Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Pie

I am entranced. I just discovered these purple sweet potatoes, and I am in love with their colour. Have you ever seen anything like it in nature? Sure, eggplants, yeah, but they’re only that colour on the outside. These beauties are purple all the way through.

They’re quite popular in the Philippines, where they are called ube, and because they are like a yam, they can be used in both sweet and savoury applications.

You can boil them and mash them the same as you would any other potato-like vegetable, and serve them with your Sunday dinner. They are packed with fibre and are basically one of the healthiest things you can put in your body.

While researching them online, I found a ton of sweet applications, as well, like halo-halo (which I have had before and quite enjoyed), ice cream and even donuts.

With American Thanksgiving is coming up, and then Christmas, I was wondering what they might be like substituted for yams in a sweet potato pie.

Turns out, purple yams make a Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Pie that is as pretty as it is tasty. And don’t forget the coconut cream–it’s the creamy, crowning touch.

By the way, you can find purple yams at Asian grocery stores, although I bought the ones I used for this recipe at the Superstore. And make sure you buy purple yams, not purple potatoes, as they will be white inside!

Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I’ve used Olive Oil)
• 2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

• 2 cups peeled, cubed and cooked purple yams
• 1/2 cup maple or agave syrup
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used vanilla almond, but coconut would also work well)
• 3 tbsp oil (canola or coconut)
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves

For the coconut cream:

1 can coconut cream (cold–leave it in the fridge overnight)1/2 cup sugar1 tsp vanilla

Method:

Make the crust:

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt thoroughly.
2. Add the vegetable oil, and mix. Add the water, and add a bit more if it seems too dry.
3. Roll it into a ball and place it on a large sheet of waxed paper. Place another sheet of waxed paper over top, and roll out to the desired thickness and size. Remove the top layer of wax paper and flip upside down into a pie plate. Trim. Set aside, and make the filling.

Make the filling:

1. In a blender or food processor, place the cooled purple yams and blend well. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until it is smooth.
2. It will be quite runny, and you will be able to easily pour it into the prepared pie shell.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for almost and hour, or until firm. Allow to cool, at least slightly.

Make the coconut cream:

1. Open the can of coconut cream, and drain off the milky part, keeping the more solid parts.
2. Place the solid parts of the coconut cream in a bowl, with the sugar and vanilla. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip until the coconut cream is firm and won’t fall out of the bowl when you tip it upside down.

Cut pie and serve with a dollop of coconut cream on top.