Smooth and creamy with a gooey and crunchy topping, this Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole will be the only one you’ll ever make again.
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When I was young, I never tried sweet potatoes because I couldn’t think of a sweet potato as something other than a type of potato. How in the world could you put cinnamon and sugar anywhere NEAR a potato, or worse–marshmallows!! Yuck! Growing up, we used to celebrate Thanksgiving with our neighbors and someone would always make a sweet potato casserole. I’d skip over it ever year. Thought it looked so gross!
My first husband’s stepmom was as southern as southern could get and we often had Thanksgiving at their house. She made a sweet potato casserole that she called “sweet potato souffle” and I decided to give it a try. I was BLOWN AWAY! It was so incredibly good–smooth and creamy with a brown sugar topping and mini marshmallows that were crunchy and gooey all at the same time. Why, oh why had I skipped over sweet potatoes all my life?!?!
When Thanksgiving comes around every year, it’s pretty much unspoken gospel that I will be making at least this casserole. I’ve tried making other sweet potatoes for our dinner, to be adventurous and try new things. But I always come back to this one because it’s so darn good and the family doth protests too much 😁
what you’ll need to make this legendary casserole
Sweet potato souffle isn’t the type of “souffle” you think, so there’s nothing to be scared of. The potatoes are whipped with a few other ingredients, including eggs, to make them souffle-like. There are three easy components to this sweet potato souffle–the sweet potatoes themselves, the sugary streusel topping, and the toasted marshmallows. Here’s what goes into the bottom (sweet potato) layer:
- Sweet potatoes
- Eggs
- Butter
- Sugar
- Milk–can substitute dairy-free milk. Last year I made this with canned coconut milk for my daughter, who is vegan (I left out the eggs and used vegan marshmallows). She loved it!
- Vanilla
- Salt
The streusel topping is sweet, but it’s not crunchy like a normal streusel. It’s more like a layer of brown sugary goodness that gets melty and almost syrupy! Gluten free flour, brown sugar, and butter are the three ingredients that make up the easy streusel.
And last, but certainly not least, the toasted marshmallows on top bring it all together into one smooth and creamy, crunchy and gooey dish that can be eaten as a side or even as a dessert! Big marshmallows, mini marshmallows, or even homemade marshmallows (recipe here) will all work beautifully.
Working with Sweet Potatoes
I used to peel, chop, and boil my sweet potatoes before mashing them. It was a pain in the you-know-what. All that peeling. And the chopping? Forgedaboutit! Too much work. I finally got smart and began baking my sweet potatoes whole. Game changer!!!!! I will never do it any other way. Put them on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet, prick them with a fork a few times, and bake them. When they’re done about an hour later (give or take a few minutes, depending on their size), scoop out the flesh and mash. Easy peasy!!
If you happen to have leftover mashed sweet potatoes (I like to bake several potatoes at once), just cool them and put them in a ziptop bag and into the freezer. Then when you want to make something like these sweet potato pancakes, you’ll have the sweet potatoes ready to go!
How to Make the best sweet potato casserole ever!
- Combine sweet potatoes with sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat for another 2-3 minutes on high.
- Slowly add vanilla, milk, and salt on low and mix until well combined. Stir in melted butter.
- Spread potato mixture into a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
- Combine all topping ingredients in small bowl until well combined and crumbly. Crumble over sweet potatoes to cover completely.
- Top with marshmallows and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are bubbly and the marshmallows are toasted.
A Word on Sugar
For all you sugar phobics out there, there is an unapologetically large amount of sugar in this casserole. This is a very southern recipe by a very southern older woman who could have cared less about how much sugar was in it. You won’t be eating the whole casserole by yourself (at least I hope not), and you’re not going to eat it every single day of your life. On Thanksgiving Day, let your hair down. Live a little. Go back to your daily diet after turkey day.
But if you’re still not convinced that it’ll be okay (or if you’re diabetic or can’t have sugar for another reason), you can dial down the sugar. My suggestion would be to reduce the sugar in the sweet potato filling and NOT the streusel as the texture of the streusel would be “off” a little bit. Also, substituting some of the sugar with no-sugar-added applesauce would also work great.
sweet potato casserole faqs
YES!! Layer the sweet potatoes and streusel in a casserole dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate it for up to two days. On baking day, add the marshmallows and bake as directed. You can also freeze the casserole, before adding the marshmallows, for up to six weeks. Remove from the freezer the day before you want to serve it and place it in the refrigerator, still well wrapped. On baking day, remove the plastic wrap and add the marshmallows, baking as directed.
You can always put it in the microwave, but to re-crisp the toasted marshmallows, put it in a 350-degree oven for approximately 15 minutes.
Yes, you certainly can! To make dairy free, substitute the butter with non-dairy butter and the milk with non-dairy milk (I like canned coconut milk–it adds a great flavor to the sweet potatoes). To make vegan, sub the eggs with applesauce (in equal amounts {100g}) and the marshmallows with vegan marshmallows (https://amzn.to/3g2BqzC) {affiliate link}.
Other Recipes Using Sweet Potatoes
- Gluten Free Sweet Potato Biscuits
- The Best Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie
- Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pancakes
I guarantee you’ll be in heaven once you try this Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole. It’s so easy and so delicious and your family will go crazy for it!
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (750 g) *mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk (a non-dairy milk may be substituted)
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature (for vegan, use 60g of applesauce)
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, melted (non-dairy butter may be substituted)
Streusel
- ½ cup (70 g) Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend (a store bought blend may work, but hasn't been tested)
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (42 g) butter, softened (non-dairy butter may be substituted)
Topping
- 1 10-ounce bag (283 g) large or mini marshmallows (for vegan, substitute with vegan marshmallows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Combine mashed sweet potatoes with sugar in a mixing bowl (using a stand or handheld mixer, or with a wire whisk). Beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes on medium high. Slowly add vanilla, milk, and salt. Stir in melted butter.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
- In a small bowl, combine all streusel ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs on top of sweet potatoes evenly. Top with marshmallows in a single layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until marshmallows are toasted.
This is my favorite Thanksgiving dish ever!! Once you have it you’ll want to make it every year. It’s that good!
Thanks, Wendy 😍
Hi Kim, this was a big hit at our house this Thanksgiving. My husband said he didn’t like sweet potatoes, NOW this is his favourite dish, he was in shock at how much he loves these. Thanks once again for a great recipe. I’ll be making these again next year. Blessings
Haha! That’s terrific!! This dish is what made me a sweet potato lover, too 🙂
Amen sister! Never (at Thanksgiving) be like the ladies on the Titanic who regretted not having dessert. This recipe looks amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Loved by all. Must do again.