Twice-Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Main Dishes

October 25, 2026

Twice-Baked Sweet Potato Casserole – paleo recipe

This creamy and comforting sweet potato casserole is the perfect healthy side dish for a holiday feast or a cozy weeknight dinner. By baking the sweet potatoes first, you concentrate their natural sweetness, which is then enhanced with a hint of cinnamon and tropical pineapple. A final bake creates a delicious, lightly caramelized top. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo-friendly. Recipe Summary • Prep time: 15 minutes • Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes • Servings: 8 Ingredients • 4 large (about 8-ounce each) sweet potatoes (any variety works) • 1 tsp (5 ml) coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the dish • ½ cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained well • 4 tbsp (60 ml) full-fat coconut milk (from a can) • ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling • Pinch of sea salt • ¼ cup coconut palm sugar (or maple syrup) for the topping Instructions Step 1: First Bake 1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). 2. Grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish with a little coconut oil. 3. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Rub them all over with the melted coconut oil and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet (this prevents drips in your oven). 4. Bake on the middle rack for about 1 hour, or until the skins are crisp and a knife or skewer glides easily through the center. Flip them halfway through for even cooking. Step 2: Prepare the Filling 1. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle. 2. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C). 3. Slice each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop the cooked flesh into a medium bowl, discarding the skins. 4. Add the drained pineapple, coconut milk, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt to the bowl. 5. Mash everything together with a potato masher or a fork until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. Step 3: Assemble and Second Bake 1. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into your prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly and mounding it slightly in the center. 2. Sprinkle the top evenly with the coconut palm sugar and an extra dash of cinnamon. 3. Place the casserole on the middle rack and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until it's heated through and the sugar on top is slightly bubbly and caramelized. 4. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving. Variation: Individual Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins For a more traditional "twice-baked" presentation, you can use the potato skins as individual serving vessels. 1. When scooping out the flesh in Step 2, be very gentle to keep the potato skins intact. 2. Prepare the filling as directed. 3. Carefully spoon the filling back into the reserved potato skins, mounding it slightly. 4. Place the stuffed skins on a greased, rimmed baking sheet. 5. Sprinkle with the coconut palm sugar and cinnamon, then bake at 425°F (220°C) for 7-10 minutes until heated through.  

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Twice-baked sweet potato casserole concentrates everything good about sweet potatoes. Whole potatoes bake until their skins crisp and their flesh turns deep and sweet, then get mashed with pineapple, coconut milk and cinnamon. A palm sugar lid caramelizes under a second bake.

Pro Tips

  • Bake the sweet potatoes whole on a foil-lined sheet, rubbed with melted coconut oil — about an hour at 400°F, flipping halfway, until a skewer glides through the center.
  • Let the potatoes cool about 10 minutes before scooping; hot flesh sticks to the skins and burns fingers.
  • Drain the crushed pineapple very well before mashing — excess juice turns the filling loose instead of fluffy.
  • Mound the filling slightly in the center of the greased dish and rain the palm sugar and extra cinnamon evenly over the top.
  • The second bake needs only 10-15 minutes at 425°F — pull it when the sugar topping is bubbly and caramelized.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bake the sweet potatoes ahead?

Yes — the first bake can happen hours or a day ahead. Scoop, mash, and finish with the second bake just before serving.

Why add pineapple?

Baking concentrates the potatoes' sweetness, and the drained crushed pineapple adds a tropical brightness that keeps the casserole from tasting one-note.

Coconut palm sugar or maple syrup?

Either works as the topping — palm sugar gives the caramelized crust, while maple syrup leans softer and stickier.

Can I make these as stuffed potato skins?

The recipe includes exactly that variation: keep the skins intact, spoon the filling back in, and bake at 425°F for 7-10 minutes until heated through.

Recipe Card

Twice-Baked Sweet Potato Casserole – paleo recipe
Stav Kogan

Twice-Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large (about 8-oz each) sweet potatoes (any variety works)
  • 1 tsp coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the dish
  • ½ cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained well
  • 4 tbsp full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • ¼ cup coconut palm sugar (or maple syrup) for the topping

Method
 

  1. 1.
  2. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
  3. 2.
  4. Grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish with a little coconut oil.
  5. 3. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Rub them all over with the melted coconut oil and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet (this prevents drips in your oven).
  6. 4.
  7. Bake on the middle rack for about 1 hour, or until the skins are crisp and a knife or skewer glides easily through the center.
  8. Flip them halfway through for even cooking. Step 2: Prepare the Filling
  9. 1.
  10. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle.
  11. 2. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C).
  12. 3.
  13. Slice each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop the cooked flesh into a medium bowl, discarding the skins.
  14. 4.
  15. Add the drained pineapple, coconut milk, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt to the bowl.
  16. 5. Mash everything together with a potato masher or a fork until the mixture is smooth and well-combined. Step 3: Assemble and Second Bake
  17. 1. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into your prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly and mounding it slightly in the center.
  18. 2.
  19. Sprinkle the top evenly with the coconut palm sugar and an extra dash of cinnamon.
  20. 3.
  21. Place the casserole on the middle rack and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until it's heated through and the sugar on top is slightly bubbly and caramelized.
  22. 4.
  23. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving. Variation: Individual Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins For a more traditional "twice-baked" presentation, you can use the potato skins as individual serving vessels.
  24. 1.
  25. When scooping out the flesh in Step 2, be very gentle to keep the potato skins intact.
  26. 2. Prepare the filling as directed.
  27. 3. Carefully spoon the filling back into the reserved potato skins, mounding it slightly.
  28. 4.
  29. Place the stuffed skins on a greased, rimmed baking sheet.
  30. 5.
  31. Sprinkle with the coconut palm sugar and cinnamon, then bake at 425°F (220°C) for 7-10 minutes until heated through.

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