Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

This vegan sweet potato pie contains no refined sugar or coconut milk. It's dairy-free and has such a rich and delicious flavor with caramel undertones. Topping it with coconut whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon makes it even better! Everyone is sure to love this dessert, even if they're not vegan.

This sweet potato pie makes for the perfect Thanksgiving dessert and is so much better than any store-bought pie. Plus, it will make your house smell incredible as it bakes!

Another great Thanksgiving dessert option is this vegan pumpkin banana bread or these gluten free pumpkin cookies. You could even make these cinnamon apple waffles for breakfast-- that's what I'm doing this year!

Jump to:

• Pie Ingredients
• Making Vegan Pie Crust
• Making The Vegan Pie Filling
• Baking and Serving The Pie
• Making Substitutions
• Vegan Pie Toppings
• Food Processor vs. Blender
• Storing and Freezing Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Fall Recipes to Enjoy
• Recipe

Pie Ingredients

Making homemade pie is easier than you think and the vegan pie crust only requires five ingredients (if you count water)! The vegan sweet potato filling is made from sweet potatoes and natural, unrefined sugars with plenty of cozy fall spices.

Ingredients for the pie crust:

• whole wheat pastry flour: you can also use white whole wheat flour for the crust if you prefer. Both of these flours are heartier than all-purpose flour.
• coconut oil: this vegan pie crust uses coconut oil instead of butter!
• coconut sugar: this is an unrefined sugar that adds a little more flavor to the pie crust.
• ice water: cold water is used to bind the flour into dough.

Ingredients for vegan sweet potato pie filling:

• sweet potatoes: this is what makes this a sweet potato pie, after all! You can also use canned sweet potato puree (with no added sugars) to make things easier.
• unsweetened almond milk: a lot of vegan pies require canned coconut milk-- but not this one! You can use unsweetened almond milk or your favorite unsweetened dairy-free milk in this recipe.
• corn starch: this is used as a thickening agent to keep the pie stable.
• coconut sugar: this pie is naturally sweetened with coconut sugar. You can definitely taste the sweet, caramel-like flavors of the coconut sugar in the pie and it is so good!
• pure maple syrup: this is another natural sweetener used in the pie filling. Be sure to use real maple syrup.
• pure vanilla extract: vanilla enhances the sweet flavors in the recipe.
• ground cinnamon: cinnamon adds extra flavor and dimension to the sweet potato pie.
• pumpkin pie spice: even though this isn't a pumpkin pie, the spice adds fall flavors.
• ground cloves: you can also use ground nutmeg if you prefer.
• salt: this is important to balance the flavors.

If you're vegan, chances are you already have most of these ingredients at home already, which makes it super easy for you!

Making Vegan Pie Crust

I get it-- homemade pie crust can be intimidating. But truly it's so easy and takes only 15 minutes! It's fastest and easiest to make the pie dough in a food processor, but you can absolutely make it by hand (as demonstrated here) if you prefer.

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STEP 1: Combine dry ingredients. Add the flour, coconut sugar, and salt to a large bowl (or food processor) and stir until well-combined.

STEP 2: Add coconut oil. Make sure you're using solid coconut oil and add it in "chunks" rather than one big block. You want to disperse it throughout the flour mixture to make it easier to combine. Use a pastry cutter to incorporate or "cut" the coconut oil into the flour mixture.

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STEP 3: Add ice water. A few tablespoons at a time, add the ice water to the mixture and stir until a dough begins to form. Form a ball with the dough, but be careful not to handle it too much or it may become tough.

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STEP 4: Roll the dough. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the ball of pie dough. You want to roll it until you have a circular shape around 10-11" across since we are using a 9" pie pan for this recipe.

STEP 5: Transfer to pie plate. Once the dough is rolled out, transfer it to the pie plate. You can wrap the dough around your rolling pin to help it transfer more easily. Adjust the dough as necessary and trim off any excess. Crimp the edges of the pie dough for a more finished look, or leave it as is!

TIP: If you tear the dough while transferring it to the pie dish, don't panic. You can always patch the dough in the pan by using your fingers to mesh the dough back together.

Making The Vegan Pie Filling

I recommend using a food processor or high-powered blender to make the sweet potato pie filling. It's hard to mash the potatoes by hand and get the puree-like consistency you're looking for in the pie.

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

STEP 2: Cook sweet potatoes. I like cooking the potatoes in the microwave since it's the fastest. Start by poking each potato with a fork several times, then put them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 7-8 minutes or until they become fork-tender. Remove them from the microwave and let them cool.

