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.
One of our favorite traditions when it comes to family gatherings is, by far, doing what we call recipe "makeovers". It's actually something we do all the time on the blog, but it's particularly fun to do with traditional Holiday recipes. We either give them a fun twist, or we modify them to make them suitable for people who have dietary restrictions. We can make them vegan, gluten free, dairy free, lower in fat... You know, all that fun stuff. And the main reason we do it that so many people have to follow special diets nowadays... And a lot of them don't even know where to start.
For us, the most fulfilling part of it is being able to help people, by creating recipes that EVERYONE can enjoy.
Like, this sweet potato pie.
Most sweet potato pie recipes call for dairy products and eggs for the filling. Here we made it vegan (and lower in fat!) by using light coconut milk and some silken tofu ( no eye rolling, it's just for texture. You won't even taste it!!). We made it gluten free by preparing a crust with oats and pecans (which turns out, tastes even better than a regular pie crust!). And for the final twist, we made it "sweet and savory" with a little kick, just for fun, so the amount of sugar is lower and can be enjoyed as a side dish for your main meal.
Now if the idea of a vegan and gluten free sweet potato pie appeals to you, but you would like to use it as a dessert, all you need is a couple of simple changes, and done!
- Use sweetened vanilla coconut or almond milk beverage instead of unsweetened
- Omit the salt and pepper when boiling the potatoes and add about ¼ to ½ cup brown sugar 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 tablespoon brown sugar to the oats when making the crust
And voilà! There you have it. 2 recipes in one 🙂
Hope you enjoy it!
Sweet Potato Pie Vegan and Gluten-Free
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 1 pie 1x
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
- Filling
- 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
- 1-14oz can light coconut milk ( here we used 1 container of So Delicious Lite Culinary Coconut Milk)
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk beverage ( here we used So Delicious )
- 6oz extra firm silken tofu, crumbled
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Crust
- 1 cup gluten free oats
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Topping
- ¾ cup pecan halves, chopped
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Combine diced sweet potatoes, coconut milk, coconut or almond milk beverage, salt, pepper and ginger in a medium size sauce pan. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add tofu and continue cooking for another15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes a very soft. Set aside to cool slightly
- Transfer to a food processor, add maple syrup, coconut oil and cinnamon and cayenne (if using) and pulse until smooth. Let the mixture cool and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight
- To prepare the crust, preheat the oven to 350F. Combine oat, 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 inch glass pie dish and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 400F
- In the meantime, prepare the topping. Combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and mix well using your hands, so the pecans are well coated with the sugar and spices
- To assemble the pie, fill cooked crust with sweet potato filling (you may have a few tablespoons of filling left), sprinkle pecan topping all over the surface and bake at 400F on the top rack for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Category: Sides
- Cuisine: Kosher / Vegan
Melissa {lilmisscakes} says
This sounds amazing! I need to try this pie crust, how inventive!
Vicky & Ruth says
thank you Melissa!