Keto Sweet Potato Casserole
Published November 5, 2025 • Updated March 9, 2026
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This keto sweet potato casserole tastes just like the classic holiday favorite, only without the carbs. I use pumpkin and cauliflower instead of the starchy originals, then top everything with buttery cinnamon pecans for a cozy, low-carb side that I think tastes even better.
My Thanksgiving table has to include the classics: mashed cauliflower, green bean casserole, and keto stuffing, because it just wouldn’t feel like the holiday without them. I spent years trying to recreate the casserole my family has made every November since I was a kid. The traditional version was off limits, and every low-carb substitute I tried fell flat. Then I found the answer, and it was two vegetables that don’t seem to belong together: pumpkin and cauliflower.
Pumpkin brings that natural sweetness and silky texture, while cauliflower tones it down with a mild, earthy flavor that keeps everything from tasting overly sweet. When you blend them together with cream cheese, eggs, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg, you get a creamy, rich filling that’s shockingly close to the original. It fooled my husband, and he’s not easy to fool when it comes to Thanksgiving classics.
The real secret is how I handle the cauliflower. I cook frozen cauliflower rice in a completely dry skillet for 7-10 minutes until every bit of moisture evaporates. That step eliminates the cauliflower smell and flavor entirely. Once it’s dry and fluffy, it blends right into the pumpkin without anyone knowing it’s there. I’ve had guests try to guess the ingredients more than once, and nobody has landed on cauliflower.
I’ve also tested half butternut squash in place of the pumpkin, and it gives the same warm, slightly sweet result. So if you can’t find canned pumpkin or just prefer squash, that’s a solid backup. Either way, each serving comes in at just 7 grams of total carbs and 2 grams net, making this one of the lightest keto side dishes on any holiday table.
A lot of classic recipes pile marshmallows on top, but I went with a buttery pecan crumble instead. The pecans give you that same crunchy, sweet contrast without the sugar. After testing both side by side, I actually prefer the pecan topping. There’s something about warm cinnamon and toasted nuts together that works better with the pumpkin base than a sticky marshmallow layer ever did.
One thing I didn’t expect: the broiler step at the end makes a huge difference. I used to skip it, thinking it was optional. But those 1-2 minutes under the broiler give the pecans a toasty, almost caramelized crunch that takes the whole dish up a level. Don’t skip it.
If you’re building out a full holiday spread, pair this with cranberry pecan brussels sprouts or a loaded cauliflower casserole. I usually make 2-3 sides the day before and reheat, so I’m not stuck in the kitchen all morning.
How to make this casserole
Each serving has just 7 grams of total carbs and 2 grams net, and the whole recipe is naturally gluten-free. I’ve made it dairy-free by swapping the butter for coconut oil and using coconut cream instead of the cream cheese. My dairy-free version needs about 3 extra minutes in the oven to set up fully, but the texture stays creamy.
I blend everything until completely smooth so there are no chunks in the filling. If your food processor struggles with the volume, work in two batches. The filling should pour easily into the dish, not plop.
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Keto Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients
1 (12oz) bag frozen cauliflower rice -
1 cup pumpkin puree
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-
3 oz cream cheese
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2 large eggs
-
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
-
3 tablespoons brown sugar substitute
-
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1/4 teaspoon salt
Pecan Topping Ingredients
-
1/3 cup chopped pecans
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
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1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a medium casserole dish (e.g., 8 × 8 or similar) with butter.
Prepare cauliflower rice
To prepare cauliflower rice, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour frozen cauliflower rice into the dry skillet. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until the majority of the moisture has evaporated from the cauliflower and it is fluffy, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- 12 oz bag frozen cauliflower rice
Make the filling
In a food processor or blender, combine the steamed cauliflower, pumpkin purée, butter, cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream, sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar substitute
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Transfer to a dish
Transfer the mash mixture into the prepared casserole dish, smoothing the top.
Make pecan topping
Prepare the topping: In a small bowl, mix pecans, melted butter, brown-sugar substitute, and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the mash.
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Bake
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping is lightly golden and everything is warmed through. Switch to broil and move dish under the top rack in the oven to broil on high for 1-2 minutes, watch carefully. Broil until lightly toasted.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use butternut squash instead of pumpkin?
