Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe (Dairy-Free) (2024)

FAQs

Why put egg in sweet potato casserole? ›

The egg is the all-important binder in a sweet potato casserole: it enriches and stiffens the mixture without making it heavy. Make sure to cool the mash slightly before adding the egg so it doesn't scramble, and to stir well so there are no streaks of cooked egg white in the finished dish.

To Store: Store sweet potato casserole covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. To Freeze: Prepare the sweet potato casserole completely, but don't bake it. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Are Sweet Potatoes Gluten-Free? Yes, sweet potatoes are also naturally gluten-free. However, as with regular potatoes, when cooking them, you need to ensure that there are no gluten-containing ingredients.

Eggs (or not!)

– I've made this sweet potato casserole with and without eggs, both ways are delicious. The eggs act as a binder and gives the casserole a light and fluffy texture. Without eggs, the casserole doesn't have as much structure but it still silky smooth and tastes delicious.

Eggs and cream help stabilize the dish and prevent it from becoming too runny (a common complaint with many sweet potato casserole recipes). Make it as smooth or chunky as you like!

Boiling drains out flavor and also makes the sweet potatoes wet. If you bake the sweet potatoes and don't add liquid, you will not have watery sweet potato casserole. Add more potato and no liquid also you could use potato flakes to thicken them to the texture you like.

(Another hot tip if you're boiling your sweet potatoes: Don't overcook them! They tend to absorb water, which could make the filling watery.) So, say you do have some undercooked bits of sweet potato. You have two choices: Pick them out or bake your sweet potato casserole long enough to soften the underdone pieces.

Cornflour is a great gluten-free thickener. It has a slightly more gelatinous texture, so only add a teaspoon at time or your sauce may become a bit goopy. Use cornstarch to thicken your stew towards the end of cooking, as cooking it for a long time can break down the starch and your stew will thin out again.

You may not want to substitute true yams in your Candied Yams recipe since their flavor isn't the same as the sweet potatoes in the dish. They can be substituted for sweet potatoes in more savory dishes. Treat them like potatoes to make mashed yams or yam fries.

Sweet potatoes stored at temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit will shrivel and become dry and stringy. Sweet potatoes may develop an off-flavor and the flesh may become discolored when stored at temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Are candied yams and sweet potato casserole the same thing? ›

Spoiler: They're not the same vegetable.

That's because sweet potatoes and yams are in fact very different vegetables that we've come to refer to interchangeably for a number of reasons over the years. While a dish may arrive at your table calling itself "candied yams," it may well have been made with sweet potatoes.

All types of plain cow's milk are naturally free of gluten. However, some dairy products are not gluten-free. Once flavorings or other ingredients have been added to milk it may no longer be gluten-free, so it's important to read the label to see if the product contains gluten or not.

Parmesan cheese is gluten-free. Provolone is gluten-free. Ricotta cheese is gluten-free. Swiss cheese is gluten-free.

The simple answer is yes — potatoes are gluten-free. Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and other grains. Potatoes aren't grains, they're a type of starchy vegetable. That's good news for people who can't tolerate gluten because they have celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Casseroles need a textural component that helps the fillings stick together, even after you plop a slice on your plate. By themselves, eggs do a decent job of holding everything in, but a little dairy definitely improves the overall stickiness and texture of any egg casserole.

If your sweet potato casserole turned out “watery”, its usually because you forgot to add eggs; you didn't let your casserole have enough time to set up after baking or you used fresh sweet potatoes and didn't boil them long enough before mashing.

Their ability to hold up to four times their weight in moisture makes eggs a good thickener for sauces, custards and curds. The proteins in eggs coagulate or set at different temperatures.

Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to meringues and pastry cream — they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.