This is not your mama’s sweet potato casserole. These individual casseroles house all the flavor of the classic Thanksgiving dish, in one plant-based, bite-size cup. The crumbly, nutty topping becomes the crust, while a single vegan marshmallow tops the gooey sweet potato filling, so you get the best of both worlds.

Sweet potato casserole is, hands down, my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I don’t even need to think about it. While I feel that the casserole itself has been done many times, the idea of cute little individual cups kept popping into my mind. I pondered creating healthy sweet potato mini pies as well, but to be completely honest, I’ve never even had sweet potato pie. I know, where have I been living, under a rock or something? Ok, not quite under a rock; I’ve been living in the northern part of the U.S. my whole life, but sometimes that feels pretty close.

In my opinion the crumbly topping of the casserole is nearly the best part, so I transformed it into an extra thick, oat and pecan studded crust/cup, using dates to keep everything sticking together. The crust is borrowed from my one and only baked cheesecake recipe, and with the addition of pecans and a pinch of cinnamon, it makes the perfect vehicle for the sweet, gooey filling. The filling is a super simple mixture of mashed sweet potatoes, spices, natural sweeteners, and a little bit of coconut oil (which is optional) for a buttery sweet taste. I added marshmallows to the top of each cup and cranked the oven to broil, for a melty, roasted marshmallow topping that is so good you’ll definitely be going back for seconds.

My daughter and I are eating leftovers of these sweet potato cups for breakfast as I quickly type out this post, and I can tell you, they are just as delicious on day two. Flip your casserole game upside down this Thanksgiving and try these tasty (and cute!) sweet potato cups.

Sweet Potato Casserole Cups – Vegan and Gluten Free

Makes 6

Crust:

• 3/4 cup oat flour (use certified gluten free if needed)
• 3/4 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raw pecans
• 3 large medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or 1 more tbsp of almond butter)
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1 + 1/2 large sweet potatoes or 2 small – roasted in skin until fork tender, or peeled and steamed or boiled (I recommend roasting them)
• 1 tbsp ground golden flaxseed + 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (or more coconut sugar)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
•  1/2 tbsp coconut oil (optional)

Vegan marshmallows for topping, I used Dandies 

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Lightly oil a muffin tin.

• To make crust: Add almonds and pecans to your food processor and pulse until a course meal is formed. Add the almond butter, dates, and optional coconut oil and pulse until it sticks together, then add in the oat flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt and pulse again until combined. The dough should be moist and stick together easily. If it seems too dry add a little splash of water, a teaspoon at a time, until it sticks together easily.
• Using wet fingers, line each oiled well in a 6 cup muffin tin with the crust mixture, pressing onto the sides. Set aside.
• For the filling: Combine the water and flax seed, and let sit for a minute or two. Mash the cooked sweet potatoes with the flax seed “egg” and the remaining ingredients, until very smooth and completely combined. Taste and adjust sweetener/spices as needed.
• Fill each cup with sweet potato mixture until level. Smooth tops with a spatula and bake in pre-heated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the crust are just starting to look golden brown.
• Turn the oven to broil and take the pan out and top each cup with a vegan marshmallow and return to oven for about 5 minutes until the marshmallow has melted and browned. Let the cups cool in the pan for a few minutes before running a butter knife around the edge of each one and carefully lifting out with a fork.

Notes:

These are perfect for smaller Thanksgiving get-togethers. They’d make a fun appetizer, and possibly even dessert! Double the recipe for a larger crowd.