This delicious pie is similar to pumpkin pie but it is made with sweet potatoes (or yams) instead of pumpkin. The filling is sweetened with dates, thickened with a little oat flour, and the Pecan-Date Crust is just like a sweet, crumbly cookie!
Note: As mentioned above, this pie can be made with yellow-brown sweet potatoes or garnet or jewel yams (for an explanation of the difference between yams and sweet potatoes, see this post). There are two recipes below: one for the crust and one for the filling, with photos to follow on how to roll out the crust and assemble the pie. If you’re looking for a Pumpkin Pie recipe (including a video showing how to make the below crust), click here.
- 1¼ cups rolled oats
- 2 ounces pecan halves (about ½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2½ ounces dates (5 Medjool or 10 Deglet Noor), pitted and quartered
- 1½ tablespoons nondairy milk
- Preheat the oven to 375°F with the oven rack in the middle position. Set out a standard 8-inch pie pan.
- Place the oats, pecans, and cinnamon into the food processor and blend until ground (about 30 seconds). Add the dates and process for about 1 minute more, until the mixture starts to clump. Add the nondairy milk, and process for 5 to 10 seconds until the mixture balls up into a dough, which happens quickly.
- Roll the dough into one big ball and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper placed on a cutting board or smooth countertop (or use a thin flexible cutting mat under the dough). Place another piece of large parchment paper over the top of the dough, and flatten it with your hand.
- With the top parchment paper still in place, roll the dough into a circle (using a rolling pin) until it’s about an eighth of an inch thick and slightly bigger than the top edge of the pie pan (set the pan on top to get an idea). If the circle is irregular, simply slice pieces of dough from bigger edges and press them along any edges that are lacking.
- Once the correct crust shape has been reached, peel the top piece of parchment paper off and gently lay the crust on top of the pie pan. Peel off the parchment paper (or mat) that was under the dough.
- Ease the crust into the contours of the pie pan gently and lightly press it into place. Trim away any hanging edges (and don’t wrap the crust over the edge since this will make it difficult to slice after baking). You do not need to poke this crust with a knife or weigh it down.
- Place the pan on a metal cookie sheet or pizza pan. Place a piece of aluminum foil over the entire crust and gently tuck down the edges so that none of the crust is very exposed. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Above: Here is the pie made with a jewel jam, so it has a darker color and looks more like pumpkin pie. The photo at the top of this page is made with a yellow sweet potato, so it’s not as dark in color.
- 1½ cups (packed) cooked sweet potato or yam (about 1 pound uncooked)
- 4 ounces dates (about 8 Medjool or 16 Deglet Noor), pitted and quartered
- ¾ cup nondairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ to ½ cup rolled oats, ground into flour (½ cup will result in a firmer filling)
- 1¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ cup pecan halves, chopped (for the center of the pie), plus 15 to 20 pecan halves to decorate the outside edge.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. To bake the sweet potato or yam, place it onto a baking sheet and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until very soft when pierced with a knife (this can be baked ahead to save time).
- Place the dates, nondairy milk, and vanilla extract into a blender (making sure to grind your oats first), and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the dates can soften).
- In a medium bowl, add the oat flour, cinnamon, ginger, and clove, and mix thoroughly with a fork.
- Blend the dates, nondairy milk, and vanilla in a blender on high speed until smooth. Blend in the dry ingredients followed by the baked sweet potato or yam until the filling is very smooth, scraping down the sides a couple times. This will be thick, so use your blender’s tamper if it has one. (If you don’t have a powerful blender, you can also use a food processer.)
- Scrape into a pre-baked pie crust and smooth out evenly.
- Arrange the pecan halves around the outside and the chopped pecans in the middle (see photo).
- Gently wrap a few strips of foil around the top edge of the pie (trying not to touch it on the filling) so the crust does not get overcooked. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil strips, and let cool before slicing. This pie can be made the day before as well.
Above: Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper or on a flexible, plastic chopping mat.
Above: Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, and roll it out into a circle using a rolling pin, to about 1/8-inch thick.
Above: Use the pie pan as a guide in cutting the crust. Leave a little extra as shown.
Above: Flip the pie pan, the crust and the parchment paper (or mat) over, and peel away the top parchment paper (or the cutting mat, which I used here; I’m using a spatula on the underside to loosen the crust from the mat).
Above: The crust should now be laying on top of the pie pan.
Above: Gently ease the crust into the contours of the pie pan.
Above: Trim off any extra, overhanging crust, being careful not to secure the crust under the pan lip (this will make cutting it later a challenge.)
Above: Cover the uncooked crust with foil and loosely curl the edges under. Bake for 10 minutes.
Above: After the crust has baked and cooled for at least 10 minutes, spread the filling evenly inside the crust (I’ve used an orange jewel yam for my filling in this photo).
Above: Place some pecans around the outter edge (or make whatever design you like).
Above: Add the chopped pecans to the center. Place a few aluminum foil strips around the edges to keep the crust from over-browning; secure them underneath first…
Above: …then on top, being careful not to let the foil dip into the filling. Bake for 30 minutes.
Above: Cut the pie after it has cooled.
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Wow! That pie looks ah-mazing! Question, does it have to be baked in a metal pie pan? All I have is glass.
No it doesn’t. Generally speaking, metal cooks things up a little crisper than glass but I wouldn’t go out a buy a new pan. 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
jesus christ. this is bloody good. I love eating indulgent food that is also healthy!
This is a beautiful pie, Cathy. And it’s delicious–and healthy–too. Thank you! xo
😉 Thanks Maria!
