I can’t wait to make this for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner! Trader Joe’s sells a 2-lb bag of pre-cut sweet potatoes….could I use 2 bags of those instead of roasting whole potatoes for an hour? Would I need to microwave or boil them a bit to soften?
Hi Liz! Before you can use the sweet potatoes for the filling, you need to cook them to make them soft enough to mash for the filling. You could use about 4.5 pounds of the precut, but you would still need to cook them. You could do this by drizzling them with olive oil or melted coconut oil and roasting to soften them (you could also boil them, but that would have less flavor). Honestly, since the part of the recipe where you bake the potatoes to soften them is totally hands off (and doesn’t require using olive oil), I don’t think you’d be saving much time using the precut. Does that make sense? It is an option though if that’s what you want to do. Hope you love the recipe!
Hi Marci! I’m afraid I do not have an exact number, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. I’d try baking it for 5 to 10 extra minutes, then check it frequently after.
Made these for Thanksgiving today! They were amazing. I messed up and made large cubes out of the potatoes and it made mashing them pretty tough because of the skin that forms on them. Would recommend keeping them while. Also I used equal vanilla extract and thought it was great.
As for the topping, I will hold most of the salt, but I think that’s because we’ve been consciously limiting it and this tasted almost like a salted caramel-ish granola topping. This recipe is going in the “keep” file for sure!
Sheesh, I should proofread better!! I meant “recommend keeping them “WHOLE” (not while) and baking them, not using precut cubes. Also, the tipping was still great as is!!! I ate it just fine. Haha. Forgot to add I didn’t have coconut oil on hand so I searched online and found I could sub with avocado oil, which I had. Would have used a mild olive oil otherwise.
Marci, I am so overjoyed to hear this! I can’t say enough how much it means that my recipe was a part of your Thanksgiving meal. I hope you love the leftovers, and continue to enjoy the recipe long into the future!
I had another sweet potato casserole in mind when you posted this, but this sounded exactly like what I wanted in the way of flavor. It turned out sooooo good! This recipe is a definite keeper.
Amy, I am so, so happy to hear it, and I’m honored that my recipe was a part of your Thanksgiving. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend too!
Carla, I am sooooo happy to hear that you all enjoyed this recipe so much. I love sweet potatoes year-round too. Thanks so much for sharing this kind review!
I only change the recipe slightly. I make a smaller portion and do about half sweet potato filling and half topping. My husband is allergic to almond so we use cashew or regular milk. I add Brown sugar (and sometimes a small bit of butter) to the topping. I leave out the nutmeg so my birds can eat it (toxic to cockatiels), and today I added an egg to the filling for extra protein and fluff! No sugar in the filling, but if we need it sweeter we add honey after (and it’s pretty!).
Eowyn, what a wonderful way to start your day! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave your review. It really means a lot, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe so much.
I just made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing! I paired it with pumpkin soup and toasted green beans, it went so well together! The only thing I changed was adding some brown sugar, but it doesn’t need it at all, I just wanted extra sweetness (; ! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Kelley! I actually would not recommend making this recipe in a crock pot. It’s really designed for the oven, and I worry that the topping wouldn’t crisp up properly. You might take a look at this Crock Pot Stuffing (https://www.wellplated.com/crock-pot-stuffing/) and these Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts (https://www.wellplated.com/slow-cooker-brussels-sprouts/) if you’re interested in a few other recipes that won’t need any oven space!
If I use vanilla bean powder would I still use 2 Tablespoons of it? Also, can I reduce the coconut oil in the topping and increase the maple syrup for the topping?
Hi Ariana, I’m not too familiar with vanilla bean powder, but from a quick internet search, it looks like you should use half the amount when substituting. I wouldn’t recommend decreasing the amount of oil in the topping because it won’t brown properly. If you prefer the topping to be more sweet, I think it would be fine to add additional maple syrup to taste. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m making this today for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I planned to make the sweet potato part and the topping part separately and then sprinkle on the topping tomorrow and bake it then. Do you think the topping can sit overnight with the coconut oil & syrup in it and not be soggy when I put it on the dish tomorrow? Thanks!
Monica, I’m honestly not sure, as I have never tried. I think I’d try to wait until the day of just to be safe (a few hours ahead should be fine), but if you do decide to try it ahead, I’d store it in the refrigerator.
I just wanted to let you know I made this last year and it was everyones favorite- even my 2 year old! I swore I would make it again, but that never did happen. I made it today, through step 5, and am sooooooo excited to have it tomorrow! I have also given it to a few friends who plan to make it.
