This Vegan Sweet Potato Pie has a silky smooth and fragrant filling made with roasted sweet potatoes. It's creamy, just sweet enough, and perfectly spiced! Healthier than most, this vegan sweet potato pie is also the perfect holiday dessert if you're accommodating special diets since it contains no coconut, eggs, dairy, refined-sugar, oil or soy. Plus, it's also gluten-free when made with this vegan gluten-free pie crust.
Are you on team sweet potato pie or team pumpkin pie? Or both?!
While I love a deliciously dense and creamy slice of pumpkin pie, it's difficult to argue with the fact that sweet potatoes are just all-around more delicious than pumpkin.
You'll never see me turn away sweet potatoes in any form! Plain, mashed, in a casserole, on a salad, and certainly in pie - it's all good to me.
If you love sweet potatoes just as much as I do, you'll also want to check out this easy sweet potato smoothie and my white sweet potato soup and vegan pot pie.
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Why You'll Love This Vegan Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
- Perfect for all eaters: Whether you're vegan, lactose intolerant, allergic to coconut or soy, or follow an oil-free diet for health reasons, this recipe is for you!
- Flavorful: While this may be a lighter, healthier, and allergy-friendly recipe, that doesn't mean you'll miss out on flavor or satisfaction. This pie is perfectly creamy and filled with aromatic warm spices.
- Great for making ahead: You can bake the whole pie or just prep the sweet potatoes in advance if you'd like. Either way, you'll save time, which is especially helpful if you're making this pie for the holidays.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- pie crust: I highly recommend this oil-free vegan pie crust. It's so delicious and easy to work with, but any other vegan pie crust you enjoy is fine, too. For a nut-free version, use this nut-free pie crust made with sunflower seeds. If you don't need this pie to be gluten-free, feel free to try this whole-wheat crust from my friend, Rosa, at This Healthy Kitchen.
- sweet potatoes: I recommend organic sweet potatoes, as I find them to have much more flavor than conventional. If you're in the mood for a shortcut, feel free to use canned sweet potato puree. You'll need 2 ½ cups.
- milk: use any unsweetened non-dairy milk you like, such as oat, soy, or almond milk.
- raw cashews: these give our pie a bit of richness since we're not using butter, coconut, etc. You can also use almond butter instead. For a nut-free option, use raw sunflower seeds, tahini, or coconut cream in place of the cashews and opt for a nut-free milk.
- maple syrup: pure maple syrup sweetens the pie and lends lovely flavor. I don't recommend replacing it.
- arrowroot starch: thickens the filling. Feel free to use cornstarch instead.
See the recipe card below for amounts and step-by-step instructions.
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
Get started by baking your sweet potatoes in a 400°F oven until soft. Then, set them aside to cool.
Next, you'll need to make your pie crust. If using my almond flour pie crust, prebake it for 7 minutes.
Now, it's time to make the filling. Once the potatoes are cool, discard the skins, and mash the sweet potato flesh. Measure out 2 ½ cups and set aside.
If you're using cashews, blend them with the milk until smooth. Next, add the mashed sweet potato along with the remaining filling ingredients, and blend again.
If you are using nut or seed butter instead of cashews, you can combine all of the filling ingredients in the blender at once. Blend until silky smooth.
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Next, pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes. The pie is done when the center looks barely set.
Let your pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then refrigerate uncovered. Once the pie has cooled completely, cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before slicing and serving.
Hint :
Depending on the crust you're using, you may need to cover the edges with foil or a pie crust shield after 25-30 minutes to prevent it from getting too brown. If using my gluten-free crust recipe, it should be okay uncovered the whole time.
Serving Suggestions
- Toppings: Top this sweet potato pie with homemade vegan whipped cream or candied pecans! The toppings will also help to hide any cracking.
- Pie table: Serve this scrumptious pie as part of a festive pie table along with apple pie, cranberry cream pie, and pumpkin pie.
- Holiday meal: Finish off your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner of vegan turkey roast, vegan cornbread dressing, vegan mashed potatoes, vegan gravy, and vegan cranberry sauce with a slice (or two) of this tasty pie!
Variations
- orange: add the zest of one orange to the pie filling.
