Sweet Potato Casserole is a savory, creamy, garlicky side dish topped with crunchy toasted honey-glazed walnut & almonds topping.
About
Savory Sweet Potato Casserole is a last-minute, healthy, easy-to-make, and delicious side dish for your Thanksgiving or Holiday dinner table.
This sweet potato recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free, and you can also make it vegan by using dairy-free substitutes and nut-free by skipping the toppings.
I highly recommend you substitute marshmallow casserole this holiday season with this savory one. Note that I have mixed regular and white sweet potatoes in my recipe. You can combine or use any one variety.
Have you planned your Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner menu yet?
If not, do check out some of our favorite and popular recipes on this blog, along with a few new favorites
- Loaded Cauliflower Casserole Bake
- Cheesy Creamed Corn
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Green Bean Casserole
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread
Savory recipes with sweet potatoes are my favorite. I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes with marshmallows, as I feel it makes your dessert overly sweet because it is already sweet by itself. But if you love the marshmallow version, stay tuned. I will be sharing an easy recipe soon.
So whenever sweet potatoes are in season, I make a savory dish. I also make it a little spicier to balance the natural sweetness and creaminess of the sweet potatoes well. You must check out my popular Roasted Sweet Potatoes as well this holiday season.
Ingredients for savory Sweet Potato Casserole
Mashed Sweet Potato Filling
- 4 cups Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped ( 3 medium to large)
- 3 to 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Red chile flakes
- 1 teaspoon Paprika or Red chile powder
- 1 tablespoon Spring onion
For the Almond Walnut Topping
- ½ cup Almonds, chopped
- ½ cup Walnuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil or Vegetable Oil
- 2 tablespoon Honey or Maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon Spring onions or Chives
How to make the best Sweet Potato Casserole for dinner
Cook the sweet potatoes
- I generally cook sweet potatoes by adding them in boiling water along with garlic cloves and salt until they are tender.
- Use your preferred method to cook sweet potatoes. You can microwave or bake and then mash.
Prepare the buttery-milk mixture.
- When the potatoes are boiling, in another pan, melt butter. Add milk, pepper flakes, chile powder, and mix to combine. Switch off the flame.
- Please do not boil the milk. We just want it warm in the recipe. check out the video here.
Mash the Potatoes
- Once the sweet potatoes are tender, drain the water completely and let it cool.
- Now mash them as much as possible or to the consistency that you like in your final dish.
- Add the buttery milk mixture in parts until the sweet potatoes absorb all the milk. I do not like to add all the milk at once because I prefer to stop before the sweet potato mixture becomes too liquidy.
- Add spring onions and mix to combine.
Prepare Honey-glazed Almond Walnut Topping
- Add almonds, walnuts, oil, honey, salt, pepper flakes, spring onion, and mix well to combine.
Bake Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread your prepared mashed sweet potato filling into a baking dish. I have used a 7 by 5-inch dish.
- Top it with the honey-glazed almond walnut mixture.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or just until the topping is toasted and becomes crunchy (do not burn them).
- Serve it warm and enjoy!!!
Variations
- You can use pecans instead of walnuts and almonds. Vary the amount of nuts to taste.
- Spring onions can be substituted with chives and/or rosemary
- Honey can be substituted with maple syrup.
- Vary the amount of red chile flakes to taste in both filling and topping. You can use cajun seasoning too 🙂
- To make this vegan, simply use oil in place of butter and any dairy-free milk of your choice instead of milk.
- During fall & winter, you can even add the pumpkin spice mix to the filling if desired.
- Fan of bacon? Feel free to add crispy bacon bits too.
FAQ
For some reason, if you did not drain the boiled sweet potatoes well or if potatoes had extra moisture or you added the buttery milk mixture all at once, don't worry. You can fix it by adding flour, cornstarch, and potato starch 1 tablespoon until you reach the desired consistency.
