That gnarly looking purple sweet potato turns into something beautiful!
Still looking for a fun dessert for the holidays? Now that you’ve got Thanksgiving under your belt, so to speak, it’s time to plan the coming feasts, parties and get-togethers. Why not shake it up with a technicolor purple pie? Yes, this Purple Sweet Potato Pie is just the thing to give the dessert table a pop of color, while delivering the spiced sweet potato flavor we all love.
Purple Sweet Potato Pie Will Get Noticed
As we slide into the end of the year, perhaps people are a little jaded by pumpkin spice, and kind of over the same old pecan pie. That’s when you need to toss a purple bomb right in the middle of the party. The Stokes Purple variety of sweet potato is still unusual enough to surprise, but easy enough to find at your Coop or grocery store.
I know, I’m kind of obsessed, and I’ve written about them multiple times here, so you can check out recipes for Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Purple Sweet Potato Quesadillas, Hasselback Purple Sweet Potatoes, and probably more if you keep looking….
But this pie!
The Stokes Purple is brilliant purple all the way through, and unlike any other sweet potato I’ve tried. It’s drier and meatier in texture, so when you cook with it, you want to give it a little extra time to make sure it’s really, really tender. I steamed it for this, which kept it moist. As you can see by the pie, it makes a nice, slice-able filling, once baked.
The Stokes is a relative newcomer to our markets, and there is some dispute over the origin story. It may be a new and original variety, or it may have been derived from some Japanese cultivars. Whatever the origin, I’m all in. I’m just enjoying the beautiful purple sweet potato in all sorts of ways, and I hope it all works out for the best.
For this pie, I used my fave plant-based crust, and a simple filling with a touch of almond butter for a little nuttiness. I used an almond creamer, because I just love the taste of unsweetened almond milk and creamer. You could use coconut milk, too, for a hint of Tropical flavor. I started out with the spices I like in regular sweet potato pie, and added a little extra. Just because that’s how I like to roll.
I want this pie to wake people up. The color is just the first surprise, and the lovely sweetness and spice is the second little jolt.
If you were feeling a little blah at this time of year, this one will surely awaken all your senses.
Happy Holidays!
Purple Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie shell vegan, https://robinasbell.com/2014/11/vegan-chunky-pumpkin-streusel-pie/
- 2 pounds Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy creamer
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup arrowroot
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoons ground clove
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- coconut sorbet or other non-dairy ice cream
Instructions
- Make the pie crust and chill until cold.
- Halve and steam the purple sweet potatoes until very soft when pierced with a paring knife.
- When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a food processor bowl and puree, scraping down and repeating as needed. Add the non-dairy creamer, light brown sugar, arrowroot, almond butter, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt and process, scraping down and repeating as needed to mix well and make very smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 375. Line the pie crust with foil and pour in pie weights or beans, then bake for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the purple puree to the pie crust and spread out, smooth the top. Swirl your spatula decoratively, the swirls will keep their shape as it bakes. Bake for about 1 hour, until the pie is puffed in the center and a little cracked around the edges. Cool on a rack before slicing.
