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It’s official, Thanksgiving is less than a month away! Where has the time gone? Are you thinking about what holiday side dishes you’re going to make yet? If you’re like me, you may be looking for a way to make a healthy sweet potato casserole, but don’t want all the carbs. How about a low carb sweet potato casserole recipe, hmm?
I know, I know… it’s not even Halloween yet! Why am I talking about Thanksgiving already? Well, I’ll bet you’ve already figured out what you’re doing for Halloween, so on the blog it’s on to planning for the next holiday. After you hear about the low carb holiday side dish I’ve got for you today, you’ll see why!
My (extended) family has a holiday tradition of getting together at my second cousin’s parents’ house for Thanksgiving Day. I have yet to get a firm consensus for what their relationship to me is supposed to be. Third cousins? Second cousins once removed? We don’t have a large family, so even if they aren’t super close to me by blood, they’ve always been Aunt and Uncle to me growing up. Every November, my uncle prides himself in making the most perfect Thanksgiving turkey, while others contribute with salads and sides.
Last Thanksgiving, I brought my keto mashed cauliflower to our gathering and made everyone guess what it was. Some people thought it could be mashed potatoes, others figured out that it was mashed cauliflower, but ultimately it didn’t matter. Both groups gobbled it right up.
This year, I’ve made it a goal to low-carb-ify (new word right here, yeah!) another classic holiday side dish: Low Carb Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crust! Which is now my version of a healthy sweet potato casserole.
Of course, actual sweet potatoes are too starchy for a low carb diet, but there’s no need to miss out. It turns out that roasted butternut squash and cauliflower make the perfect stand-ins. They just need a little sugar-free sweetener added to make them as sweet as sweet potatoes.
I like to use monk fruit allulose blend, which tastes like sugar, has zero net carbs, and doesn’t add any weird texture to this keto sweet potato casserole.
This pecan-crusted butternut squash and cauliflower casserole was the delicious result. I’m still calling it “low carb sweet potato casserole”, even sans the actual sweet potatoes, because it’s the perfect replacement. The bulk of it is just like silky smooth, buttery sweet potatoes, and the topping is all mouthwatering cinnamon-pecan crunch. It would be the perfect pairing with an herb roasted turkey or air fryer turkey breast.
I went through a couple of iterations to get the recipe just right. By the last one, I honestly thought it was – dare I say it? – better than sweet potatoes. Even though sweet potatoes do have some health benefits, this “healthy sweet potato casserole” has even more, sans the carbs.
If you do want to make a casserole that uses actual sweet potatoes, try Gluten-free Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole from A Mind “Full” Mom. It uses maple syrup, but you could swap that with the homemade sugar-free maple syrup that I like to make.
Just in case, I did a final test run on my husband, mom, and daughter. They all couldn’t get enough. Let me tell you, a nineteen-month-old isn’t going to pretend to like something just to be nice! She couldn’t stop eating this sweet (but sugar-free) low carb sweet potato casserole. That’s a sign, right there.
So, what are you making this Thanksgiving? Now you can officially cross that question off your list. Seriously, a healthy potato casserole with pecan crust is the side dish you need. Then try keto green bean casserole next!
Tools To Make Keto Sweet Potato Casserole
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Large Mixing Bowl – These are my go-to mixing bowls. I love that this set comes with so many variations in size.
- Baking Sheets – You will need two baking sheets to roast your vegetables. This is the baking sheet I use in my kitchen.
- Food Processor – This food processor will work great for pureeing your vegetables.
Healthy Low Carb Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
Healthy Low Carb Keto Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
This keto sweet potato casserole recipe is actually a butternut squash cauliflower casserole, but tastes like the real sweet potatoes! Making healthy low carb sweet potato casserole is quick and easy.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Veggies
Topping
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Roasting
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with foil (greased lightly) or parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, toss together the cubed butternut squash, cauliflower florets, a tablespoon of melted butter, salt, cinnamon, and black pepper.
