This light and silky Vegan Sweet Potato Pie is healthier than most, and yet so delicious no one will mind! With a perfectly spiced, creamy filling and the best almond flour crust. This pie is also gluten-free, oil-free, and soy-free and perfect for making a day or two in advance.
Are you on team pumpkin pie or sweet potato 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 lightyears more delicious than pumpkin.
You'll never see this southern woman turn away sweet potatoes in any form - plain, mashed, in a casserole, roasted and on a salad, and certainly in pie. It's all good to me.
This vegan sweet potato pie is far from traditional, but if you're vegan, lactose intolerant, allergic to coconut or soy, or follow an oil-free diet for health reasons, this recipe is for you!
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Ingredient Notes
- 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.
- Sweet Potatoes - I find organic sweet potatoes have much more flavor than conventional. So for any recipe where sweet potatoes are the star, it's always good to buy organic.
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, almond, or soy.
- Raw Cashews - these give our pie a bit of richness since we're not using butter, coconut, etc. See the Substitutions section below for nut-free options.
- Maple Syrup - pure maple syrup sweetens the pie and lends lovely flavor. I don't recommend replacing it.
- Arrowroot Flour - feel free to use corn starch instead.
See recipe card below for quantities and complete instructions.
Instructions
Making any pie from scratch requires a few steps, but the whole process for this vegan sweet potato pie really is easy. Here's how to do it...
First, roast the sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven until soft. Set aside to cool. This step can be done days in advance if needed.
Next, prepare this easy vegan pie crust, and trust me, it really is easy. If you've struggled with traditional pie crusts in the past, definitely give this one a try. It will become your new go to! Pre-bake the crust for just 7 minutes then set aside.
Now, it's time to make the filling. If using cashews, combine them with the milk and blend until smooth. Then add the remaining filling ingredients and blend again.
If 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.
Pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The pie is done when the center looks barely set. Allow to cool for a few minutes then refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours before serving.
Tip
Don't worry about cracks in the pie. Since our pie is fairly tall (deep dish) it's nearly impossible to fully bake the pie without a few cracks gracing the top. They don't interfere with the flavor, and that's what really counts!
You'll find a lot of tips online for preventing cracks in sweet potato pie, but those pies are made with butter, milk, and eggs. Honestly, their rules just don't apply to our lightened-up vegan pie. If your pie cracks and you don't like the way it looks, you can always cover it with vegan whipped topping, whipped coconut cream, marshmallows (see Variations below), or quick-candied pecans.
Substitutions
- Nut-Free - make the sweet potato filling nut-free with these swaps: use raw sunflower seeds, tahini, or coconut cream instead of cashews, and opt for a nut-free milk. For a nut-free pie crust option, try this whole-wheat crust.
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 Dandie's vegan marshmallows on top. Here's how to do it: when the pie is done baking, arrange small marshmallows on top. Turn on your oven's broiler. 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 they don't burn!
Equipment
Sweet potato pie filling is often mixed by hand for a more rustic texture, but we need a blender since we're including whole cashews. For simplicity's sake I opted to add all of the filling ingredients to the blender. Blending also creates a silky smooth filling which we really enjoy.
However, if 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.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover pie for up to 3 days.
Sweet potato pie freezes well. Be sure to wrap tightly to protect from air. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
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I hope you love this healthy Vegan Sweet Potato Pie as much as we do. If you try it be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let everyone know how it turned out!
Vegan Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten-Free, No Coconut)
Equipment
Ingredients
Pie crust:
For the filling:
- 1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes, about 3 med/large You'll need 2 ½ cups mashed sweet potato.
- 1 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk such as oat or almond
- ½ cup raw cashews (See Notes) Sub ¼ cup almond butter or tahini if desired.
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons arrowroot starch Or corn starch.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- scant ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Helpful tips and options are covered in the post above. Please review before beginning.
Bake the sweet potatoes:
- This step can be done 1 to 3 days in advance. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 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.
- Allow potatoes to cool. Discard the skins, and measure out 2 ½ cups of sweet potato flesh.
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 information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com. For the most accurate nutrition information we recommend calculating it yourself to reflect the specific ingredients used in your dish.
Marie
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. Praying you will feel 100% very soon, too.
Lori
That's so kind of you, Marie. Thank you!
Trish
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!