Sweet Potato Casserole with a sweet walnut and pecan crumble topping – simple, classic, delicious and vegan!

Disclosure: Special thanks to Calphalon for sponsoring this post and for choosing me as a Calphalon Cook brand Ambassador. All opinions, as always, are my own.

As much fun as Thanksgiving is, it is also synonymous with extreme stress and exhaustion to those in charge of the cooking. Let’s face it, delicious as the day may be, it IS a lot of work! But a well planned prep is half the battle won.

Let’s take this humble sweet potato casserole for instance – you simply cannot have a Thanksgiving meal without a side of sweet potatoes.

And with the right tools, you can make this casserole in your sleep!

Step 1: Cook the sweet potatoes

I know the usual method is to poke holes and bake in the oven for an hour. But on a day when oven space is more prized than real estate in New York, you’re going to appreciate this stovetop method.

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes first.  Sweet potatoes are quite hard vegetables, so make sure you have the right knife for the job. I find my Calphalon Contemporary™ SharpIN™ Nonstick Santoku Knife makes short work of the tubers without needing a lot of time or effort.

Then add to a heavy bottomed pan, add water and salt, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until fork tender. 

Why I love the stovetop method over oven:

1. I always hated that in the poke-and-bake method, I loose a lot of sweet potato flesh while removing baked skin. This way, there’s minimal waste.
2. Faster – while the oven takes 50-60 minutes, on the stove, it takes 15-20 minutes only!
3. Using my Calphalon Premier™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick cookware, I can whip the potatoes (next step) in the same pan as it cooks in, as the pans are metal utensil safe, saving me having to take out a mixing bowl.

Step 2:  Whisk everything

Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and if your pan isn’t metal utensil safe, transfer to a mixing bowl. Otherwise, in the same pan, using a hand whisk, whip the potatoes until there are no lumps. Then add the remaining casserole ingredients (coconut oil, coconut milk, cinnamon, salt and sugars) and continue whisking until soft, fluffy, creamy and smooth.

Transfer to a casserole dish (or if you’re having a low-key Thanksgiving, and not averse to serving in the cookware, the Calphalon Premier™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick pans are oven safe upto 450F and dishwasher safe).

Step 3: Make the crumble topping

This sweet walnut and pecan topping is what’s going to fill your home with the nutty fragrance of cinnamon as the casserole bakes, and in my opinion, the best part. And ironically, it’s the part of the casserole that comes together the quickest, thanks to my ActiveSense™ Blender. Add all the ingredients to the blender and pulse. Reserve some whole nuts and oatmeal to arrange on top for a little bit of texture.

Step 4: Assemble

Spread the topping on the sweet potatoes in the casserole. Add more whole nuts on top for texture and look. I do a pixie-dust sprinkle of maldon salt, just for kicks!

Step5: Bake!

In it goes to bake in my Performance Cool Touch Countertop Oven – having a countertop oven in addition to the built-in ovens is a blessing, especially during the holidays and special occasions when I’ll take as many ovens and stoves as I can get my hands on to feed the crowd! Besides, this one has so many built-in functions, and doesn’t need me to keep checking on it – I can program a 5 minute broil in the end of the bake cycle using the step-cook function, and it’ll automatically switch from bake to broil at the right time.

There! That’s the sweet potato casserole done and done! Now how easy was that?

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! May your table and hearts be full of food, love and joy this Holiday season!

When you make this VEGAN Sweet Potato Casserole (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!

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VEGAN Sweet Potato Casserole

Yield: One 8" casserole

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Sweet Potato Casserole with a sweet walnut and pecan crumble topping - simple, classic, delicious and vegan!

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Ingredients

For cooking the sweet potato

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 3 medium tubers)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the casserole

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 3/4 c - 1 c canned coconut milk
• 1/3 c brown sugar, to taste (see notes)
• 2 tbsp granulated cane sugar
• 1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

For the crumble topping

• 1/4 c walnuts + a few more for topping
• 1/4 c pecans + a few more for topping
• 1/2 c oat flour
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 3-4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp quick cooking rolled oats

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes

1. Wash, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 2" pieces (smaller the chunks, faster it cooks). Make sure they are uniform in size, so they all cook at the same time.
2. In a deep 2.5-qt. sauce pan with lid, add the chopped sweet potatoes, water and salt. Place over medium heat, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain (if any liquid remaining) and set aside. If you used the Calphalon Premier™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick pan, you can mash the cooked sweet potatoes in the pan, as it is metal-utensil safe. Otherwise, transfer to a mixing bowl and mash.

Make the crumble topping

1. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make the crumble topping. Add all the crumble ingredients (except the rolled oats and nuts reserved for topping) to a blender and pulse till combined.
2. Stir in the rolled oats. Set aside.

Make the casserole filling

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Position baking rack in the middle position.
2. To the cooked and drained sweet potatoes, add the coconut oil, half the coconut milk, sugars, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until soft and fluffy and there are no lumps, adding more coconut milk as you go until you get a smooth and creamy mixture.
3. Transfer to an 8"x8" casserole (for a thicker crumble crust - as shown in pictures above), or a 9" x13" casserole for a thinner crust.
4. Spread the crumble topping on top and arrange the whole nuts on top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F for 20 minutes or until the topping looks toasted and crisp.
6. Serve hot.

Notes

1. Some sweet potatoes are sweet, while others are not. So while whisking sugar into the casserole, taste as you go, adding less or more as needed, to your preference.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 987Total Fat: 66gSaturated Fat: 48gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 463mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 10gSugar: 50gProtein: 10g

Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.