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Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the lined baking sheets. Roast in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until both are very soft and golden. (If your pans don't fit in the oven side by side, you can try a single larger pan or roast them in batches, but either way make sure veggies are in a single layer.)
Topping
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Meanwhile, pulse 1/2 cup (64 g) pecans in a food processor until a powder forms. (Don't overmix or you'll make nut butter. If there are a few larger pieces left, that's fine.) Chop the remaining 1 1/2 cups (192 g) pecans. Place both in a small bowl.
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Add the sweetener, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Assembly
- When the vegetables are done roasting, remove them from the oven, but don't turn it off.
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Puree the veggies in a food processor or high-power blender, until smooth. (You may need to do this in batches if they don't all fit at once). Transfer the puree into a 2 quart (1.9 L) ceramic or glass casserole dish.
- Stir the sweetener and remaining tablespoon of melted butter into the puree. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if desired.
- Smooth the top with a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the pecan crumble topping over the casserole.
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Roast the casserole in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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134 Comments
Mich
0This recipe is AMAZING! I made it last year for Christmas, and NO ONE knew it was not sweet potato soufflé! I will say, however, I do NOT add the cauliflower to it…. just personal preference, but I do not like the cauliflower in it. I use everything, as to recipe, just without the cauliflower and it is delicious.
Barbara
0Thank you!! I was hoping to just omit the cauliflower but wasn’t sure how it would turn out.
Jen M.
0What happened to the original recipe? I’ve made it several times and always loved it. I know it had garlic salt in it and did not you Allulose. I never use allulose because it and my stomach are not friends. Lol
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jen, Sometimes recipes get updated overtime based on reviews or great new additions that make the dish better. If you cannot tolerate allulose, please substitute with your preferred sweetener.
Arianne
0I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. My daughter preferred it over our “sweet” potato casserole that I had always made. My grandchildren and my husband liked it too and wanted more. I couldn’t believe it. I’ll definitely make it again
Michelle Chapman
0I’m so confused. I cannot find any reference as to why you have the pecans divided into two separate bowls?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Michelle, The nuts are seperated for textural variances. The 1/2 c is processed into a powder while the 1 1/2 cups are roughly processed.
Cindy
0I don’t have a food processor, can I use a mixer or blender???
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Cindy, Yes, a blender will do the job just fine.
Melody
0Hi, I want to make this for dinner tonight but don’t have cauliflower – if I use butternut squash and sweet potatoes (I realize it won’t be as low carb), would that work?
Also, I’m nervous about adding the garlic salt – can you explain how it changes the flavor?
And finally, I have Swerve’s brown sugar replacement that I was thinking of using in the topping – would that still be 1/3 cup?
I just discovered your website and am loving it. Thanks so much!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Melody, The recipe should still work with butternut squash in place of the cauliflower. This recipe has a bit of a sweet and savory element to it. The garlic salt helps play into the savory element. Swerve Brown is fine in the same amounts.
Judy C.
0My plan this year is to make these in ramekins and serve as a replacement to pumpkin pie for the Keto followers in my family! So the plan is to leave out the garlic and up the pumpkin pie flavorings. In my family my sister brings the “regular” recipes and I make the low-carb recipes so everyone’s happy at my house! P.S. I’m using a ton of your recipes…love your site!
Tracey
0Can this filling be modified to make a keto sweet potato pie?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Tracey, I haven’t tested this, but it would be a fun idea to play with. Traditional sweet potato pie has eggs to hold the filling together. Please let us know if you decide to experiment with this idea!
Frances
0When it comes to the sugar substitute have you thought of using the swerve brown sugar how do you think that would come out when I make regular sweet potatoes the fattening kind I always use brown sugar and marshmallows so I was wondering what about swerve brown sugar and then the nuts.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Frances, I think the recipe would work fine with Swerve Brown and nuts.
Dezire
0Hi! Love to see your recipe, Will try and let you know how it looks and tastes!
Rob
0How would this be without the topping?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You can make it without the topping if you like, but it’s my favorite part. 🙂
Diana F Pavero
0This was the best Thanksgiving side on my table. Wow, everyone loved it!