- chai spice: instead of the spices listed, use 1 ½ teaspoons chai spice blend. Depending on its spiciness, you may want a little more or less.
- coconut: use full-fat canned coconut milk for the milk, and sprinkle the top of the baked pie with freshly toasted coconut flakes.
- marshmallow: if you're not avoiding refined sugar, add some Dandies mini vegan marshmallows. When the pie is done baking, arrange the marshmallows on top. Turn on your oven's broiler and with the pie about 6 inches away from the heat, broil until the marshmallows are golden, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Keep a close eye on it so the marshmallows don't burn!
Equipment
Sweet potato pie filling is often mixed by hand for a more rustic texture, but since we already need a blender for the cashews, I decided to blend all of the filling ingredients. Aside from making it easier, blending also creates a silky smooth filling.
However, if you're using nut/seed butter instead of cashews, feel free to use an electric mixer instead of a blender.
Another option for creating a slightly more textured pie filling, is to blend only the cashews and milk. Then pour that into a bowl with the remaining ingredients, and beat with an electric mixer.
FAQs
Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, including the "Garnet," "Jewel," and "Beauregard" varieties are the best for making pie. These are the most common types sold in US grocery stores, so they should be easy to find. Any of these three varieties will work well in this recipe.
While the terms "yam" and "sweet potato" are often used interchangeably, they are actually not the same. In the US, it is common to see some sweet potatoes mislabeled as "yams" in grocery stores, but these are likely just orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. Yams are native to Africa and Asia and have rough, dark brown skin that resembles tree bark and dry, starchy flesh similar to a regular potato. In contrast, sweet potatoes come in a variety of colors (orange, white, and purple), and have a soft and sweet flesh when cooked.
Cover and refrigerate the pie for up to 3 days for the best quality. While it's safe to eat for about 5 days, note that the crust will gradually soften the longer it sits. This pie also freezes well. Just be sure to wrap it tightly to protect it from freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Helpful Tips
- Expect some cracking. Since this pie is fairly tall and made without eggs, it's nearly impossible to fully bake it without a few cracks gracing the top. But don't sweat it! They don't interfere with the flavor, and that's what really matters.
- Make ahead. The almond flour pie crust holds up particularly well for a day or two after baking, compared to regular pastry which tends to get soggy. So feel free to bake the pie a day in advance if needed.
- Bake sweet potatoes in advance. If you don't want to make the entire pie ahead of time, you can get a jump start on the process by baking the sweet potatoes 1-3 days in advance. Store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the pie.
More Vegan Pie Recipes
I hope you enjoy this vegan sweet potato pie. If you try it I would love to hear from you. Comment below to let us know!
Recipe
Vegan Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten-Free, No Coconut)
Ingredients
Pie crust:
- 1 unbaked Gluten-Free Vegan Pie Crust (tap for the recipe) - See Notes for nut-free option
For the filling:
- 1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes, about 3 med/large - You'll need 2½ cups mashed sweet potato
- 1 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk such as oat or almond
- ½ cup raw cashews - See Notes; sub raw sunflower seeds or ¼ cup almond butter or tahini if desired
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons arrowroot starch - Or corn starch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Bake the sweet potatoes:
- This step can be done 1 to 3 days in advance. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C), and line a baking sheet with foil. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, then prick each one several times with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on the pan, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until soft, flipping at the 30 minute mark. Cook time will depend on the thickness of the sweet potatoes.
- Let the sweet potatoes cool. Discard the skins, and measure out 2 ½ cups of sweet potato.
Pre-bake the crust and make the pie:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176°C). Prebake the pie crust for 7 minutes, or follow package directions if using a store-bought crust. Set crust aside to cool.
- Combine the cashews and milk in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients: mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, arrowroot, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. The mixture will be fairly thick. Pour into the prebaked pie crust, and use a spoon or silicone spatula to smooth the top of the pie.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center looks just set. *Depending on the crust you're using, you may need to cover the edges with foil or a pie crust shield after 25 - 30 minutes to prevent it from getting too brown. If using my gluten-free crust recipe, the crust should be okay uncovered the whole time.
