These Clean Eating Vegan Sweet Potato Pecan Balls are a nice little twist to a traditional sweet potato casserole at your next holiday family gathering.
With only 4 clean, real food ingredients, they are much healthier, super easy to make and are perfect for portion control!
I've made them with rolled in chopped pecans, plain and even rolled in a cinnamon + sugar mixture which is really good.
Traditional sweet potato casserole usually contains unhealthy ingredients like the following:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Sweet Potato Casserole Ingredients:
Typical Casserole Ingredients: 3 cups sweet potatoes, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup butter, 2 eggs, ⅓ cup milk
Typical Topping Ingredients: ⅓ cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup flour, pecans
They contian dairy (eggs, butter, milk) and refined sugar and white flour.
This healthier version uses just 4 clean, real food ingredients and they're vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, lectin-free, egg-free, alkaline, paleo-friendly and contain no refined sugar.
Want more healthy side dish recipes? Check out Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Smoked Paprika Habanero Sauce, Garlic and Shallot Fingerling Potatoes, Rosemary and Garlic Sweet Potato Medallions or my Clean Eating Cookbook with an entire chapter of 20 healthy, clean eating snack and side dish recipes just like this one that you will love!
5 Fast Facts About Sweet Potatoes:*
- contains anti-inflammatory properties
- contains 2 g of vegan protein
- contains 4 g of fiber
- high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B5 and vitamin B6
- excellent source of potassium, copper and manganese
5 Fast Facts About Pecans:*
- contains naturally occurring anti-oxidants
- helps to lower cholesterol
- high quality source of protein
- contains more 19 vitamins and minerals
- excellent source of vitamin E
5 Fast Facts About Date Nectar:*
- 25% less sugar than honey
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, lectin-free, paleo
- organic + non-GMO
- great source of antioxidants
- made with organic California dates
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Gluten-Free Vegan Sweet Potato and Pecan Balls
Ingredients
For the balls:
- 1 cup organic sweet potatoes cooked
- ⅓ cup organic pecans chopped
- 2 tablespoons organic date syrup or organic maple syrup
- 1-2 teaspoons organic pumpkin pie spice
For the topping:
- ⅓ cup organic pecans chopped
Instructions
Prepare the sweet potatoes:
- Bake the sweet potatoes according to your preferred method. (I like to place mine on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 45-60 minutes, or until they are soft on the inside). Allow them to completely cool before going to the next step.
Prepare the balls:
- Add the cooked sweet potatoes (after they've cooled off) to a medium mixing bowl and mash them with a fork until they are the consistency of "mashed potatoes".
- Add the date nectar, pecans and pumpkin spice to the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until well combined. Adjust the sweetener and/or spices to your preference.
- Take out a spoonful at a time and gently shape them into a ball shape. They will be somewhat soft, but should be able to form the shape of a ball.
Prepare the topping:
- Option 1: Add the ⅓ cup of chopped pecans (for the topping) to a small mixing bowl and roll each sweet potato ball into the pecans until they are covered. Gently pat down any loose pecans so they don't fall off.
- Option 2: Add 1-2 tablespoons of organic cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoons of organic coconut sugar together and roll the sweet potato balls until they are covered.
- Option 3: Leave them plain.
Bake the balls:
- Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper lined with and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes, or just long enough to warm them up.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The recipe and photographs for "Clean Eating Vegan Sweet Potato and Pecan Balls" by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and cannot be used without my written permission.
Recipe Roundups: Food Bloggers are always welcome to use a photo and a link back to my original post to share on recipe roundups without requesting permission.Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The notes, instructions, and photographs for this recipe are copyrighted material and are protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They cannot be used legally without my written permission.
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