I've actually tested this with half butternut squash in place of the pumpkin, and it gives the same warm, slightly sweet result. If you go full butternut squash, the flavor gets a little more earthy, which I still like, but the pumpkin version is my go-to. Either way, cook the squash until very soft before blending so you get that smooth, creamy base.
Can I make this casserole without eggs?
I've made it egg-free by using 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tablespoons of water as a binder. The texture is slightly less firm than the egg version, but it still holds together and tastes great. For fully vegan, also swap the butter for coconut oil and use dairy-free cream cheese. My egg-free version sets up better after it cools for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Can I freeze this casserole?
I freeze this all the time, especially around the holidays when I'm prepping weeks in advance. I assemble everything but leave off the pecan topping (it gets soggy if frozen). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and it keeps for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, add the topping, and bake as directed.
What sweetener works best for this recipe?
I use a brown sugar substitute made with erythritol or allulose because it gives that caramelized, molasses-like flavor in both the filling and the pecan topping. Allulose is my preference since it doesn't crystallize, but erythritol works fine too. Plain granulated sweeteners will do the job if brown sugar subs aren't available, you'll just miss that deeper, toasty sweetness.
What can I use instead of cauliflower?
I've tried mashed turnips as a swap and they work, though the flavor is a bit more savory. The reason I stick with cauliflower is my dry-skillet method: cooking the rice for a full 7-10 minutes removes almost all the moisture and smell, so you genuinely can't taste it in the finished dish. If cauliflower is a dealbreaker for you, turnips are your best bet.
Can I make this casserole dairy free?
I've done this dairy-free by swapping the butter for coconut oil and using coconut cream in place of the cream cheese. The texture stays creamy and the coconut flavor is subtle enough that it doesn't compete with the pumpkin and spices. My dairy-free version needs about 3 extra minutes of baking to set up fully.
Why doesn't this casserole have marshmallows?
Most traditional versions use marshmallows on top, but I went with a buttery pecan crumble instead. Each marshmallow has about 4 grams of carbs, and I found that the pecan topping gives you that same crunchy, sweet contrast without the sugar. After testing both, I actually prefer the pecan version even outside of keto.
Can I add ginger or cloves to this recipe?
I keep this recipe at cinnamon and nutmeg because that combination gives the most classic holiday casserole flavor. But I've added a pinch of ground ginger (about 1/8 teaspoon) a few times and it works well if you like a little warmth. Cloves are strong, so if you try them, keep it to a tiny pinch or they'll take over the whole dish.
Made this on Sunday because I had pumpkin puree sitting in the pantry and my daughter keeps asking for sweet potatoes. She's 9 and she knows what a real sweet potato casserole tastes like, so I was ready for a fight. She ate her portion, went quiet for a minute, then came back and scooped up what was left in the dish before anyone else could get to it. That's a review. The pecan topping is SO good, that buttery crunch against the creamy filling is what got me too.
I'll be honest, I was skeptical that cauliflower and pumpkin were going to pass as sweet potato casserole. Those are pretty different things. But I made the filling, spread it in the dish, added the pecan topping, and when it came out of the oven I sat there genuinely confused about how close it tasted. The cinnamon and nutmeg in the base really do the heavy lifting for that cozy fall flavor. Already planning to make it again when my mom visits in a few weeks.
Squeeze the cauliflower dry after steaming. I mean really wring it out in a kitchen towel until it stops releasing liquid. The filling was way less watery and actually held its shape after baking instead of spreading. I also toasted the pecans for 5 minutes before mixing them into the topping and the nuttiness got noticeably more intense against the cinnamon. Four stars for now because that dryness step should really be in the recipe, but with those two tweaks this is one of the better holiday-style sides I've made on keto.
The pecan topping is genuinely the best part of this, buttery and caramelized at the edges, and I'd double it next time without hesitation. The filling is good but the cauliflower comes through more than I expected, especially reheated the next day. Still making it again, just bumping the pumpkin puree and pulling it a minute or two early.
Reheated cauliflower gets louder. More pumpkin is the right fix. Double the topping, always.
Tried two other keto casseroles before this and they both tasted too... healthy. The pumpkin with those buttery cinnamon pecans on top is what makes this one actually work.
