A creamy honey sweetened and spiced sweet potato mash topped with a pecan, dried cranberry, and bacon crumble and finished with whipped honey goat cheese. Creamy, crunchy, sweet, savory, tart, and tangy – it’s a total party for your tastebuds! This takes sweet potato casserole to a whole new level!
The Ultimate Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole is one of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving. Naturally, I love anything with sweet potatoes.
Unfortunately, this has never been a huge hit at my husband’s family’s thanksgiving. They’re just not fans. Shocking, I know!
I’ve tried to wrap my mind around this and understand why they don’t share my love for this dish. I think the problem is sweet potato casserole, if not made correctly, can be boring and kind of one note….super sweet.
I decided to take a whole new approach to this casserole to make it more flavorful & interesting. It will be the star at Thanksgiving this year!
How did I elevate the sweet potato casserole?
This sweet potato casserole is anything but one note or boring. It’s a combination of multiple texture and flavors that takes it to a whole new level.
Most sweet potato casserole recipes calls for a cup or more of sugar making the dish way to sweet and more proper for the dessert table. In contrast, I roasted the sweet potatoes beforehand to bring out their natural sweetness, so I only needed a couple of tablespoons of honey to achieve the proper sweetness level. Further, I balanced the sweetness by adding orange zest and juice to the sweet potato mash.
Next, I topped it with a pecan, dried cranberry, and bacon crumble. OMG is this good. It’s crunchy, sweet, tart, salty, and savory and compliments the sweet potato mash perfectly.
Finally, I dolloped it with whipped honey goat cheese. It brings out the honey notes in the mash and adds a zip of tang that also helps balance the sweetness.
Together all of these flavors sing and create a party for your tastebuds!
main ingredients
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Honey
- Coconut Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Pecans
- Oats
- Almond Flour
- Spices
- Bacon
- Dried Cranberries
- Orange Juice and Zest
equipment needed
- 13×9 Baking Dish
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer or Whisk
- Food Processor
- Pastry Bag (or ziplock bag), optional
is it still healthy?
Yes! This sweet potato casserole is both healthy and indulgent…..perfect for the holidays!
This dish is refine sugar free. Instead, the sweet potato casserole is sweetened with honey and coconut sugars.
It’s also gluten-free. I used oats, pecans, and almond flour in the crumble.
This recipe is still indulgent as I used real butter (but just a little) and delicious, salty bacon….I mean it’s Thanksgiving after all! Bacon might sound crazy but it totally works! The bacon is a nice salty/savory contrast to all of the sweetness in the dish.
can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! This is a great dish to make a day or two before the big day. You can simply reheat it in the oven before serving it and dollop it with the whipped goat cheese at the end.
other thanksgiving recipe.
- Paleo Pecan Pie Bars
- Roasted Garlic Ricotta Mashed Cauliflower
- Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Oat Crust
enjoy!
This fun twist on this dish definitely deserves a spot at your Thanksgiving table!
If you make the Ultimate Sweet Potato Casserole, please leave a comment below. I absolutely love to hear from you guys and hear your thoughts on my recipes. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or pin it on pinterest. I love getting to see your photos of the recipes!
Ultimate Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Mash
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup almond milk or milk of choice
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Pecan, Dried Cranberry, and Bacon Crumble
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/3 cup oats
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons cold butter cut into cubes
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 4 slices cooked bacon chopped
Whipped Goat Cheese
- 8 ounces honey goat cheese softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13×9 baking dish.
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Poke holes in sweet potatoes with fork and wrap in foil. Bake for 45min to an hour or until oozing and soft.
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Peel skin from sweet potatoes and add to bowl. Let cool slightly. Next, add all of mash ingredients and use hand mixer or whisk to mix until smooth and creamy. Pour into baking dish.
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To make the crumble, add all of the ingredients from pecans to salt. Pulse until pecans and oats are broken down but still chunky. Add in butter and honey and pulse until resembles wet sand. Stir in dried cranberries and bacon.
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Sprinkle crumble on top of sweet potato mash.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crumble is golden brown.
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Remove from oven and let cool.
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While casserole cools, make the whipped goat cheese by combining all of the ingredients to a bowl and mixing with hand mixer until creamy and combined. Dollop on top of the casserole.
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Serve and enjoy!