Crock Pot Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Crock Pot Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with gluten-free streusel topping for your Thanksgiving table. This dairy-free, refined sugar-free sweet potato casserole recipe tastes just like the classic version and is better for you too! Enjoy this delicious side dish with your loved ones!

Rich, creamy, and sweet with the most incredible pecan topping, this easy Crock Pot Sweet Potato Casserole recipe is just as delicious as it is easy to prepare.

Seriously, I couldn’t pry myself away from it.

My favorite Thanksgiving side dish is sweet potato casserole with no contest. A close second is my Healthy Green Bean Casserole. 

While I’ve been making my Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole for the big holiday meal for years, I wanted to try a new version this year, made in the slow cooker. 

This way, we’re saving oven space and can make the casserole up to 5 days in advance of the holiday dinner to minimize prep on the actual holiday.

In addition to making slow cooker sweet potato casserole, I made a streusel topping that uses gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of almond flour.

The end result is a magnificently sweet treat with the most rich and buttery crispy nutty topping that you’d never guess is dairy-free and refined sugar-free.

This is one of those cases where you truly cannot tell the difference between the lighter, healthier version and the classic sweet potato casserole that contains more sugar and butter.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients.

Ingredients for Crock Pot Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole:

Fresh Sweet Potatoes: Our all star ingredient! Large sweet potatoes get peeled and chopped then slow cooked until they are nice and soft. 

Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Used to bring richness and creaminess to the mashed sweet potatoes, full-fat canned coconut milk makes this dairy-free sweet potato casserole so luscious and flavorful.

Be sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk rather than a lighter version, as it takes the place of heavy cream or whole milk in the classic sweet potato recipe and the fat provides a big hit of flavor.

Eggs: In order to bring some airiness and fluff to the casserole, we mix in a couple beaten eggs. This also helps the casserole hold together nicely so that it scoops easily into individual portions.

Vanilla Extract: Adding warm flavor, a little vanilla extract goes a long way in adding depth to the dish.

Pure Maple Syrup (or Honey): In keeping the casserole refined sugar-free, we use pure maple syrup or honey to sweeten the potatoes. You can scale the amount up or down according to your personal taste.

Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is added to both the sweet potatoes and the topping, as the warm spice brings about all the fall vibes. If you usually make your sweet potato casserole recipe without cinnamon, I encourage you to try it! It really changes the game! If you have pumpkin pie spice, feel free to use it instead.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: That amazing, addictive casserole topping is made mostly with a gluten-free flour blend. I use Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour but you can also use Pamela’s or King Arthur for your GF blend.

Coconut Oil (or Butter): The fat portion of the topping is coconut oil or melted butter. It brings richness and moisture to the topping so that it doesn’t dry out as it heats up.

Coconut Sugar: Not only does coconut sugar bring a delightful caramel-like flavor and sweetness to the topping but it also gives it great texture. Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index than regular white sugar, contains Vitamins and minerals and also has a rich caramel flavor which is why I love it so much.

Pecans: We mix chopped pecans in with the streusel topping to add a nutty flavor and delicious texture.

Salt: Sea salt is added to both the potato mixture and the streusel topping to enhance all of the flavors so that the healthy side dish makes a bold flavor statement.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of orange zest and/or 3 tablespoons of orange juice to the mashed sweet potatoes for a zesty infusion.
• Love bourbon or whiskey? Mix 3 tablespoons of bourbon in with the potatoes.
• Swap the pecans for walnuts
• Use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar in the topping.
• Rather than using pure maple syrup or honey in the mashed sweet potato mixture, use brown sugar or cane sugar if you’d prefer.
• Toss in 1 cup of mini marshmallows at the end if you enjoy marshmallow topping.

Can I Make This Grain-Free?:

Yes, absolutely!

If you’d prefer a grain-free version of this delicious recipe for your Thanksgiving menu, simply do the following.

Replace the topping ingredients with 1 ½ cups almond flour, 1 cup pecans, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 3 tablespoons coconut oil and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Simply mix up these ingredients with a pinch of sea salt and proceed with the rest of the recipe instructions.

Now that we have all the basics under control, let’s make sweet potato casserole in the slow cooker!

How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole in the Crock Pot:

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1 to 2-inch chunks and transfer the diced sweet potatoes to your slow cooker.

Pour in the coconut milk and secure the lid on the crock pot.

Slow cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, until potatoes are very soft. 

Remove the lid of the crock pot and use a potato masher to mash the crockpot sweet potatoes and coconut milk together until they reach your desired level of creaminess. It will seem like there is too much coconut milk at first, but don’t worry – it will absorb into the potatoes.

Note: if you want this part of the process to go faster, you can boil the chopped potatoes in water for 20 to 30 minutes or until they are very tender. You can also make roasted sweet potatoes if you prefer. Mash them up in your crock pot with the coconut milk and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Beat two eggs in a small bowl.

Mix the beaten eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon in with the mashed sweet potatoes.

Stir together the pecan topping ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined. 

Spread the topping on top of the sweet potatoes and slow cook on High for another 2 hours.

Serve immediately with your main entrée and other side dishes, or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Sweet potato casserole always tastes better the next day and several days following preparation.

For this reason, I recommend making it at least one day before you serve it for the absolute best result. You can reheat the casserole in your crock pot for 2 to 3 hours on High or 4 to 6 hours on Low (the exact time depends on how cold the casserole is from refrigeration).

If you don’t have time to make the casserole ahead of time, no worries. It will still turn out great!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

And that’s it! A delicious, healthy crockpot sweet potato casserole recipe for your holiday table that the whole family will love. Ideal for holiday entertaining and for any special occasion necessitating food.

The perfect side dish for Thanksgiving dinner and beyond!

If you’re looking for more healthy side dish recipes for the holiday season, check these out!

More Healthy Side Dishes:

• Creamy Cauliflower Casserole 
• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash 
• Gluten-Free Hawaiian Rolls 
• Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables 
• Chickpea Avocado Cucumber Salad 
• The Best Broccoli Salad 

Dig into the leftovers of this delicious sweet potato casserole for breakfast, dessert, and everything in between!

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