Thank you for a great recipe!
This recipe sounds so yummy and a better choice for healthier eating. We have an almond allergy. What do you suggest as an alternative to the almond meal?
Trela, can you use another nut meal such as hazelnut flour or ground pecans (see notes to make your own nut flour). Otherwise, you could try swapping in an additional 1/3 cup rolled oats—I haven’t tried these methods myself, but that would be my best advice. I hope you love the recipe!
Lindsay, you’ll see this in the recipe notes too, but I suggest 2 tablespoon vanilla extract. Make sure it’s the real (pure) kind. I hope you enjoy it!
No worries at all Lindsay! I just wanted to let you know that I add them to my recipes as a resource (and they are often the fastest way to get your question answered!)
This looks incredible! I’ve never had sweet potato casserole because a) not a tradition in my family and b) it looks unappealing… until now:) I want to sub soy milk in for the almond milk since it’s naturally sweeter; do you recommend I should still add the maple syrup or will it be sweet without? If you’re not sure I’ll just try it anyways. Thank you for your time and amazing recipes!
I made this for Christmas dinner as an alternative to a much sweeter sweet potato casserole my family usually has for holidays. Everyone liked this and my immediate family–including my elementary and preschool-aged kiddos–definitely preferred it to the sweeter casserole we’ve made in the past. I’ve served it with turkey and ham now and at both dinners it was among the most popular dishes on the table.
I can’t wait to make this for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner! Trader Joe’s sells a 2-lb bag of pre-cut sweet potatoes….could I use 2 bags of those instead of roasting whole potatoes for an hour? Would I need to microwave or boil them a bit to soften?
Hi Liz! Before you can use the sweet potatoes for the filling, you need to cook them to make them soft enough to mash for the filling. You could use about 4.5 pounds of the precut, but you would still need to cook them. You could do this by drizzling them with olive oil or melted coconut oil and roasting to soften them (you could also boil them, but that would have less flavor). Honestly, since the part of the recipe where you bake the potatoes to soften them is totally hands off (and doesn’t require using olive oil), I don’t think you’d be saving much time using the precut. Does that make sense? It is an option though if that’s what you want to do. Hope you love the recipe!
Do you have any idea how long they’ll need to bake if I do the make ahead option?
Hi Marci! I’m afraid I do not have an exact number, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. I’d try baking it for 5 to 10 extra minutes, then check it frequently after.
I just made this today. It looks and smells fantastic!
Ellen, I am so excited to hear this! Enjoy every bite, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Made these for Thanksgiving today! They were amazing. I messed up and made large cubes out of the potatoes and it made mashing them pretty tough because of the skin that forms on them. Would recommend keeping them while. Also I used equal vanilla extract and thought it was great.
As for the topping, I will hold most of the salt, but I think that’s because we’ve been consciously limiting it and this tasted almost like a salted caramel-ish granola topping. This recipe is going in the “keep” file for sure!
Sheesh, I should proofread better!! I meant “recommend keeping them “WHOLE” (not while) and baking them, not using precut cubes. Also, the tipping was still great as is!!! I ate it just fine. Haha. Forgot to add I didn’t have coconut oil on hand so I searched online and found I could sub with avocado oil, which I had. Would have used a mild olive oil otherwise.
Kim, I’m so so happy to hear this! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! It was my favorite dish of the day. I’ll be making this year round!
Marci, I am so overjoyed to hear this! I can’t say enough how much it means that my recipe was a part of your Thanksgiving meal. I hope you love the leftovers, and continue to enjoy the recipe long into the future!
I had another sweet potato casserole in mind when you posted this, but this sounded exactly like what I wanted in the way of flavor. It turned out sooooo good! This recipe is a definite keeper.
Susan, this brings me so much joy! I’m so happy that you liked it. Thanks for letting me know, as always!
Hope you are enjoying a terrific Thanksgiving weekend. My family definitely enjoyed this delicious dish at our dinner table yesterday.
Amy, I am so, so happy to hear it, and I’m honored that my recipe was a part of your Thanksgiving. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend too!
Had a family cookout today, and my youngest daughter made this. It was amazing! I’ll be having some for breakfast! This is Not just for Thanksgiving.
Carla, I am sooooo happy to hear that you all enjoyed this recipe so much. I love sweet potatoes year-round too. Thanks so much for sharing this kind review!
This recipe is exactly what i was looking for! Thank you.