Yes. You can arrange everything in the casserole dish and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. On the day you want to serve this dish, thaw it at room temperature for 30 mins. When you are ready to serve, just put it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Yes. You can bake the sweet potato casserole, cool it completely, and freeze it for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it in the casserole dish you are planning to serve. Just place the parchment paper on top and double-wrap it with foil. Thaw it in the fridge at least a day before and then at room temperature for atleast 30 minutes before you bake.
No. I would not recommend substituting one for the other because two root vegetables taste different. Sweet potato is moist and sweeter, while the yams are dry and starchy
Video
You can check out the making of sweet potato casserole here
Recipe card
Healthy and Savory Sweet Potato Casserole for Christmas and Thanksgiving Dinner
Equipment
- 1 Caserole dish or Baking dish
Ingredients
Mashed Sweet Potato Filling
- 4 cups Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped ( 3 medium to large)
- 3 to 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Red chile flakes
- 1 teaspoon Paprika or Red chile powder
- 1 tablespoon Spring onion
For the Almond Walnut Topping
- ½ cup Almonds, chopped
- ½ cup Walnuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil or Vegetable Oil
- 2 tablespoon Honey or Maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon Spring onions or Chives
Instructions
Cook the sweet potatoes
- Cook sweet potatoes by adding them in boiling water along with garlic cloves and salt until they are tender.4 cups Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped ( 3 medium to large), 3 to 4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon Salt
- Use your preferred method to cook sweet potatoes. You can microwave or bake and then mash.
Prepare the buttery-milk mixture.
- When the potatoes are boiling, in another pan, melt butter. Add milk, pepper flakes, chile powder, and mix to combine. Switch off the flame2 tablespoon Butter, 1 cup Milk, 1 teaspoon Red chile flakes, 1 teaspoon Paprika or Red chile powder
- Please do not boil the milk. We just want it warm in the recipe. Check out the video here
Mash the Potatoes
- Once the sweet potatoes are tender, drain the water completely and let it cool.
- Now mash them as much as possible or to the consistency that you like in your final dish.
- Add the buttery milk mixture in parts until the sweet potatoes absorb all the milk. I do not like to add all the milk at once because I prefer to stop before the sweet potato mixture becomes too liquidy.
- Add spring onions and mix to combine.1 tablespoon Spring onion
Prepare Honey-glazed Almond Walnut Topping
- Add almonds, walnuts, oil, honey, salt, pepper flakes, spring onion, and mix well to combine.½ cup Almonds, chopped, ½ cup Walnuts, chopped, 1 tablespoon Olive oil or Vegetable Oil, 2 tablespoon Honey or Maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoon Spring onions or Chives
Bake Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread your prepared mashed sweet potato filling into a baking dish. I have used a 7 by 5-inch dish.
- Top it with the honey-glazed almond walnut mixture.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or just until topping is toasted and becomes crunchy (do not burn them).
- Serve it warm and enjoy!!!
Video
Notes
- You can use pecans instead of walnuts and almonds. Vary the amount of nuts to taste.
- Spring onions can be substituted with chives and/or rosemary
- Honey can be substituted with maple syrup.
- Vary the amount of red chile flakes to taste in both filling and topping. You can use cajun seasoning too 🙂
- To make this vegan, simply use oil in place of butter and any dairy-free milk of your choice instead of milk.
- During fall & winter, you can even add the pumpkin spice mix to the filling if desired.
- Fan of bacon? Feel free to add crispy bacon bits too.
Nutrition
Kate
This is such a great, flavor-packed side dish!
Charles
I love your Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole! It's not loaded with sugar. Thanks for sharing
Carrie Robinson
Such a great alternative to the usual sweet potato casserole! And I am loving those crunchy nuts on top. 🙂
Nikki
Oh my, sweet potatoes with a kick. My family will go crazy for this casserole.
Mirlene
I love the idea of adding almonds and walnuts on top of the casserole instead of the usual pecans. I have to try this out! Looks really delicious.