Description
This savory sweet potato pie balances savory spices with the sweetness from the sweet potatoes. The nutty pecans and the oat-pecan crust make this pie even more delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet potato pie as a side dish
- 2 large sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed ( see note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup plain unsweetened plant-based milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp Aleppo Pepper or Hot Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 store-bought frozen pie crust of your choice or make your own crust. See recipe below.
Topping
- 3/4 cup pecan halves, chopped
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
Sweet potato pie as dessert
- Use sweetened vanilla plant-based milk beverage instead of unsweetened
- Add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar to the filling when processing, depending on how sweet you want the filling to be. Remember, no raw eggs here, so you can taste it as you go!
- Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Sauté a finely grated medium apple instead of the onion.
- Add an additional tablespoon of brown sugar to the topping and skip the black pepper.
Homemade Crust
If you prefer to make your own homemade crust, instead of using a store-bought one use this recipe.
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, and carefully poke the sweet potatoes multiple times with a sharp knife. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft all the way through. Insert a knife to check, the sweet potatoes should be soft with no hard spots.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and cook at medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes
- Combine corn starch and warm plant-based milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Mix all the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once the sweet potatoes are baked and cool enough to handle remove and discard the skin and place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Mash with a fork.
- Once the sweet potatoes are done cooking reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Add cooked onions, spices, and corn starch mixture to the mashed sweet potatoes and mix until combined.
- Pour spiced mashed sweet potatoes into the pie crust and top with the pecan mixture.
- Place the pie crust on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
- Let the pie cool before enjoying it.
If making a homemade crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine Oats, pecans coconut oil, and salt in the food processor, and pulse until well combined. Add maple syrup and pulse until the mixture comes together when you pinch it with your fingers.
- Press dough onto a 9" glass pie dish and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool. Continue with step #9 above.
Notes
- If you are using already mashed sweet potatoes use about 2 1/2 cups.
- Calories are calculated without the additional sugar added to the dessert sweet potato pie.
This post was originally published on October 15, 2014. It has been updated with fun new information.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Category: Sides
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 176
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 258
- Fat: 11.9
- Saturated Fat: 1.4
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 17
- Fiber: 2.7
- Protein: 1.9
- Cholesterol: 0