Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole
What’s to love about this Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole? Creamy spiced sweet potatoes + crunchy pecan topping + gooey marshmallows. This one will be a holiday favorite!
I used to hate sweet potatoes. Plain, fried, covered in marshmallows–it didn’t matter how they were dressed up, I avoided them like the plague.
It was the name that turned me off. I expected anything labeled “potato” to be a salty treat covered in cheese, bacon, butter, or ketchup. The very idea of a “sweet” potato weirded me out.
Thankfully, sometime in the last decade, I learned to love sweet potatoes. The girl who once snubbed the marshmallow mounded casserole at Thanksgiving now puts sweet potatoes in everything from chili to burritos.
Of course, it all began with sweet potato casserole, and today I’m sharing my favorite version with you.
A Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole with all the Toppings
This Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole has all of the traditional flavors you love, but with a few little extras that set it apart from the crowd.
We’ve got:
- Creamy mashed sweet potatoes, sweetened with brown sugar and a hint of maple syrup, vanilla, and warm spices.
- Buttery cornflake and pecan topping. Adding this crunchy topping keeps the casserole from being indistinguishable mush. Give me ALL the textures!
- Gooey, melty marshmallows. AKA: The part my children will pick off and eat by itself.
How to Make Sweet Potato Casserole
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into large chunks.
- Boil water and add potato chunks, cooking until they’re fork tender.
- Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl, along with the butter, half and half, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Mash until creamy and well combined.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture into a greased casserole dish.
- Make the cornflake topping, combining crushed cornflakes, chopped pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter. Spread the topping over the mashed sweet potatoes.
- Bake the casserole until the top is browned and crisp (about 25 minutes), then sprinkle with mini marshmallows and return to the oven. Bake another 5-10 minutes, or until marshmallows are melty and just barely golden.
Make Ahead Instructions:
Want to save some time on Thanksgiving? Most of this can be made ahead of time!
- Make the sweet potato mixture up to two days in advance. Store in the casserole dish or in a bowl in the fridge.
- Mix together the cornflake topping up to a week in advance, omitting the butter. Store at room temperature. Add the butter right before baking.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Casserole
- Season to taste– This sweet potato casserole is eggless, so you can taste and season to your heart’s content. Don’t neglect the salt! It really helps bring out the other flavors, so be sure to add enough.
- Spice it up– I love using cinnamon in sweet potato casserole, but prefer to skip over the cloves and nutmeg in favor of the subtler and less peppery cardamom. If you don’t have cardamom on hand feel free to leave it out, or substitute with a pinch of cloves and nutmeg.
- Buy Gluten Free– Kellogg’s cornflakes are not gluten free because they contain malt powder, but many other brands (such as Nature’s Path, Barbara’s, and Erewhon) are gluten free. Similarly, be sure to check labels on your marshmallows. Kraft is usually gluten free but might not be suitable for those with Celiac disease due to cross contamination in their natural flavors. GF labeled brands include Trader Joe’s, Dandies, and Campfire.
- Make it Extra Gooey– We found using larger roasting marshmallows instead of minis made for a much higher crisp-to-gooey ratio. If that’s your preference, give it a try! Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time to make sure they’re melted through.
A Gluten Free Thanksgiving Menu
This Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole is part of our gluten free Thanksgiving! Here are the other dishes we enjoy:
- Easy Herbed Oven Roasted Turkey
- Cranberry Jello Salad
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Green Beans
- Corn Souffle
- Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs
- Pecan Pie Bars (Using gluten free flour)
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
More Sweet Potato Recipes to Try:
Are you a sweet potato convert like me? Make them a regular part of your meals with these recipes:
- Kale, Sausage, and Sweet Potato Soup
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
- Chipotle Honey Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole
This Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole features a crunchy cornflake and pecan topping plus gooey marshmallows. If you are gluten intolerant, be sure to check labels to ensure all of your ingredients are gluten free!
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. sweet potatoes
- 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into four chunks
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salt, to taste (I like about 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
For the topping:
- 6 cups cornflakes, crushed (Makes about 2 1/2 cups)
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Bring a pot of water to boil and add the potato chunks. Boil until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl and add the butter, allowing it to start melting. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, half and half, and vanilla extract, and use a potato masher to mash the ingredients together until smooth. Add salt to taste, cinnamon, and cardamom. Stir well to combine.
- Spread the potato mixture evenly over the casserole dish.
- In another large bowl, crush the cornflakes. Add the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and stir to coat. Spread the cornflake mixture over the sweet potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy, then remove from the oven.
- Sprinkle marshmallows over crumb topping, then return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until marshmallows just start to turn golden brown.
Notes
For gooier marshmallows, sub large roasting size marshmallows.
Sweet potato filling can be made up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 392Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 257mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 6gSugar: 38gProtein: 5g
Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.