Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

This easy vegan sweet potato pie recipe is creamy, dairy-free, and just as delicious as the traditional sweet potato pie. 

I grew up eating sweet potato pies during the holidays. My mom was no baker. It’s just not her thing. But, she’d get a store-bought pie from the local bakery. My siblings and I enjoyed every bit of it. 

My favorite memory of eating a homemade sweet potato pie is one I will never forget. A family friend, Dolly, made the best sweet potato pie I’ve ever had. She lived in the same building as my grandmother. I remember going to visit her, and Dolly offered me a piece of the pie. Hesitantly, I said “Yes”. Only, because I was so used to eating the store-bought pies and made the assumption Dolly’s pie would taste the same. After eating one piece, I was amazed. That piece of pie tastes remarkable. It tastes better than any sweet potato pie I’ve had to date. 

What’s the difference between sweet potatoes & yams

Sweet potatoes and yams are not related. Sweet potato growers in the South started calling their sweet potatoes “yams” (for marketing purposes) to distinguish orange-fleshed from the firm white-fleshed varieties, and to this day, we’re still using “yams” to refer to certain types of sweet potatoes – jewel yams and Garnet yams, most notably. It is said that the word yam was chosen because blacks in the South used this term for sweet potatoes. Due to their similarity to the yams from Africa. 

Yams: Members of the genus Dioscorea, in their own family, and native to Africa and Asia. Yams range in color from white to yellow flesh, purple or pink, and gray-brown skin. The taste may vary from sweet to tasteless, and they aren’t as nutritious as sweet potatoes. 

Sweet potatoes: Commonly grown in the southern part of the United States and part of the Morning Glory family. Usually orange in color, sweet in taste, and starchy flesh. They are not nightshades but are related to potatoes. 

What’s in this vegan sweet potato pie recipe

• pureed sweet potatoes
• pureed butternut squash  
• brown sugar
• cornstarch
• cinnamon 
• salt
• ground cloves 
• nutmeg
• vanilla extract
• non-dairy milk 
• vegan pie crust

How to make a vegan sweet potato pie

This pie has all-natural ingredients and is prepared without tofu. The recipe comes from Jenne Claiborne’s cookbook Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul. 

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350° and roasting the sweet potatoes and butternut squash. 
2. Add the filling ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. 
3. Fill the crust with pie batter, and bake for 50 minutes. Tip: If the crust edges brown too quickly, carefully fold aluminum foil around the rim of the pie dish. 
4. Remove your pie from the oven to let it cool for at least 30 minutes, then set it in the fridge to chill for a few more hours or overnight.

Common questions about sweet potato pie

Do I need to refrigerate a sweet potato pie?

Yes, after removing it from the oven, let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes. Then, add it to the fridge to let it sit for a few hours or overnight. 

Shana’s Kitchen Essentials

Check out some of the kitchen tools I used to make this vegan pie.

• Pie Shells
• Instant Pot Blender
• Measuring Spoons
• Knife Set
• Measuring Cups

More delicious vegan desserts

• vegan banana bread
• lime raspberry tart
• vegan brownies
• oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies

Leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram and let me know if you make this sweet potato pie recipe. I’d love to hear from you;-)

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