Fresh carrots and sweet potato are baked along with sugar and sweet spices and topped with a crunchy, nutty crumble. This carrot and sweet potato soufflé combines the creamy texture of a sweet potato pie with a carrot cake flavor. It’s the perfect subtly sweet side dish for your Thanksgiving menu.
What is Carrot and Sweet Potato Soufflé?
That was my question when this side dish was served at an Easter brunch back when I was a kid. This carrot and sweet potato casserole is a bit of a hybrid between a vegetable side and a dessert. It’s packed with a pound of fresh carrots plus a sweet potato. It’s sweetened and spiced to perfection and topped with pecans. It isn’t overly sweet so I wouldn’t categorize it as a dessert. I’d call this soufflé a “dessert appetizer”. The perfect side dish to eat after a savory Easter or Thanksgiving meal that will give you a light sweet fix with the added benefit of veggie nutrients.
Variations of Carrot and Sweet Potato Soufflé
- Nuts: The nuts are combined with melted butter and sugar to create a crunchy topping. Any nut will do the trick so feel free to experiment but my favorites are pecans and/or walnuts in this recipe.
- Orange extract: Orange extract can be difficult to find in some grocery stores. I typically order it online because I use it for a ton of recipes. If you can’t find orange extract, you can replace it with a tablespoon of freshly grated orange zest. When you’re grating the orange zest, make sure not to include the white portion of the peel as that part can add a bitter taste.
- Cutting back on sugar? Reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons or skip the topping and just sprinkle on a handful of chopped nuts.
Looking for more delicious side dish recipes?
- Portabella and Green Bean Casserole
- Instant Pot Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Jalapeño Cheese Ball
- 10-Minute Walnut Cranberry Sauce
- Brie Cheese Trees
Carrot and Sweet Potato Soufflé
Ingredients
Soufflé
- cooking spray
- 1 pound peeled and sliced fresh carrots To save time use a 16-ounce bag of baby carrots.
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar or a little less than 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons flour To make this soufflé gluten-free substitute the flour with a 1-to-1 gluten free substitute like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Baking
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract or 1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup pecans and/or walnut pieces
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
- Place the carrots and sweet potato slices in a medium pan and add just enough water to cover them. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain the water.
- Add the cooked carrots and sweet potatoes, melted butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and orange extracts, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to the blender and blend until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie dish and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
- To make the topping, mix the nut topping ingredients in a bowl. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the soufflé and bake for another 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Yum! Delicious. I’d like to cut down on the sugar next time. Have you played with a lower sugar version?
Thank you!!
I have! I actually prefer the version with less sugar but my family and friends prefer the sweeter version. Instead of 1/2 cup sugar, try 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
baking powder? not in ingredient list but in description? how much?
Oh no! Thanks for pointing that out. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. I’ve updated the recipe with the correction. Happy Thanksgiving!