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TIP: Be careful, they will be very hot to the touch.

STEP 3: Peel the potatoes. Once cool, peel the skin off the potatoes and chop the potatoes into small chunks. Add them to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Then measure out 2 cups of potato puree to ensure you have the right amount.

TIP: All potatoes are a bit different in size, so that's why we measure the amount after pureeing them.

STEP 4: Add remaining ingredients. Add the two cups of sweet potato puree to a separate bowl and stir in the almond milk, cornstarch, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ground cloves, and salt. Mix until well-combined. You can do this in the food processor if it's easiest.

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Baking and Serving The Pie

STEP 1: Pour the filling mixture into the pie pan and give it a gentle side-to-side shake to level it and smooth the top. Bake the pie for 45-55 minutes. You know the pie is about done when the top is no longer shiny. It's normal for the filling to still jiggle a little bit when it's done.

STEP 2: Cool and chill pie. Let the pie rest on the counter until it gets to room temperature (usually an hour or so). Then transfer to the fridge and let it set up for at least four hours (or preferably overnight).

STEP 3: Garnish, slice, and serve. Consider topping your vegan pie with coconut whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. If enjoying immediately, consider eating it with some dairy-free ice cream for an added treat!

Making Substitutions

This vegan sweet potato pie is super delicious, but if you desire to change or substitute any ingredients, I've added some helpful tips for you to ensure it works out well:

• Flour - instead of whole wheat pastry flour, you can use (red) whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour and still get good results.
• Coconut Oil - you may choose to use a vegan butter instead of coconut oil if you prefer. Earth Balance is recommended if you choose to go this route.
• Sugar - coconut sugar is recommended because it adds such a rich "brown sugar" flavor to the pie, but you may use cane sugar or granulated sugar instead. Just know that not all cane sugar is vegan!
• Milk - you may use your favorite unsweetened nut milk in this recipe. Almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, or coconut milk are all fine options. Unsweetened varieties are best or else the pie may be overwhelmingly sweet.
• Maple Syrup - if you're not vegan, you can choose to use honey instead.
• Ground Cloves - you may omit the cloves altogether if you want a milder flavor, or use nutmeg or additinoal cinnamon instead.

If you want to make substitutions, I recommend only changing one or two ingredients if possible. Recipes are tested multiple times to ensure they are wonderful for you! I can't guarantee perfect results if you attempt to change multiple ingredients, so it's best to stick as close to the original recipe as possible.

Vegan Pie Toppings

I love topping the pie with vegan whipped cream like coconut cream or another dairy-free version. But the options are endless! Here are a few more topping suggestions:

• Dairy-Free Ice Cream - ice cream is an awesome pairing with the sweet potato flavor and adds some extra creaminess to enjoy. I think a vanilla ice cream would work best, but feel free to get creative!
• Chopped Pecans - consider adding some chopped nuts like pecans to the top of the pie. This will add some extra crunch and a little more fiber and protein, too!
• Powdered Sugar - you could dust some powedered sugar on top the pie to make it look pretty and add a little touch of sweetness.
• Cinnamon - dusting the pie with cinnamon or another fall spice will really give you that powerful fall flavor!

Food Processor vs. Blender

While you can make the vegan pie crust by hand if you'd like, making the sweet potato pie filling requires a food processor or high-speed blender. I think a food processor would be the best fit for this recipe because you can make the crust and the filling with a food processor.

I do not recommend making pie crust in a blender. You need a food processor to "pulse" the crust ingredients together rather than blend. However, you can certainly puree your sweet potatoes in a blender if you have one with enough power to handle chunks of sweet potato.

Storing and Freezing Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

You can cover the pie with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 5-6 days. It didn't last 24 hours in my household, though! It was so good that we ate it within a day.

If you choose to freeze the sweet potato pie, it's best not to top the pie with whipped cream. Whipped cream might not hold up on the pie in the freezer. Without toppings, you can definitely freeze the pie. Just wrap the pan in plastic wrap and place the whole thing in the freezer. It can keep for a few months.

Be sure to let the pie thaw an hour or two on the counter before enjoying again.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Fall Recipes to Enjoy

If you made this recipe, please consider leaving a review below. I'd love to know how you liked it! Always feel free to post a photo on Instagram and tag me @savorthespoonful so I can see how it turned out. For more fall recipes, try these:

Apple Vegan Cake

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte

Recipe