I hope you love it Melissa!
I make this for breakfast!
I only change the recipe slightly. I make a smaller portion and do about half sweet potato filling and half topping. My husband is allergic to almond so we use cashew or regular milk. I add Brown sugar (and sometimes a small bit of butter) to the topping. I leave out the nutmeg so my birds can eat it (toxic to cockatiels), and today I added an egg to the filling for extra protein and fluff! No sugar in the filling, but if we need it sweeter we add honey after (and it’s pretty!).
Delicious recipe!!
Eowyn, what a wonderful way to start your day! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave your review. It really means a lot, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe so much.
I just made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing! I paired it with pumpkin soup and toasted green beans, it went so well together! The only thing I changed was adding some brown sugar, but it doesn’t need it at all, I just wanted extra sweetness (; ! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
YAY! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this casserole. It’s one of my favorites too. Thanks for trying the recipe and leaving this kind review!
Can this be adapted to a crockpot? I lack oven space on Thanksgiving!
Hi Kelley! I actually would not recommend making this recipe in a crock pot. It’s really designed for the oven, and I worry that the topping wouldn’t crisp up properly. You might take a look at this Crock Pot Stuffing (https://www.wellplated.com/crock-pot-stuffing/) and these Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts (https://www.wellplated.com/slow-cooker-brussels-sprouts/) if you’re interested in a few other recipes that won’t need any oven space!
This looks so yummy! I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving Dinner. Do you think coconut milk would work instead of the vanilla almond milk?
Hi Heather, yes, I think that would work fine! I hope you enjoy!
If I use vanilla bean powder would I still use 2 Tablespoons of it? Also, can I reduce the coconut oil in the topping and increase the maple syrup for the topping?
Hi Ariana, I’m not too familiar with vanilla bean powder, but from a quick internet search, it looks like you should use half the amount when substituting. I wouldn’t recommend decreasing the amount of oil in the topping because it won’t brown properly. If you prefer the topping to be more sweet, I think it would be fine to add additional maple syrup to taste. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I’m making this today for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I planned to make the sweet potato part and the topping part separately and then sprinkle on the topping tomorrow and bake it then. Do you think the topping can sit overnight with the coconut oil & syrup in it and not be soggy when I put it on the dish tomorrow? Thanks!
Monica, I’m honestly not sure, as I have never tried. I think I’d try to wait until the day of just to be safe (a few hours ahead should be fine), but if you do decide to try it ahead, I’d store it in the refrigerator.
I just wanted to let you know I made this last year and it was everyones favorite- even my 2 year old! I swore I would make it again, but that never did happen. I made it today, through step 5, and am sooooooo excited to have it tomorrow! I have also given it to a few friends who plan to make it.
Thank you for a great recipe!
YAY!!! Happy Thanksgiving Alyson. I’m honored this recipe will be at your Thanksgiving table!
This recipe sounds so yummy and a better choice for healthier eating. We have an almond allergy. What do you suggest as an alternative to the almond meal?
Trela, can you use another nut meal such as hazelnut flour or ground pecans (see notes to make your own nut flour). Otherwise, you could try swapping in an additional 1/3 cup rolled oats—I haven’t tried these methods myself, but that would be my best advice. I hope you love the recipe!
if I make this with vanilla extract instead of beans or paste, how much should I use?
Lindsay, you’ll see this in the recipe notes too, but I suggest 2 tablespoon vanilla extract. Make sure it’s the real (pure) kind. I hope you enjoy it!
thanks! sorry I missed the notes, will read them now
No worries at all Lindsay! I just wanted to let you know that I add them to my recipes as a resource (and they are often the fastest way to get your question answered!)
This looks incredible! I’ve never had sweet potato casserole because a) not a tradition in my family and b) it looks unappealing… until now:) I want to sub soy milk in for the almond milk since it’s naturally sweeter; do you recommend I should still add the maple syrup or will it be sweet without? If you’re not sure I’ll just try it anyways. Thank you for your time and amazing recipes!
Elly, soy milk will be fine! You can always reduce the maple syrup by a teaspoon or two if you are concerned. I hope you enjoy it!
I made this for Christmas dinner as an alternative to a much sweeter sweet potato casserole my family usually has for holidays. Everyone liked this and my immediate family–including my elementary and preschool-aged kiddos–definitely preferred it to the sweeter casserole we’ve made in the past. I’ve served it with turkey and ham now and at both dinners it was among the most popular dishes on the table.
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, Rebekah! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!