For the first week or so of our Whole30, we had fried potatoes for breakfast every day.
Can you blame me? If you’re used to bowls of oatmeal or homemade granola for breakfast AND half of your kids don’t like eggs, there’s definitely a Whole30 learning curve.
However, a few days in, my son asked if we could have something else besides potatoes for breakfast. The poor kid. We still had several weeks to go!
I started digging around and found a recipe for a sweet potato and apple breakfast casserole that sounded good. The kids cheered the first time I made it and they’ve been requesting it ever since!
My recipe below is inspired by the original, although I’ve tweaked it just a bit to ensure it comes out right every time.
First things first though – let’s talk about what this sweet potato and apple breakfast casserole entails.
Sweet Potato and Apple Breakfast Casserole
Sweet Potatoes – pretty sure this is obvious, but you can use whatever sweet potatoes you can get your hands on.
We had orange ones, but white ones would work. I also kept the skin on the potatoes (because I’m lazy like that), but you can peel the potatoes first if you’d like. Be sure to save those skins for homemade Instant Pot chicken stock (or slow cooker chicken stock, if you don’t have an IP).
Apples – I’ve tested with fuji, gala and granny smith and they’re all really good.
If you want to get picky about it, you can choose an apple that’s naturally sweeter. But to be honest, the end result tasted the same to me regardless of which apple we used. My advice – just use what you have.
Eggs – Because this is a casserole, we’re using eggs as a binder.
Don’t worry – this isn’t an “eggy” casserole. I can’t promise your egg-haters won’t notice the eggs (mine did), but if you can get them past the “two bites no thank you” rule, there’s a 95% chance they’ll finish it off (because it’s THAT good).
If you have egg lovers, feel free to add a third egg. I’ve done it both ways and it was delicious each time.
Raisins – Generally speaking, dried fruit should be used “sparingly” on the Whole30.
With the exception of this recipe, we haven’t had any dried fruit at all and I think that fits well in the “sparingly” arena. There are some inside the bake itself, and then a few more sprinkled on top.
If you have egg-hating kids, putting raisins inside helps to make the fact that there are eggs less noticeable. If your kids are used to sweet, I’d recommend putting the raisins on top.
I liked having both – the raisins inside plump up and get warm inside the oven, while the raisins on top gave a boost of concentrated sweetness that worked so well with the casserole.
Coconut Milk – This gives the casserole it’s creaminess, and it’s Whole30 compliant.
You can substitute any milk here though, just make sure it’s full-fat. If you use reduced fat milk, it will create excess liquid in the casserole. It certainly won’t taste bad, but it won’t cut or serve quite as nicely.
Cooking Fat – You can use your choice of ghee or coconut oil (or butter, if you’re not concerned with being Whole30 compliant).
Personally I’m not a big fan of the flavor of ghee. I’ve tried it several times now and every time I wish I had used coconut oil. That’s what I’m recommending in this recipe, but you can substitute for a different cooking fat if you’d prefer.
Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg are the stars here, with a pinch of salt.
The last time I made this I used 1 tsp of cinnamon (and that’s how the recipe is written). Next time though, I’d like to double the cinnamon or even use one drop each of cinnamon bark vitality oil and nutmeg vitality oil in lieu of both spices!
Pecans – These are entirely optional, but I highly recommend.
I’ve tested this recipe plain, with pecans and then with walnuts (which are also to be used “sparingly”) and hands down, this sweet potato and apple breakfast casserole tastes best with pecans.
As written, this recipe doesn’t make a lot of food. This is a great component of a breakfast, but shouldn’t necessarily be served as breakfast alone. You’ll definitely need a side of bacon, homemade sausage or fresh fruit to round out the plate.
The good news though, is that this recipe easily doubles and reheats well. I haven’t tried this myself, but I’m betting you can freeze a batch of this for later in the month. That way when you’re so tired of cooking you’d rather not eat, at least your family doesn’t have to suffer!
Sweet Potato and Apple Breakfast Casserole will give you variety on your Whole30:
- Raisins and pecans are good to stock up on during holiday sales. They store well in the pantry or freezer.
- Coconut oil is my go to for most recipes. I like this brand on Amazon but also like Tropical Traditions.
- When you’re on a Whole30 you’ll use a lot of coconut milk. I buy this brand in bulk. And ALWAYS have one in the fridge for no-bake blueberry pie.
