Lightened-Up Sweet Potato Casserole

Alas, my issue with southern sweet potato casserole is not the topping. It’s that I find the find the filing to be butter laden and overly sweet.

So this is my lighted-up version. It’s still got the crunchy pecan topping and of course marshmallows, but the filling is light and airy in comparison. Instead of whole eggs, I’ve used egg whites and whipped them to create that delicate texture.

I’ve also used Greek yogurt in place of some of the butter, which gives it a rich, creamy flavor. And there’s so much less sugar in this filling. I’ve used just a touch of maple syrup instead of the 3/4 cup or more in the traditional recipe. And there’s only a quarter cup of brown sugar in the topping, so it’s much more side dish and less dessert.

It’s still sweet, and crunchy with a hint of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. And of course there are marshmallows. Sometimes I’ll make this with the standard store bought variety, but if you want to make this casserole more indulgent, our apple cider marshmallows are great too!

The down side is that this lightened-up sweet potato casserole cannot be made in advance due to the whipped egg whites. However, most of the casserole can be prepped a day ahead. See our tips below.

Tips for making Lightened-up Sweet Potato Casserole

• We’ve used fresh sweet potatoes in this recipe. We bake them and then use an Oxo Ricer to make them super smooth before adding them to our filling.
• To make your holiday dinner easier, steps 1-6 of the filling can be done 1-2 days in advance. Bring the mixture to room temperature and whip it up before adding the beaten egg whites.
• The pecan stuesel can be prepped too. Make it as written, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.
• We used a 10″ Lodge cast iron pan, but you can also use a glass or ceramic dish too. 
• This recipe is gluten-free, but always check your ingredients if one of your guests is gluten intolerant.
• For a vegetarian version make sure to use vegetarian marshmallows.
• Now that you’ve made a healthier version of sweet potato casserole, you’ve earned a bite of this gorgeous Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Frosting from Liv for Cake!

Lighter Southern Sweet Potato Casserole

Save room for dessert with this lightened-up version of sweet potato casserole. We've cut the calories, but you'll still love the flavor!

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Calories: 301kcal

Author: Charity Beth Long

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Filling

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 egg whites

Topping

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup pecans , chopped
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1-1/4 cup marshmallows

Instructions

Filling

• Preheat oven to 400F and lightly oil a casserole dish.
• Cover a baking sheet with a piece of foil or parchment paper then wash and poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork.
• Place the sweet pototatoes on the baking sheet and roast in the oven until very soft, about 45-60 minutes.
• Once the poatoes have cooled a little, split them and scoop out the flesh.
• Mash the sweet potato. My preferred way to do this is with a ricer because it makes them extra smooth.
• In a large bowl mix together the sweet potato, butter, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, greek yogurt, and salt.
• In the bowl of a mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks.
• Gently fold egg whites into mashed sweet potatoes and transfer to casserole dish.

Topping

• In a bowl, mash together brown sugar and butter, then cut in oats, pumpkin pie spice and pecans.
• Place topping on the sweet potatoes and then sprinkle with marshmallows.
• Bake 30-40 minutes, until hot. If the topping starts to burn, cover with foil.

Notes

• We’ve used fresh sweet potatoes in this recipe. We bake them and then use an Oxo Ricer to make them super smooth before adding them to our filling.
• To make your holiday dinner easier, steps 1-6 of the filling can be done 1-2 days in advance. Bring the mixture to room temperature and whip it up before adding the beaten egg whites.
• The pecan stuesel can be prepped too. Make it as written, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.
• This recipe is gluten-free, but always check your ingredients if one of your guests is gluten intolerant.
• For a vegetarian version make sure to use vegetarian marshmallows.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 7100IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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Looking for more sides? Check out all our great side dish recipes!