Lucinda Jackson
0Using butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes saves only 2.5 net carbs per serving. And sweet potatoes have twice as much natural sugar in them (accounting for the higher carbs) which means you can cut the amount of sweetener in half. If your sweetener has any carbs at all, that would narrow the carb difference even further. I’d make this with with much tastier sweet potatoes and cut the topping by a third or maybe even in half as well since you don’t need to rely on the topping for flavor with sweet potatoes. With these changes it would be 5 stars and you wouldn’t miss a thing.
Vaea
0I just made this and it is cooling as I write this review. I understand it’s Keto. I needed to add a little heavy cream so it would whip up and MCT oil. I up the spice and thus is very Good. A stick of butter is even better..lol but good as it. Roasting was perfect and will experiment with cauliflower hummus with that technique..ty so much!
Donna
0I made this recipe today and really liked it. I used 1 bag (12 oz) of frozen cauliflower (thawed) . I should have used two bags so that the amount of cauliflower was more equal to the amount of butternut squash. There was a lot of topping, which was great, but you could really probably cut it in half. I would also have precooked (steamed) the cauliflower a tad before roasting it, so that it would have been a little over cooked and would have pureed a little better.
Misty
0Can I make this a day ahead? If so how would you do it as far as the topping goes?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Misty, Yes, I believe this can be made ahead of time. I would reserve the topping and add it the day of, before it goes in the oven. It will crisp up while the “sweet potato” portion reheats. Enjoy!
Jessi
0I’m looking to do as much preparing ahead of time as possible. Can this be made the night before (without the baking step at the end) and it still turn out the same after baking the next day or will the quality be different from sitting in the fridge overnight?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jessi, Yes, you can definitely do that!
Lindsey
0I tried this out a few weeks ago as a dry run for Thanksgiving. Wow! We were shocked at how similar this was to regular sugary sweet potato casserole. Amazing!!! We didn’t change a thing (other than using Swerve for sweetener) and loved the addition of the garlic powder. I thought about skipping it but decided not to and this is exactly how I’m serving it to company! Thank you so much!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Lindsey! Thank you!
Megin Murphy
0Hi! Have you ever froze this dish and defrosted later? I’d like to make it now and just pull it out on Thanksgiving to warm up.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Megin, Yes, you can definitely do that!
Shannon Rubado
0Made this as a test for Thanksgiving and it’s AMAZING! Never would have thought!
I added a little vanilla extract to the purée and left out the garlic salt in the topping.
Delish! Thank you!
I can’t atop eating it!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear that, Shannon! Have a great day!!
Margaret L Large
0Can I make this and the green bean casserole the day before and refrigerate then finish the topping the next day?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Margaret, Yes, definitely!
Gloria Moore
0Butternut squash is also great instead of sweet potatoes.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/buttercup-squash/
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I love butternut squash too, Gloria!
Karen Smith McDonald
0Can this be made and frozen?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Yes, that should work!
Jenn
0Hi. This recipe sounds great! But do you have any suggestions to sub in for the pecans in the topping? We have a family allergy to watch, and wanted to possibly exchange the pecans instead of just omitting them. Thanks!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jenn, You could try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds if you have a nut allergy.
Liz
0This sounds amazing. Can it be made ahead of time minus the topping and frozen until needed?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Liz, Yes, absolutely!
Marcelle
0This looks awesome and I am definitely making it for this Thanksgiving, but I am confused about something. You mentioned in an earlier comment that 1/8 of the recipe is one serving but the recipe card says it makes 16 servings. So I’m confused about the nutritional info. Is that for 1/16 or 1/8 of the casserole?
Wholesome Yum L
0Hi Marcelle, sorry for the confusion. There are 16 servings in the recipe and it will be approximately 1/2 cup per serving.
Misty
0Hi!! I am southern and black so sweet potatoes are a big thing for my family around the holidays. I usually make sweet potato pies and my sister makes the sweet potato casserole (we LOVE sweet potatoes) but I Now focus on the keto way of eating. Wondering if this can be altered into a sweet potato pie? What are your thoughts? I am definitely passing this on to her for this year! Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You are welcome, Misty!