Hi Cathy, I made your Pumpkin Pie with the Pecan Crust last year and decided this year I would make it with Sweet Potatoes instead because I didn’t like the canned pumpkin taste and the fresh sweet potatoes I had subsititued in your Pumpkin Squares, that were also excellent, tasted better. Ha! This is exactly what I was planning to do too.
Thank you for your dedication.
Ha! Just for you. 😉
This looks fabuloso, Cathy! Thanks for sharing! :))
Hi Cathy. Can’t wait to try this recipe. If I make it the day before do you suggest storing it overnight in the refrigerator?
Thanks!
Hi Iris, yes, probably best and covered with plastic wrap. 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe! I think this has the best vegan pie crust I’ve ever tried since going WFPB. Awesome!
Thanks Teri! Yes, I love this crust, and it’s pretty easy. 🙂
Making this for thanksgiving thanks for the recipe! Would purple sweet potatoes work as well?
I think they would. 🙂
Thank you Cathy for yet another wonderful recipe. Your crust has been my standard for a couple of years. Yesterday, I tried a new twist and used English walnuts because I gathered lots of them this year. I also grew sweet potatoes for the first time. Your recipe made them into a delight!
Thanks Dane! 😉
Just took mine out of the oven. It smells divine! The few nibbles I tried have me so excited to eat it tomorrow! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Cathy! Love your recipes — thank you so much for what you do. I made this pie, along with your Enchilada casserole, Creamy coleslaw, and mashed potatoes (I did add steamed kale in those — my only contribution to your recipes!) for our Christmas dinner. The meal was fabulous and everyone loved every dish! Thank you!!
Great to hear! Thanks Meenoo! 😉
I love sweet potato pie, but my mother’s recipe is loaded with butter, sugar and dairy. I thought I had to cut it from my meal plans, but this recipe is restoring my hope! I can’t wait to try it!
Wow! This looks like something my husband might like! Thanks for sharing!!
I just read How Not to Die and it mentioned your site. I’m just going plant based. Your recipes look delicious but difficult to write them down. Do you have a cookbook? (Don’t have computer or printer?)
Hi Cathy, I am working on a cookbook now, out this fall. 😉 Thank you!
What can I use as substitute for the nuts? Can this crust be even be made without nuts?
I would use seeds (maybe sunflower), if you can eat those, or nut/seed butter. I’m not sure if just dates and grains would hold up; the fat in the nuts helps hold it all together. You could also just make a crustless pie. Or do something more like Pumpkin Pie Squares, which also don’t have a crust. 🙂
Thank you, we’ve enjoyed you recipes so far the pineapple stir fry is our favorite!is it ok to add corn starch to thicken sauces or something else you recommend? I did it with the beef less stew (YUM!) wish I did it to the Tu No casserole? Looking forward to your book coming out we love the pictures with receipes too.
Thanks Sarah! 🙂 You can use cornstarch, sure. Please feel free to leave a comment on the Pineapple Stir Fry, since it doesn’t have that many. Thanks!
Loved it! Even better than a regular pumpkin pie. Very liberating for me to be able to eat dessert without feeling guilty.
Thanks Amy! 😉
new to plant based… how do you grind oats??
Hi Sharon, just put some rolled oats into a blender and blend until it looks like flour, about 20 seconds. High-speed blenders, like a Vitamix, work really well for this, but you can use any blender. 🙂
Can steel-cut oats replace rolled oats? Is it okay to use soy milk? Thank you in advance.
Soy milk is fine. If ground, using steel-cut is probably fine to sub. 🙂
I have been learning to use flax egg in replacing eggs in recipes…in the past my pumpkin pie would have eggs to firm it up…could I use the flax egg mixture with similar results?
I don’t use flax eggs in my cooking, so am not sure how it would work. I would usually add more oat flour in this recipe.
Can you substitute the rolled oats for gluten free baking flour? If so how much flour would you use. I need to make it wheat free and can’t find rolled oats that say they aren’t processed in a plant where wheat is not present
I think that would work just fine. When I grind oats, the final flour is nearly the same measurement as the oats; you could start with a lesser amount and work up to more if it seems it needs it.
Thank you very much for responding.
I’ve had trouble with mixing/blending the dates. I’m using medjool dates. What can I be doing wrong? Thanks!
You could let them soak longer and/or blend them longer (high-speed blenders work best when you really want a smooth consistency).
This pie is fabulous! I also love your baked falafels and your pesto sauce. That is 3 for 3 healthy recipes that my kids love. Thank you for being awesome and, more importantly, for sharing that awesome with the world!!! 😊. My life is better because of people like you!! 😊😊
Aw, thanks so much Carrie! 😉
Hmmm, delicious! We baked it last night and are having it for breakfast, in bed! Ha ha 😝.
Niiice! 😉
This pie is sooo incredibly smooth and rich without any added oil! Will definitely be making again. I will try using a metal pie tin next time I bake it to get a crispier crust on the bottom as I used glass this time and it was a bit too soft for me.
I have only been reading this blog for a few minutes, but I just made the pumpkin pie filling, and I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite places to find recipes. One of my favorite foods before being vegan was lasagna. Do you have a good, whole food, recipe for lasagna? I couldn’t find any recipes so far on the blog.
Hi Christian, thank you! 😉 I’m glad to hear that! I don’t have a lasagna recipe, which is weird, I know. It’s never been a favorite go-to meal. But I should get a recipe going. The closest thing I have is the Mushroon-Basil Au Gratin. Thanks for the comment!
Awesome! Potatoes Au Gratin is also something I used to love, I will try that recipe this week! Thanks
OMG! Thank you for sharing such a fabulously delicious Sweet Potato Pie recipe! And the crust is absolutely the best! Made the pie for the first time on yesterday. Family devoured it! Making another one today! Lol