Toasted the pecans dry in a cast iron pan before mixing them into the topping, and it was not a subtle difference. That deeper, almost smoky crunch layered on top of the cinnamon butter filling made me want to eat it straight out of the dish. I also ran the cauliflower in the food processor about 45 seconds past where I thought it was done, and the texture shifted completely, just this smooth, almost buttery base that stopped reading as cauliflower. My first batch was good. These two tweaks make it the version I keep. Going to try a drop of vanilla extract in the pecan mix next time and see if that pushes it even further.
Dry-toasting in cast iron makes a real difference. I've had vanilla in the filling but not the pecan layer specifically. Report back.
so I used the frozen cauliflower rice like the recipe says and I was genuinely not sure blending it in the food processor was going to produce anything that looked like a casserole base but it came out looking completely normal and I was kind of shocked. I also added just a tiny pinch of extra cinnamon because I always overdo cinnamon on everything and I think it made the whole thing warmer without going overboard. my only tip for anyone new to this: do not skip draining the cauliflower after steaming or the whole thing gets watery, which I found out the hard way on my first attempt
Made the watery version once too. Now I do a dry-skillet for 7-8 minutes after steaming and it gets almost all the moisture out. Extra cinnamon with the nutmeg works.
Brought this to my brother's for dinner last weekend and his wife spent the whole night asking about the pecan topping. Had to explain the cauliflower thing and she genuinely didn't believe me until I pulled up the recipe on my phone.
Nobody looks past the pecan topping until you tell them what's underneath. Then the phone comes out.
Roasted the cauliflower instead of steaming it and I don't think I can go back. Spread it out on a sheet pan at 400 for about 20 minutes and all that extra water cooked off, so the filling blended up thicker and richer than I expected. The pumpkin flavor really came through without being watery at all. I also added a tiny splash of vanilla extract to the filling, which I do with anything that has cinnamon and nutmeg because it rounds everything out, and it worked well here. The pecan topping was the hardest part, keeping myself from picking at it before it went on top. Four stars only because I'm still dialing in the sweetness level for my taste, probably going up another tablespoon of the brown sugar sub next time.
Roasting drives off way more water than steaming ever does. Vanilla with cinnamon and nutmeg is right, I add it to most things now. Half a tablespoon at a time on the sweetener, taste after blending.
I made this for the first time last week and the food processor step was more forgiving than I expected. The cauliflower and pumpkin blend came out smooth with no lumps, which I was not counting on as someone who doesn't cook much. The pecan topping browned nicely at 350 and added the crunch I was hoping for. It's close to the real thing, though I think I'd add a bit more cinnamon next time to bring out more of that warmth.
Yes, more cinnamon. I push it to 3/4 teaspoon when I want that warmth to really come through.
Made a full batch on Sunday and portioned it out for the week. The pecan topping somehow stays crispy even after reheating, which I wasn't counting on. Works right into my macros without any adjustments.
Yeah, the butter re-crisps it every time. I've had leftovers on day 3 and the topping still held.
My husband has a whole thing about sweet potato casserole. He was halfway through his before I mentioned the cauliflower and pumpkin. He just nodded. Good enough for me.
A nod from a sweet potato guy is basically a five-star review. Mine still don't ask what's in the base.
Tried steaming fresh florets instead of frozen rice and the mash came out way smoother. Takes longer to get the moisture out in the skillet, but the texture in the casserole is cleaner. Worth it if you have fresh on hand.
Fresh florets give a cleaner mash, you're right. The extra skillet time is worth it. I push mine to 12-13 minutes when I use fresh to get the moisture fully out.
Sweet potato casserole was the dish I thought I was giving up for good when I started keto. Made this last Sunday, and when that pecan topping came out of the oven smelling like brown sugar and cinnamon, I got a little weepy. Just really grateful this exists.
That smell gets me every time. The brown sugar sub caramelizes on those pecans and I'd eat just the topping with a spoon, the casserole is almost secondary at that point.
Made this Sunday and my sister (who has exactly zero interest in keto) kept picking at the pecan topping after dinner asking what was in it. She was convinced I used real sweet potato. The pumpkin and cauliflower blend so smooth you'd never know.
Non-keto people are the hardest ones to fool. The dry skillet step is what makes it blend that smooth (microwaved frozen cauliflower stays too watery and you can tell).