This vegan sweet potato casserole is yummy, creamy comfort food with a hint of sweet and a hint of spicy. It’s also healthy AND quick ‘n easy to put together, even on a work night. Make it as is, or get creative and use a different medley of vegetables to accompany the star ingredient – sweet potato. Enjoy it as a side dish, or as the main course paired with a green salad. Leftovers re-heat well.
Sweet potatoes are a low-glycemic food, have anti-inflammatory properties, and are an excellent source of beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. The beautiful orange or yellow color contains the beta carotene; the deeper the color the better. They also contain an antioxidant called sporamin, which prevents oxidative damage to our cells. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, manganese, and copper. They also contain B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, and dietary fiber.
Method Overview
- If you don’t have a high speed blender, presoak or precook the cashews (see FAQs)
- Toss veggies with cashew sauce and grated cheese; top with crumbs and paprika
- Bake until bubbly
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Equipment
- blender
- box grater
- medium-sized casserole dish
Ingredients
For Cashew Sauce
- 1-1/2 cups raw cashews
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For Sweet Potato Casserole
- 1 large sweet potato, about 1 pound, grated (it will measure about 5 cups when grated)
- 1 cup grated daikon radish
- 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces, about 4 cups
- 2 cups fresh or frozen sweet peas
- 4 ounces plant-based cheese (such as Miyoko's brand Mozzarella), grated
- 1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs (see notes)
- Sweet, hot, or smoked paprika for sprinkling on top of casserole
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Put all of the cashew sauce ingredients into a high-speed blender; set aside while you prepare the rest of the casserole ingredients (if you aren't using a high-speed blender, first pre-soak or pre-cook the cashews).
- Put the grated sweet potato, grated daikon radish, chopped broccoli, peas, and grated cheese into a medium-sized casserole dish (the one I use holds 2 quarts).
- Blend the sauce until creamy, then pour it over the vegetable mixture. Stir well until everything is combined and covered with the cashew sauce.
- Sprinkle with the bread or cracker crumbs, then sprinkle with paprika.
- Cover the casserole dish. If your casserole dish doesn't come with a cover, cut a piece of parchment to fit inside the casserole dish. The idea is to prevent the casserole from drying out. Bake for at least 40 minutes, or until very bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
How do you presoak cashews?
Place the cashews in a bowl with at least 1-1/3 cups of water; cover with a kitchen towel and let them soak for 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse well. Now the cashews are recipe-ready.
How do you precook cashews?
Gently simmer the cashews in at least 1-1/3 cups of water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Now the cashews are recipe-ready.
If you enjoy this Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole recipe, you’ll probably also like my Warm Quinoa Salad recipe which also features sweet potatoes and a creamy dressing.
2 Comments
Kathryn
April 10, 2021 at 7:54 amThis looks great, Judy! I”m going to try it!
Judy DeLorenzo
April 11, 2021 at 10:36 amWonderful! Let us know what you think 🙂