Vegan Sweet Potato Pie (No Coconut, Gluten-Free)

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.

a slice of sweet potato pie topped with candied pecans with whole pie in background.

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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.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Vegan Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients & Substitutions
How to Make Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
Serving Suggestions
Variations
Equipment
FAQs
Helpful Tips
More Vegan Pie Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

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

labeled photo of the ingredients needed for vegan sweet potato pie.

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.

Sweet potato pie filling ingredients in a blender after blending.

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.

Sweet potato pie filling in a pie crust ready to bake.

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!

A slice of sweet potato pie on a stack of white dishes, garnished with pecans.

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

What are the best sweet potatoes for pie?

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.

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same?

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.

How do I store sweet potato pie?

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.

Overhead shot of vegan sweet potato pie with a slice taken out and put on a plate next to it.

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

A slice of pie on a plate topped with candied pecans.

Vegan Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten-Free, No Coconut)

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This Vegan Sweet Potato Pie is healthier than most, yet so delicious no one will mind! With a light and silky filling and the best gluten-free pie crust. This pie is free from gluten, oil, soy, and coconut and holds up beautifully if you need to prep it a day or two in advance.

Yield: one 9-inch deep dish pie

4.94 from 16 votes

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 55

Chill time: 4

Total Time: 1 15

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Equipment

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

Try this new allergy-friendly pie crust recipe if you avoid almonds. It's just as delicious and easy as the other recipe and is V/GF/oil-free, too.

Cashews or Nut/Seed Butter

Feel free to substitute ¼ cup nut or seed butter such as almond or tahini. Raw sunflower seeds are also a great substitute for the cashews. Use the same amount.

Blender

If using raw cashews you'll need a high-speed blender. If using nut butter or tahini, a standard blender is fine, though it might struggle with the volume and density of the sweet potato filling.

Don't have a blender? See the Equipment section above for notes on using a handheld mixer.

Making in Advance

The gluten-free 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 the day before your big holiday meal.

Storage

Refrigerate sweet potato pie up to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Be sure to wrap well and protect from air/freezer burn. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.