Ari
0Any thoughts on making it into a pie???
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ari, Sorry, I haven’t tried that yet! Let me know if you experiment with it.
Janice
0I have some frozen cauliflower rice…do you think that would sub for the whole cauliflower?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Janice, That should work, just make sure you get all the water out of the cauliflower rice so the casserole isn’t too watery.
Shannon
0Hi, I’ve seen and tried recipes that combine carrots with sweet potatoes. Could adding or subbing carrots, which have some natural sweetness, work with this recipe? Plz and thx!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Shannon, Yes, you could try replacing some of the butternut squash with pureed carrots. Both are on the starchier side but the casserole turns out pretty low carb when combined with the cauliflower.
Christie
0This turned out great! I left the garlic out of the topping just to be safe, and only added a tad to the base. I doubled the recipe and I had a small sweet potato on hand so I just added it (I steamed it for 10 mins then cut it up like the others and roasted with them). Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe, my family really enjoyed it!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Christie! I’m glad your family enjoyed it!
Carol Dean
0You could really taste the chemical aftertaste of the sugar substitute. Glad I tried it on family first. What a waste of time & ingredients.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carol, Sorry that you didn’t like it. Which sweetener did you use? There are no chemicals in the ones I use and I don’t detect an aftertaste. But, you can always use a different sweetener that you like better.
Mollie
0Do you talk like this to people with whom you are face to face? Who hurt you? Why so adversarial? You did not deserve the gracious reply you received. I hope no one ever talks to you this way – disrespectfully, unkindly, and unnecessarily, that is.
Jenny
0Would you be able to assemble this the day before and then cook it the morning of?? Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jenny, Yes, you can! Just do the last roasting step in the “Assembly” section before serving – everything else can be ahead.
Shelli
0I was going to make this for Thanksgiving and bought all the ingredients before looking at the nutrition information. For anyone on a Keto diet, this one serving could take up their entire daily allowed carbs. I’ve decided to just trash the idea of making this dish.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Shelli, This has 5 grams net carbs per serving, so can definitely fit into a keto diet. Hope you’ll give it a try!
Karen Garza
0There seems to be a couple of errors in the recipe. Should it really be 4 pounds not 4 cups of squash? I used 4 cups and barely had 4 servings. Also, the recipe list includes cinnamon for the squash mixture but doesn’t mention the addition in the recipe instructions. Which is correct? Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, Thank you for asking! It’s 4 cups of squash, not 4 pounds. A head of cauliflower is also about 4 cups, so you end up with about 8 cups of veggies prior to pureeing. This gets reduced to about 4-6 cups after pureeing. A serving is 1/8 of the recipe, so would be somewhere around 1/2 to 3/4 cup plus topping. Of course the number of servings someone would have would be impacted by other factors, like what else is served, how hungry you are, etc. I apologize for skipping the cinnamon in the first part of the instructions – this is now fixed.
Carol
0I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit. And I plan to reprise it for Christmas with a larger crowd. 5 Stars *****
Camila monsalve
0Hi I was just wondering why you have for the assembly part in number 2, to add remaining sweetener and butter, when that was already said in the toppings part. Sorry all that confused me!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Sorry if it’s confusing! There are separate ingredient lists for the veggies and the topping. Initially you use 1 tablespoon of the butter from the Veggies ingredients list to roast the veggies. From that same Veggies list, you’ll still have another tablespoon of butter remaining and the 2 packets of sweetener that weren’t used yet. While the veggies are roasting and you’re making the topping, you would use the butter and sweetener amounts from the Toppings ingredients list (8 packets sweetener and 2 tablespoons butter) to use in the topping. Then when you’re assembling, after pureeing the veggies you’d stir in what you had left of the butter and sweetener from the Veggies list (1 tablespoon butter and 2 packets sweetener that I mentioned you still had left). Hope this helps!