- I cooked this up in my cast iron skillet, but if you double the recipe use a 9×13 glass pan. This dish saves well!
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This recipe is featured in my FREE Budget-Friendly Whole30 Meal Plan!
- 1 large sweet potato, shredded (about 1½ cups packed)
- 1-2 apples, shredded (about ¾ cups packed, juices reserved for another recipe)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup full fat canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- If you haven't already shred the sweet potato until you have about 1½ cups, packed.
- Shred the apple until you have about ¾ cup, packed. As you pack the shredded apple, you'll naturally squeeze the juice out. You can save the juice for a recipe later, or drain in the sink. Be sure to press the apples into the measuring spoon very well, in order to get as much of the juice out as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs and milk together well.
- Heat coconut oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the sweet potato and cook, stirring often, until the majority of the sweet potato is golden in color.
- Pour the sweet potato into the egg/milk mixture and add the apples and half of the raisins. Stir well so the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
- Pour this back into the skillet, smooth the top and sprinkle the remaining raisins and pecans on top.
- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggs are set and begin to brown.
Adapted from Paleo Running Mama.
Are you mixing up the coconut milk first? Or just scooping the cream on top?
And separate from this recipe, have you tried diluting canned coconut milk to just keep in the fridge to drink? I tried one woman’s way of one can of plain water with the coconut milk. Whisked it together and just keep in the fridge. I was somewhat hoping the cream would homogenize. Obviously I was wrong. Is there a way to do that? I would really like to avoid the coconut milk that comes in cartons.
One of my favorite things to make for breakfast is using leftover veggies (must have a sweet potato then our favorites are bell peppers, broccoli and zucchini) and fry them all up in a skillet in some fat, add some sausage and/or bacon, add some onion powder and garlic powder, then fry an egg for on top and serve it. My husband says it tastes just like skillets from Denny’s. One of our favorites! Sometimes I add some avocado for extra creaminess. Whole30 can be difficult. Keep up the good work!
Mixing up the milk first Sara.
I haven’t tried diluting canned coconut milk to drink, but I can see why the adding water method failed – the coconut meat is just so fatty it will always rise to the top. You CAN however, drink the leftover “water” after you skim the coconut cream from the top. Maybe try that to drink or in coffee? I’ve sipped it plain (so good!) but haven’t tried in coffee just yet.
Yes to your skillet! My husband and I pretty much do this every morning, using up whatever leftovers and veggies there are in the fridge. I’ve never added the avocado IN the skillet, just on the side, but it sounds good!!
I make this all the time. I shred the sweet pototoe and apple in my food processor. I have found that my eggs do not set up in 15 minutes so now I just skip the step of precooking and mix well pour in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes!
FYI for anyone wondering it almost had a cake like texture and taste quite a bit like a spice cake to me. I have also added a date slurry to entice my grandson to eat this since it isn’t very sweet ( I to have used all types of apples )
I love the idea of skipping the pre-cooking! I’ll give that a shot next time and see if we like it better!
You might like this Japanese porridge recipe: For each person, half a cup of Barley flakes added tp 1 1/2 cups water. This is better soaked overnight. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes. Then add 1 teaspoon of Miso, some Gomasio (toasted sesame seeds) a chopped spring onion, and a few slices of avocado.
Thanks Amanda! We might have to try this after we reintroduce wheat. 🙂
Mm this sounds amazing! I wonder if the eggs could be replaced with flax “eggs”? Also love the idea of not pre-cooking…
I have just spent a long time making this, will eat it tomorrow, warmed up Too much work to do before breakfast, unless one gets up a dawn. A lot of washing up too!
What are flax “eggs”? What about fuba, the liquid in a tin of beans? I will stick with my free-range eggs though.
I think the first time you make this takes the longest. If you shred the sweet potato ahead of time, you can shred the apple and mix up the other ingredients while it cooks. Then it’s a quick stir, dump and bake!
I actually prefer it cold so I usually make it the day before.
A food processor comes in handy, I also don’t precooo the shredded sweet potatoes and apples. I just mix it all together and back until set 30/40 minutes usually depending on how wet the apple is
Needed a change to the basic breakfast and this was so good!
Glad you liked it Stephanie!
This was so good! We are on day 7 and already getting tired of eggs (which never were my favorite anyway). It really feels like a treat!
It does!! I’m so glad you’re enjoying these Mary! One day I’ll have to put up my “recipe” for hash – because it’s based on whatever you have, it’s never the same!