Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Pie {Paleo, SOS free, Gluten free}

Correct me if I’m wrong but there is nothing better than a natural high….

A natural food high that is! This magical purple pie is just the thing to create some serious taste bud bliss along with being the star on any dessert table.

This twist on traditional Sweet Potato Pie is silky smooth, bursting with all the best fall flavours and happens to be gluten free, refined sugar free, oil free and packed full of all the amazing nutrients purple sweet potatoes have to offer.

So how did I manage to perfect this classic American dessert favorite you ask?! Well it’s all in the ingredients really.

PURPLE SWEET POTATO PIE INGREDIENTS

• Purple Sweet Potatoes: These guys are what give this pie its eye catching color but not only are they stunning they are packed full of fiber and contain 150% more antioxidants than blueberries. Dessert food that supports your overall health, yes please!

• Dairy Free Milk: My current favorite and my go to for this recipe is my homemade vanilla cashew milk (recipe to come). This homemade milk is extra thick and creamy with a touch of added sweetness. If store bought is more your speed, almond, lite coconut milk or soy milk will work here (I recommend avoiding brands with added sugar and preservatives)

• Sweeteners: For this recipe I stuck with Maple syrup and Maple sugar as maple gives an amazing depth of flavor. I go with a darker Grade A organic syrup for most of my baking needs.

• Almond Butter: It just adds that little extra something something in this recipe. It’s only a tablespoon so go ahead add in that roasted, silky smooth, high quality stuff to really kick up the flavour.

• Arrowroot Powder: This stuff is great to have on hand for a natural binder and/or thickener. If you don’t have any on hand cornstarch can work here as well.

• Pumpkin Pie Spice: It’s that magical blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamon, cloves, and more that give this pie that much loved fall flavor we all know and love. I use Trader Joe’s blend but you can make your own, see link at the bottom for a good PS recipe.

To start you’ll first want to bake two large purple sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes at 400F. Remember the more they caramelize the sweeter they get and the softer they are the smoother the puree will be. While your potatoes are in the oven take the time to put your favorite crust recipe together. (My go to pie crust recipe is included in the recipe card below).

Once your sweet potatoes have cooled to room temperature all you need to do is blend together all of your ingredients in a large bowl until you get a super smooth and creamy puree.

Making sure to poke some holes into the bottom of your pie crust first, pour filling into prepared crust and bake at 350F for 55-65 min until filling sets. It takes a bit of practice to tell as sweet potato filling is much thicker than pumpkin filling but you are looking for a matte layer that is almost beginning to crack on top.

Then all that’s left to do is wait. I allow my pie to cool to room temp (1-2 hours on the counter) before storing in the fridge overnight to fully set. If you are tight for time you can get away with minimum 4 hour cooling time but I definitely recommend making this pie the day before those holiday parties.

If you have any questions or give this recipe a go please leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram if you share your remakes!

Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Leah Boston | 11/05/2019

• prep time: 60 minutes
• cook time: 60 minutes
• total time: 2 hours

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

Pie Crust

• 1 cups cassava flour
• 1/3 cup ice cold water
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 flaxseed eggs (1 tbsp flaxmeal: 3 tbsp water)
• 1/8 cup *maple sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Purple Sweet Potato Filling

• 2 cups purple sweet potato puree
• 3/4 cup vanilla cashew milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup *maple sugar
• 1 tbsp roasted almond butter
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub sweet potatoes, wrap in foil & bake for 45-60 min or until potatoes are easily punctured with a fork.
2. While potatoes are baking prepare pie crust by whisking together Cassava flour, coconut sugar, baking soda & cinnamon.
3. Add apple sauce & almond butter to the bowl cutting into the flour until the mixture resembles a softened sand like texture.
4. Add in the chilled water along with the flaxseed eggs & combine until it’s a thick ball of dough.
5. Roll dough immediately using a parchement lined, flour dusted surface. Dough should be about 1/4" thick & 1" larger in diameter then your pie dish of choice. Placing pie dough into your pie pan gently pressing the dough into the sides of the dish and cutting away any excess around the edges. Using a fork poke a few holes in the bottom of your crust and set in fridge while you prepare your filling.
6. Lower oven temp to 350F. Peal cooled sweet potatoes, place in a large mixing bowl & using a hand mixer puree until smooth.
7. Add in all remaining pie filling ingredients and beat mixture until well combined.
8. Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust and place the pie into the oven to bake.
9. Bake the pie for about 25 minutes uncovered, then cover the pie crust edges with tin foil or a pie crust shield, and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes.
10. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 1-2 hours before placing it into the fridge to set for 4-6 hours.
11. Serve with your favorite non-dairy vanilla ice cream or coconut whip cream & enjoy!

Nutrition:

• Serving: 10
• Calories: 177 per slice

Notes:

• Maple sugar can be subbed 1 for 1 with coconut sugar
• Link for homemade pumpkin spice recipes:
  https://food52.com/blog/24599-how-to-make-pumpkin-pie-spice