Paula
0Does roasting the veggies give them a different taste or is it okay to steam the cauliflower?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, roasting does give veggies more flavor than steaming. But, the recipe would still work if you want to steam them.
Christa
0Hi Maya! I’m excited to try your recipe! Can this be made the night before (sans topping) and finished up the following day?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Christa! Yes, absolutely!
Erin
0Could you sub honey instead of packets of sweetener? Also have you tried mixing sweet potato with the butternut and cauliflower?
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0A granular sweetener would probably give you the closest consistency to the recipe as it is, but honey would probably also work. I haven’t tried it. The main difference would be the texture (and of course it wouldn’t be sugar-free), but I think it would still taste great. The pecan topping would be more sticky if you use honey, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of. The ingredients list includes sweetener equivalents for how much to use if you’re not using the packets. But, you can add in as much as you like to taste, since you’re not working with raw ingredients by the time the sweetener is added.
I haven’t tried mixing in sweet potato, but there should be no issues with adding that in. You’ll want to make sure it’s fully cooked before pureeing with the other ingredients, and one thing to keep in mind is it may need longer in the oven than the other veggies if you roast it. You could also just boil the sweet potato separately instead before you puree everything together.
Elisabeth
0Why the garlic? This sounded awesome until I saw garlic!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Garlic adds flavor that many people like, but you can definitely omit it if it’s not for you. It’s not necessary for the consistency of the recipe, though.
Barbara Turner
0This looks delicious. However, I took the liberty of looking up your relation and found this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=What+would+the+proper+address+for+second+cousin%27s+parent%27s+be%3F
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Haha, thanks for clearing that up! The chart in the first result is pretty helpful.
Christina
0Great recipe here! Any thought of subbing pumpkin for sweet potato? You mentioned wanting it to be “lower carb” and surprisingly pumpkin (at least the organic versions pureed in the can that I have come across) are fairly low in “net” carbs. Just a thought.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you! There is actually no sweet potato in this – it’s cauliflower and butternut squash. You could use pumpkin instead of the butternut squash if you’d like, I think it will be similar.
Marina
0Hey girl, so I’m doing Whole30 now incidentally ending around Thanksgiving with a couple people at work. So these recipes are really well-timed. Are you generally Paleo and lo-carb? I never knew that. Or do you just like cooking healthy foods?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks! I’m not fully paleo since I eat dairy regularly, but do create many recipes that are. I’m generally low carb most of the time, with my pregnancy being a temporary exception. 🙂
Marina
0Great recipe but not whole30 due to the sweetener. Perhaps adding dates or figs instead would work out skipping the sweetener all together?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’ve seen versions of whole 30 that allow a natural sweetener like this (as long as it’s not for an unapproved recipe like cupcakes, of course), but still a good point. The recipe would also work without a sweetener, but wouldn’t resemble sweet potatoes as much. If you opt to forego the sweetener, I would probably add more salt and/or other spices you like to make it more savory. Figs or dates sound like a great idea to add back some of the sweetness in that case.
Jane Vanderburg
0Where is the recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jane, The recipe is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. If you are on mobile, you may need to tap the large “tap to read more” button to see it. Hope this helps!
Linda
0This looks so delicious, and I love the low-carb factor. Thanks for sharing at Gluten-Free Recipe Fix!
Taryn
0I love the idea to use part cauliflower and part butternut squash. This is going on my holiday cooking list!
Katrin
0You really have come up with a great combination of flavours here, Maya. I cannot wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
Sarah
0Oh, this looks perfect!! What a great idea to use squash in place of the sweet potatoes! And I love adding cauliflower to all kinds of things!
Kim | Low Carb Maven
0We have family like that too, you don’t know exactly how you all fall out on the family tree, but none of that matters. I would be proud to serve this beautiful dish at my table. Enjoy your holidays.
Stacey
0This sounds so perfect for Turkey Day. I may need to find or make low carb marshmallows to melt on top of this.
Adriana
0I am so excited to try this!
Georgina
0Oh yum! I love butternut squash! The addition of pecans sounds great!