Easy maple roasted sweet potatoes with pecans is a delicious oven-baked vegan sweet potato casserole recipe made without added oil or melted butter.
Maple coconut sauce with a splash of orange juice and warming cinnamon cloves requires no cooking. Toss chopped pecans and orange zest over the top, and you have a deliciously simple vegan side dish.
Are you seeking a fuss-free side to complement your favorite plant-based Thanksgiving dinner recipes? Perhaps a sweet side for savory stuffed seitan roast or stuffed butternut squash? Roasted sweet potatoes with crunchy pecan topping is the perfect addition.
Don't wait for special occasions. Simple ingredients and easy prep make this a family favorite you can make any time of the year.
Table of Contents
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No special shopping - get everything you need at the grocery store or in your pantry.
- Prepping this recipe is as quick as peeling and dicing sweet potatoes.
- Less sugar than the classic sweet potato casserole recipe with mini marshmallows and brown sugar.
- Make this dish a few hours ahead. Store it at room temperature and roast when ready.
📋 Recipe Ingredients
Fresh sweet potatoes. Like most sweet potato recipes, yams can also be used. Butternut squash is also an option. I've not tried this recipe with canned sweet potatoes.
Coconut milk. I used light coconut milk. The best vegan substitute for coconut milk in this recipe is ⅓ cup of oat or almond milk with a few drops of coconut or vanilla extract. Check out my other vegan coconut milk substitutions if you need another one.
Pecans. Use chopped pecans and orange zest for the crunchy topping. Substitute with chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios.
Shopping tip. Pecan pieces are less expensive than whole pecans.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
📖 Recipe Variations
Make mashed sweet potatoes using the same ingredients. Grab a potato masher or hand mixer and mash steamed, boiled, or baked sweet potatoes with orange juice, maple syrup, and coconut milk. Stir in the spices, ginger, orange zest and pecans.
Homemade garam masala is a great substitute for cloves in this recipe.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, orange juice, spices, and ginger.
Step 2: Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Add them to a casserole dish. Stir in the coconut milk mixture.
Step 3: Sprinkle orange zest over the top of the sweet potato mixture.
Step 4: Top with chopped pecans. Cover the dish, then bake for 40 minutes.
🥣 Pro Tips
- A shallow glass baking dish works best for this recipe. A baking sheet will be too shallow to hold the maple-coconut sauce.
- Check roasted sweet potatoes for doneness by piercing them with a fork (fork tender). Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to toast the nuts.
- Roasting time will vary depending on the size of the sweet potato cubes and true oven temperature.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl or serve them in the casserole dish. Use a serving spoon to scoop up any of the coconut liquid from the bottom of the dish.
Roasted sweet potatoes are a great side for the Thanksgiving table or your next holiday menu. For weeknight meals, try an easy main dish like baked Huli Huli tofu or crispy air fryer jerk tofu.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Place leftovers in an airtight container. Keep them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven. Cover them when reheating so they don't get too brown.
No. Parboiling will speed up the cooking process by sacrificing sweet, caramelized flavor. If you want to speed up the roasting process, make the sweet potato pieces smaller.
Yes. Always peel sweet potatoes before roasting them. The only exception is baking when you want the peel to hold the heat.
Yams are an entirely different plant from sweet potatoes. You can’t miss a yam if you happen on one – they have dark, brownish skins that look like they are covered in bark. They are white on the inside and more like a russet potato.
🥘 More Vegan Sweet Potato Recipes
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
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Ingredients
- 5 cups cubed sweet potatoes - 3-4 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ⅓ cup light coconut milk - see notes
- 1 small orange - 2 tablespoons orange juice + the zest
- 1 teaspoon ginger - minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup pecans - chopped, see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. (220 C.).
- Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add them to a 10 x 7 glass baking or casserole dish.
- Combine the maple syrup, coconut milk, orange juice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the sweet potatoes. Mix well.
- Sprinkle orange zest and chopped pecans over the top.
- Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Uncover the last 5 minutes to toast the pecans.
Notes
- Use oat or almond milk with a few drops of coconut or vanilla extract as a substitute for coconut milk.
- Pecan pieces are a less expensive option. Chop them a little if the pieces are large. Substitute with chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios.
- Although they are not the same plant, yams can be used as a substitute for sweet potatoes.
- I don't recommend par-boiling sweet potatoes before roasting. The sweet potatoes won't caramelize and crisp to golden brown along the edges.
- A glass baking dish, large enough to add the sweet potatoes in a single layer, works best for this recipe. A baking sheet won't have enough depth for the sauce.
- Store leftover roasted sweet potatoes in an airtight container. Keep them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven. Cover them when reheating so they don't get too brown.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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