Vegan Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

a delicious slice of vegan sweet potato pie

Sweet potato pie is one of my all time favorite desserts that I grew up eating in Memphis, Tennessee.  On my vegan journey, though, I’ve rarely made it.

Then, recently I was asked to make five pies for the graduation reception at my school.  Even though I haven’t had much experience making vegan sweet potato pies and even though I am super busy with end of the year activities, the job somehow got done.

I started by reviewing two recipes, one for vegan pumpkin pie and the other for vegan sweet potato pie.  Looking at multiple versions of recipes is part of my cooking process.  I’m looking to see if the ingredients will be simple and easy to find.  I’m also looking to see how much time the recipe will take and if there are simple ways to create short cuts.  Furthermore, I look for recipes that I might be able to modify easily.  I found such a recipe on The Witchy Kitchen Blog.

The listed ingredients seemed simple and easy to find, with the exception of the vegan yogurt, which I don’t typically see at chain grocery stores like the Giant near my home.  For the yogurt, I substituted Mori Nu firm silken tofu, which I almost always see in the produce section of regular supermarkets.

The pie crust from The Witchy Kitchen sounded absolutely delicious but called for pecans and peanut butter.  Because I work in a school environment among kids with severe nut allergies, I omitted the nuts all together and modified the recipe so much so that it became my own.

Because I relied on my food processor, the filling and crust were super fast and easy to make.  The filling was fast because I peeled, sliced and then steamed the potatoes rather than baked them.  The crust was easy because the food processor did the hard work and, rather than roll the dough, I simply pressed it evenly into the pans.  I assembled the pies, baked them, let them cool overnight, had a slice for breakfast, and enjoyed the delicious results.

Try the recipe for yourself and let me know how yours turns out.

Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

Pie Filling

2 Organic Sweet Potatoes (to yield 1 1/2 Cups cooked sweet potato)

3/4 Cup Sugar in the Raw

2 Tbsp. Corn Starch

steamed sweet potato

3/4 Tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg

Pinch of Salt

1 Tsp. Vanilla

3/4 Cup Rice, Soy or Almond Milk, such as Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk

12.3 Oz Mori Nu Firm Silkened Tofu

Vita’s Vegan Pie Crust

1 1/2 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

vegan, gluten-free crusts made with oats and dates

8 Dates (with the pits removed)

3 Tbsp. Canola Oil

3 Tbsp. Ice Water

Dash of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a steamer basket in the bottom of a large pot.  Add water enough to touch the bottom of the steamer basket.  Cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid.  On high heat, bring the water to a  boil.  As the water comes to a boil, peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices.  Place the slices on the steamer basket and replace the lid.  Be careful not to let the water boil dry and, if necessary, feel free to add more water.

Crust. While the potatoes are steaming, prepare the crust.  Add oats to the food processor and pulse until the oats resemble course corn meal.  Add dates (with pits removed) and pulse until oats and dates are thoroughly mixed.  Add oil, water, and salt and pulse for another 30 seconds.

Coat a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.  Transfer the mixture from the food processor to the pie plate and, using your very clean hands, evenly press the mixture over the entire pie plate.

Filling. Rinse the food processor and use it to make the pie filling.  Add all of the filling ingredients to the food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.  Add the mixture to the crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50 – 55 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 3 hours.

Enjoy!

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