A vegan friendly sweet potato pie made with purple sweet potatoes! It’s free of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar, with a gluten-free option as well!
If you haven’t tried purple sweet potatoes yet, you’re really missing out! Not only are they gorgeous in color, when cooked they have a creamy, dense interior that has the perfect amount of sweetness. They also make a bold statement when cooked or baked with and the color intensifies. Imagine bringing a bowl of mashed purple sweet potatoes to the dinner table or this bright purple sweet potato pie to your next get together!
Unfortunately they’re not always the easiest vegetable to find. They’re also seasonal, showing up in local markets from early fall to late spring. These potatoes aren’t very recognizable from the outside either, and can blend into the other stacks of potatoes easily. If you don’t see them near the potato area, ask the produce person if they carry purple sweet potatoes. I’ve had luck finding them at Sprout’s, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods.
Don’t worry, if you can’t find purple potatoes, regular orange potatoes can be used in this recipe instead. Regardless of which potato you use, this sweet potato pie is super delicious and worth giving a try! And I guarantee that no one will ever know it’s free of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar either!
The pie is beautiful as is, but decorating the top with leaf cut outs made it so festive and hardly took any extra time at all. It definitely will make a delicious addition to your holiday table too! I hope you give it a try! If you do, don’t forget to tag me in your pics on social media @wifemamafoodie! Enjoy, friends!
Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 9-inch pie 1x
Description
This delicious vegan friendly sweet potato pie is made with purple sweet potatoes, which gives it a gorgeous color while maintaining the classic flavor. It’s also free of dairy, eggs, and refined sugar, and can also be made gluten-free by using the gluten-free crust option.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Pie:
- double pie crust (recipe below)*
- 2 cups mashed sweet potato (about 3 cups raw peeled and chopped sweet potatoes. Orange or purple sweet potatoes can be used.)
- 1 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
or coconut nectar
(I’ve also used pure cane sugar/brown sugar with success!)
- 1/4 cup dairy free butter, melted (or regular butter, if not vegan)
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
or 
(I’ve also used pure cane sugar/brown sugar with success!)
Double Crust: (Click here for gluten-free crust recipe.)
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup cold butter or extra shortening (dairy-free or regular butter can be used)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 8–10 tablespoons ice cold water (more or less may be needed, depending on your climate)
- milk of choice and sugar for sprinkling on dough (optional)
Instructions
Crust:
- Comine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening and/or butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly and no large clumps of fat remain. Stir in sweetener and water, a tablespoon at a time, just until dough comes together. It should be soft but not sticky. If dough is crumbly, add more water.
- Divide dough in half, covering the second half. Take the other half and roll into a large circle. I roll in between two pieces of parchment paper
to keep it from sticking. Use parchment paper to invert dough into a 9-inch pie pan and carefully fit into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim excess edges and crimp or decorate edges as desired.
- Cover and place pie crust into the refrigerator while you make the filling.
to keep it from sticking. Use parchment paper to invert dough into a 9-inch pie pan and carefully fit into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim excess edges and crimp or decorate edges as desired.To Make Leaf Cut Outs:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Roll 2nd half of dough in between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/8-inch thick. Use cutters of your choice, I used
- these leaf cutters
as well as these
cutters.
- Use the back of a knife to gently create veins in the leaves, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- Place cut outs onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar (optional). Bake for 15–20 minutes, until cut outs are lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely. Decorate pie as desired.
- If you want to decorate the crust of the pie, you can also place dough cut outs onto the pre-baked pie so the cut outs bake into the crust. I find the filling too liquidy prior to baking to hold the cut outs, that’s why I decorate the top after baking.
as well as 
cutters.Sweet Potato Filling:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Peel and chop potatoes. Measure out 3 cups of diced potato and place into a large pot. Cover potatoes with water and place pot on the stove. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cook potatoes until fork tender. Drain and place back into the pot. Mash slightly and measure out two packed cups. Place mashed potato into a high powered blender. (If you don’t have a blender, use an immersion blender or hand mixer) Add milk, maple syrup, butter, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth.
- Pour filling into the prepared pie crust and place pan onto a cookie sheet. (If you want to decorate crust with cut outs, add them now)
- Place into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 45–55 minutes, until filling is set. Center may still be a little soft, but will firm as it cools.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely. Store covered at room temperature (in a cool room) or in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Use a single pie crust recipe if not decorating with cut outs.
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Dessert, Vegan
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
Purple Sweet Potato Pie with Gingerbread Crust and Pecan Streusel
Purple Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Meringue
Roasted Purple Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Brilliant, recipe, Joscelyn! Thank you so much for sharing! I made it and it was an absolute hit. I have a question about bake time: When you say bake until set, does that mean a toothpick has to come out clean? I have a larger-than-average pie plate (one of those Emile Henry ones) so I made a bit more filling and it took a whole lot longer to bake, like an extra 30 minutes or more. I kept going until a toothpick came out clean, but that was more than the crust could handle, even me using a crust protector and the filling darkened more than I expected. I also made some minis and found that bake to get a clean toothpick was about 40 minutes. But maybe that isn’t necessary? Thank you!
