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The Great Purple Sweet Potato Pie

  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes one 10-inch pie
  • Serving size: 1 of 8 slices
  • Print/save recipe

There’s a reason that purple is the color of royalty: This gorgeous, flavor-packed sweet potato pie is truly majestic. A zesty blueberry sauce dials up the vibrancy of this decadent dessert, but the deep purple hue comes primarily from purple sweet potatoes in the filling. Their creamy composition makes for a velvety smooth texture, and their subtle sweetness is enhanced with lime zest and a little sugar. The homemade pie crust, which features the warming flavors of walnuts and cinnamon, provides the perfect base for the no-bake filling. Simply chill it in the fridge, add the blueberry sauce, and give yourself the royal treatment by enjoying a big slice.

For more decadent vegan pies, check out these tasty ideas:

Ingredients

Pie

  • 1 cup oat flour or whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 3 tablespoons pure cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon brown or golden flaxseed meal
  • ½ teaspoon regular or sodium-free baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 ½ lb. purple sweet potatoes
  • ¾ cup unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons pure cane sugar or pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice (preferably from Key limes)
  • 1½ tablespoons lime zest

Blueberry Sauce

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon pure cane sugar or pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
  • For crust, in a food processor combine the first seven ingredients (through salt). Process until combined and nuts are ground. Add 2 tablespoons water; pulse to incorporate. The mixture will be crumbly, but it should bind when pinched between your fingers. If it doesn’t, add another 1 tablespoon water and pulse to combine.
  • Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Use the bottom of a bowl or a ladle to press it evenly into bottom of pan. Bake 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
  • For filling, place the whole sweet potatoes in a steamer basket in a large saucepan. Add water to saucepan to just below basket. Bring to boiling. Steam, covered, 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Place sweet potatoes under cold running water to cool. When cool enough to handle, slip off and discard the peels. Transfer sweet potatoes to a bowl, lightly mash them, then transfer to a food processor. Add milk, sugar, lime juice, and lime zest; process until smooth.
  • Spoon filling over cooled crust and smooth with a spatula. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
  • For Blueberry Sauce, in a small saucepan combine blueberries, sugar, and 3 tablespoons water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes or until blueberries begin to break down and the liquid is syrupy. Remove from heat. Stir in lime zest.
  • To serve, release sides of springform pan from pie. Top pie with Blueberry Sauce.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (1 of 8 slices): 294 calories, 48 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g protein, 10 g total fat, 1.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 113 mg sodium, 5.3 g fiber, 22 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (13)

(5 from 7 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Coco

I made this for a WFPB class potluck and everyone loved it! I didn't have enough lime zest, plus I substituted maple syrup for all of the cane sugar, and it was still amazing. The crust was also delicious. I've been struggling to find a great tasting crust and this was SO good. But - this is a no-bake recipe. Do you think it would work with a baked pie?

ARLENE CHUNG

Anyone know if this freezes well when assembled? Or can I make the crust and filling and freeze them separately and then assemble when defrosted?

Lisa, Forks Over Knives Support

Hi Arlene, Great question. You can freeze the base but we don't recommend freezing the filling. You'd be better to make that fresh. Happy cooking!

Juli

I forgot to add in may last comment that I baked the potatoes to help being out more of the natural sweetness. Delicious!!! Took it to a standard American diet together and even the kids loved it. It ended up being more like a spoonable dessert so next time I will either add less liquid and or add some agar to help it set up.

Juli

Delicious!!! Took it to a standard American diet together and even the kids loved it. It ended up being more like a spoonable dessert so next time I will either add less liquid and or add some agar to help it set up.

Cyclamen

I just made this pie for Thanksgiving but I bought a gluten free crust for convenience ( I have celiac disease). The filling and topping are unbelievable! It was a huge success. The lime juice and zest are the key. Next time I am going to try the crust if I can find GF oats.

Margaret

I couldn’t find purple sweet potatoes, so I used regular, and the pie was delicious! A great summer pie—the lime is a refreshing change from the usual autumn seasonings.

Brooke Holliday

Suggestion on making it but free?

Brooke Holliday

Sorry should be but not but

Megan Edwards

Hi Brooke, We reached out to the recipe creator to see what she suggested. While she hasn't tested it, she thinks you could try replacing the walnuts with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Let us know how it goes!

Leah

I made this for an Easter gathering and it was a HUGE hit! It's so beautiful and so delicious. Did not make any modifications. I did make my own oat flour. It turned out perfectly. Everyone at the party was so impressed!!!

Lisa

I made this today and love it! I used Okinawa sweet potatoes and a couple leftover baked Japanese sweet potatoes (I ran short on the Okinawa's). The Okinawa's are very purple so the combo didn't affect the color! I used oat flour in the crust. I also was short on lime juice so I used mostly a fresh squeezed orange and its zest. I used date sugar in the crust and medjool dates with a little date syrup in the filling because I don't usually have any sugar around - and I love dates! It worked perfectly. The crust is wonderful, like a short bread. And the filling rich and creamy. The super simple blueberry sauce makes a nice light and fresh topping. Wonderful, will make again!

Maor

I was scrolling through the comments hoping to find a suggestion for an alternative to the sugar. Thank you, Lisa! I presume you used the date products in identical amounts to the sugar in the original instructions.

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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