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate uncovered. Once the pie is cool, cover until ready to serve. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours before slicing. See Notes if making in advance.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Autumn says
Hi,
Um...not sure what I did wrong. Maybe I added too much filling, but my pie filling overloaded the pie crust while baking, and came out flat unfortunately. I'm going to try again, and maybe instead of using a measuring cup that has 2 cups at the highest level, I'll do 1 cup each, then 1/2 cup. I also blended all of the ingredients together on accident, so not sure if this was the issue.
Thanks,
Autumn
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Autumn - What size pie plate did you use? Sounds like it may have been too full. You might also want to decrease the temperature of your oven by 10 degrees or so as it might run hot? Not sure but just trying to think of what may have caused that.
Mary says
OMG! Cashew-free option! I.LOVE.YOU!!!!!!!
(Also, thank you!)
Dora says
Hi Lori, can I use agave syrup instead of maple syrup?
ty
Dora
Lori says
Hi Dora,
I haven't tried that swap myself but it should work fine. Hope you enjoy the pie!
Giorgina says
I tried using agave syrup , due to the cost of maple but I think using maple gives a better combination with the sweet potato, great recipe but just personal preference I like a sweet sweet dessert so I would need to add more sweetner or syrup.
Lori Rasmussen says
Thanks for sharing with us, Giorgina. Maple syrup is sweeter than agave, in addition to the flavor, so I bet you're right - that you'd like it better with maple syrup.
JoAnne says
Hi there,
Could you use butternut squash in place of sweet potato, as long as you made sure all the water was squeezed out?
Thanks,
JoAnne
Lori says
Hi Joanne,
I think that's a great idea! In fact, I think I'll add butternut squash pie to my to-do list for the next holiday season. If you try it let us know!
daisy says
Oh, Lori! I made this for Thanksgiving and it is absolutely the BEST pie I've ever made! I used a walnut/maple syrup/vanilla crust and it paired so well with the filling. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you test these alternative recipes out, because I know I wouldn't have the patience. So far, everything I have made from your blog has been fabulous! Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving those of us with sensitivities delicious things to eat. Blessings...daisy
Marianne says
I’m making this vegan sweet potato pie for a good friend who has gone vegan to help with health issues. It sounds delicious. I don’t have a blender. Is a food processor ok to blend the cashews and oat milk, and then the rest of the ingredients? Thank you.
Lori says
That's so thoughtful of you, Marianne.
The food processor will take a little longer to get the cashews completely smooth but could work if blended long enough. You can also just start with nut butter instead (as mentioned above), and then the filling will definitely be smooth.
I hope you and your friend enjoy the pie!
Marianne says
The pie and the crust were a huge hit, even with non-vegans. I used almond butter and an electric mixer; the filling was smooth and delicious, not too sweet, which everyone liked. Final and huge praise to the pie crust recipe. I was skeptical it would come together as easily for me as for everyone else, but it worked like magic. No fighting to roll it out. Your advice about keeping the edge of the dough thin is wise. I used too much “repair” dough in a few spots and those spots were hard. But a lesson learned. My friend was so happy. Thank you Lori! Good holidays to all.
Jules says
I made this tonight, prebaked the crust for five minutes, and took it out at the soonest time suggested. The filling tastes amazing. I'm less impressed with the crust. The edges were kind of hard and lacked flavor. 🙁 I thought maybe it needed more water, but it held together fine when I rolled it out so I thought it would be fine. Then when I cut into it after it cooled, the crust was not done underneath. Unfortunate.
Lori says
That is unfortunate, and I'm sorry to hear the crust didn't work for you, Jules. I'm curious which flour you used? Did you use the rice flour or a different one? I've made the recipe countless times at this point and heard from so many people who have also made it successfully, so I would really like to figure out what may have gone wrong.
Feel free to email me at lori @ myquietkitchen.com. I'm glad you enjoyed the sweet potato filling.
Marie says
Hi Lori! You did it again! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. And thank you for all you do to help people with going vegan vegetarian.
Lori says
That's so kind of you, Marie. Thank you!
Trish says
Fabulous! I prefer dessert less sweet than most, so I used 2 dates instead of the maple syrup, and made it crustless. Next time, I'll see how thick it is without the cornstarch and maybe eat it raw. Thanks for sharing your talents!