Are you looking for a surprisingly delicious side dish for your Christmas menu?

This rutabaga gratin makes a great alternative to the regular mashed potatoes! It’s slightly sweet, spiced with ginger, white pepper, and cinnamon, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs! Let’s make this!

This recipe is inspired by a Finnish dish called Lanttulaatikko that is usually served during the holidays. It’s easy and consists of making mashed rutabaga, flavoring it, and finally baking it.

You start by cooking the rutabaga in boiling water until fork tender, just like you would do with potatoes. If you own an Instant Pot, I also added directions to cook with it.

Once the rutabaga is cooked and soft, drain and transfer to a food processor to make a purée. I do not own a potato masher so I went with the food processor but if you do, feel free to use it!

You don’t want to process for too long to keep the purée slightly chunky. Once this is done, it’s time to add molasses for sweetness and spices for flavor. White pepper adds some heat while cinnamon and ginger bring that festive flavor. Don’t be scared of the 1/4 cup of molasses, it doesn’t make the gratin too sweet. I would say the sweetness is about the same as a sweet potato bake.

To give the gratin more richness and creaminess, we stir in homemade cashew cream. It is made with just soaked cashews blended with water.

Finally, transfer the batter to a baking dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. One hour in the oven and you end up with a delicious and creamy rutabaga gratin!

This gratin makes the perfect holiday side! It’s sweet and salty, creamy, and would go very well with a Vegan Wellington, or you favorite lentil meatloaf!

For more side dishes, check out this Easy Celery & Cauliflower Puree or this Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic Butter Mushrooms!

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

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