Hi Kathryn! So happy you were pleased with this pie! No, it doesn’t require a toothpick to come out clean, I typically go by the center not being too jiggly when you move the pan. It will still have a slight jiggle, but the filling should be mostly firm to a light touch. It continues to set as it cools. It sounds like you may could take at least 5-10 minutes off your bake time and it would be done. Let me know if turns out better next time with a little less baking time!
Just to clarify: you don’t blind bake this pie crust?
Hi Susan, that’s correct, no need to pre-bake first. Let me know if I can help in any other way! Enjoy!
Could I use cassava flour instead of cornstarch? If so would I use the same amount of the flower as the corn starch? The purple sweet potato pie filling calls for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch so would I use 3 tablespoons of cassava flour or would I need more cassava flour?
Hi Susan, I’ve never tried it with cassava, so I can’t say if it would work. Some have said tapioca flour works, but you would need more, probably 5–6 tablespoons instead of 3. Even though cassava and tapioca are made from the same plant, they don’t have the same thickening power. But if you do give it a try with cassava, please share how it turns out! I’m sure it would be helpful to others.
Can the purple sweet potato pie be baked and then Frozen for about 3 to 4 days and then thawed and served?
Hi Susan, I haven’t frozen this pie before, so I can’t say for sure. My only concern is that the texture could change once thawed. It may be better to make 1-2 days beforehand and just refrigerate it instead. If you do try freezing it, please let me know how it turns out! I’m sure others would also like to know if it freezes well. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
can the purple sweet potato pie be frozen for about 3 to 4 days and then I’m thawed served?
Hi Susan, I haven’t frozen this pie before, so I can’t say for sure. My only concern is that the texture could change once thawed. It may be better to make 1-2 days beforehand and just refrigerate it instead. If you do try freezing it, please let me know how it turns out! I’m sure others would also like to know if it freezes well. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
Wonderful recipe – thanks so much! I used vanilla soy milk and added 1/4 tsp of salt. Delicious!
Can coconut cream be used in place of coconut nectar?
Hi Rachel, no, coconut nectar is a sweetener, like maple syrup or honey. Use maple syrup instead of coconut nectar for best results.
I want to make this today, to bring tomorrow to a Thanksgiving dinner. Do you suggest leaving it out at room temperature overnight, or to keep it in the fridge? The recipe looks lovely and I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Jacey, it will be fine left at room temperature for a couple of days at least. I hope you all enjoy it! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
HI, would I be able to make the pie crust in advance, leaving it uncooked in the pie dish overnight, but add the pumpkin pie filling tomorrow before it bakes?
Thank you.
Hi Jennifer, I think that would be okay, as long as you cover the pie dish/crust really well so it doesn’t dry out in the refrigerator. Then just add the filling when ready and bake as directed.
I hope you enjoy it! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I have made the crust in advance a few times with this recipe. I put it in a sandwich bag and refrigerated it for up to two days. I’ve also kept it in the freezer for a few weeks and it still came out great after thawing! I hope this helps! This is such an amazing recipe!
Do you have to use vegetable “shortening” or can you just use additional vegan butter?
I’ve used all shortening before and even all real butter in this pie crust, but I’ve never used only vegan butter, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. Shortening does help the crust to be more tender and flakey, so I don’t recommend omitting it if you can help it. 🙂
I made this last week. I followed the recipe as is with regular orange sweet potatoes. It was amazing! Sharing was very difficult. I’m making your blackberry oat bars tonight.
Yay, I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Cameron! I usually make two pies, so I get one all to myself, haha!! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback..I really hope you enjoy the oat bars as well! Have a wonderful weekend!
This might just be my most favorite pie of the season Jocelyn! It’s absolutely gorgeous!
I’m very excited to make this pie! Would coconut oil work in place of vegan butter?
Hi Rosemary! It will change the flavor a bit but it will work. Happy Thanksgiving!
I cannot get over this beautiful color Joscelyn! Just gorgeous! Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday 🙂
Aww, thank you so much, Liz! I am in love with purple potatoes! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family as well!
This looks so good! And the color is lovely! Thanks for another vegan recipe I can add to my collection! lol
Thank you Ginger!
I love finding new Vegan recipes!! Can’t wait to try this one 🙂
Thank you Abby! I hope you enjoy. Have a great evening!
I definitely thought this was a cheese cake! I’m sure it tastes wonderful – it surely looks inviting!
Thank you Viktoria!
wow! This looks delicious and it is so cute!!! Perfect for a bday gift to a friend or a lunch with the family!!
xx
lau
http://www.malibluemymind.com
Hi Lau! Thank you for the encouragement!
The leaf cuts and the purple color are just so stunning! It’s almost too pretty to eat! I can’t wait to try this and bring it out for Thanksgiving!
Thank you Gloria. Please let me know if you make it. I’d love to hear what you thought!
The pie looks so yummy, such a pretty color. and you’re crust, leaf details are PERFECT!
-Ashley
Thank you Ashley!