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Vegan Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

This vegan dessert is the very best of pecan and pumpkin pie all in one – a soft, smooth filling of baked sweet potatoes topped with caramelised pecans in a crumbly pastry! This makes for a decadent guilt free dessert.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 people

Ingredients

For the pastry

  • 6 tbsp of cold water
  • 1 cup of organic gluten-free plain flour mix or regular plain flour if tolerated
  • 1 tbsp of arrowroot powder
  • 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed
  • 1 tbsp of coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup of ground almonds
  • 1/3 cup of coconut oil
  • a generous pinch of sea salt

For the filling

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes, oven baked in their skins until soft
  • 2 tbsp of coconut sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp of arrowroot powder
  • 1 tbsp of maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp of tahini
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup of dates
  • 1/2 cup of coconut cream
  • 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp of ground cloves
  • a pinch of sea salt

For the topping

  • 2 tbsp of maple syrup
  • 1 cup of pecan halves
  • 1 tbsp of arrowroot powder
  • 1 tbsp of coconut sugar

Instructions

  • To prepare the pastry, sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the ground almonds, arrowroot powder, flax, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix well to combine.
  • Add the coconut oil and rub into the flour using your fingertips.
  • Add the water a little at a time and bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Wrap the dough in baking paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, 160 for fan assisted.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and press into a large loose-bottomed tart tin – this can be rectangular or round. The one used for this recipe measures 14 x 5 inches. Ensure that the dough is of an even thickness on both the sides and base – about 5mm.
  • Prick the pastry base with a fork and transfer to the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
  • Whilst the pastry is baking, add the dates to a food processor with the cooked sweet potato flesh. Blend together until smooth.
  • Add the remaining filling ingredients and blend to a smooth, thick paste.
  • Spoon the filling evenly into the part cooked pastry base. Transfer back to the oven for 30 minutes to cook through.
  • Whilst the filling is cooking, add the topping ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir together to combine.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and arrange the pecans over the top. Drizzle over the liquid from the pecan bowl.
  • Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the pecans are toasted and the topping has caramelised.

Notes

For vegetarian, coconut oil can be swapped directly for butter.
Credits: Recipe and photography by Emma Carter, for the Natural Chef Diploma Courses at CNM, the College of Naturopathic Medicine.