version will surely be on our table this Thanksgiving!

What holiday dish are you most looking forward to?

Skinny Sweet Potato Casserole {Crock Pot}

This easy, clean eating, & gluten free slow cooker side dish has a healthy candied pecan topping. It's perfect for Thanksgiving or any fall meal that needs a vegetarian or vegan make ahead crockpot dish. You can never go wrong with simple and classic recipes such as this one! The addition of coconut sugar and dairy free plant based butter make this Paleo and Whole30 adaptable recipe the perfect fall comfort food!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 hours
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Course: Crock Pot, Leftovers, Side Dish, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian
Cuisine: All American
Keyword: christmas, coconut sugar, crock pot, gluten free, holidays, slow cooker, sweet potatoes, thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 180kcal
Cost: $7.00

Equipment

  • small crock pot

Ingredients

Potatoes

  • 4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1" pieces (3 medium-large sweet potatoes)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

Topping

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 3 Tbsp butter, melted dairy free plant based (I use Earth Balance)
  • 3 Tbsp Flour (I used our GLUTEN-FREE blend)
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Lightly grease your 1.5qt crock-pot. Place peeled and chopped sweet potatoes along with the water in crock-pot and cover. Cook on high 3 hours.
  • Then mash the potatoes well or use an immersion blender to make it smooth. Mix in vanilla and sugar until combined.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together topping. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes and replace the lid. Cook on high another 2 hours.
  • Serve warm from the crock-pot or remove from base, cool, and put in fridge. Enjoy!

Notes

*To save you time preparing your holiday meal, cook the sweet potato portion, allow it to cool, remove from base, and store in the fridge a few days ahead of time. Then set the ceramic dish back into the base of the crock-pot, add pecan topping, and re-heat on HIGH for 2-3 hours or until pecans are candied and "set".
* Recipe adapted from the amazing Shawn at I Wash You Dry.

17 Comments

  1. I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a home run! Thanks for being such a trustworthy source for recipes.

  2. Alicia Tweten

    I’m going to double the recipe in the larger Crock-Pot. It should be just as delicious!

  3. Hi Sammi – Thanks for sharing this with Let’s Get Real. It will be my featured post at this week’s party.

  4. This looks delicious! I am featuring it tonight on Allergy-Free Thursdays. Can’t wait to see what you share this week.

  5. What a deliciously healthy recipe! I love how you have made this classic better for you, Sammi. Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Hearth and Soul. And what a great crock pot too!

  6. The best part about this recipe is the crockpot part. This would be a hit as a dessert for a party, and bonus points for not slaving away in the oven to serve it! Thanks so much for sharing this with us on #shinebloghop! Always a pleasure to have you join us, Sammi!

    • Well thank you for hosting such a fun party each week, Maria! Yes, no slaving away in the kitchen for this recipe which is so nice on busy holidays. I appreciate your kind words. Happy Fall!

  7. This is another awesome recipe of yours Sammi! The pecan topping looks outrageously good! I really need to give this recipe a try for the upcoming holiday season! Pinning and stumbling!

    • I really hope you do, Ilka! Like I wrote, I can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving dinner this year ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks as always for your encouragement and kind words with each recipe!

  8. Hi Sammi, Here’s the URL for the Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole I use at Thanksgiving. I also like it because it doesn’t contain soy sauce like the traditional green bean casserole. Hope you enjoy it! http://www.silverfoodie.com/2015/10/28/two-traditional-thanksgiving-side-dishes

  9. Hi Sammi, What a wonderful recipe & I really like that you’ve made it in the slow cooker! I make a Green Bean Casserole in the slow cooker on Thanksgiving to free up the oven for other food. This is another great way to free up the oven! Thanks for sharing this recipe & I look forward to trying it! Blessings, Janet

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