Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

The Mother Pie of Comfort: Sweet Potato Pie (Family Recipe)

Sweet potato pie is more than a dessert in our home — it is memory, tradition, and comfort wrapped together. Long before canned pumpkin pies became the standard in North America, sweet potato pies were already on Southern tables. Rooted deeply in African American culinary history, sweet potatoes were more abundant and affordable than pumpkins — so families used what grew easily. Over time, this humble root vegetable became the dessert of celebration — Sabbath dinners, holidays, church socials, homecomings — one pie that symbolized warmth, family, and love.

Every family has their own version. More spice, less spice. Butter or no butter. Pecan topping or plain. But sweet potato pie isn’t just a recipe — it is a testimony passed down through hands that learned how to feed people with both nourishment and tenderness.

Our version uses warm spices like coriander and cardamom, a little vanilla, and a silky-smooth filling without gelatin or animal-based ingredients. Sometimes I sprinkle pecans over the top before baking for an extra touch — both beautiful and delicious.

Tips for the Perfect Texture

• Use orange sweet potatoes (garnet or jewel) — they blend smoother.

• Boil with the skins on — this helps preserve flavor and nutrients.

• If you want even deeper sweetness, allow your boiled sweet potatoes to cool (20 minutes) and rest (20 minutes) before blending. Resting lets the natural sugars settle.

As in the Kitchen, So in the Spirit

Just like those little stringy fibers have to be removed to make the pie smooth…sometimes we also have to let God remove things from our hearts so our lives can be more “palatable” and beautiful.

Sometimes the smallest things — a memory, a disappointment, an old belief, a little bitterness — can create lumps, blockages, and roughness in our experience. But God, like a Master Cook, gently cleans, smooths, refines, and perfects His people.

The end result is sweeter.

The Result

This recipe yields a rich, creamy sweet potato pie that captures the essence of classic comfort food — plant-based, wholesome, flavorful, and full of history. Whether you make it plain or finish it with pecans, it is a cozy dessert worth sharing, especially with people you love.

Did you know? you can overdose on a spice used in desserts? The spice is nutmeg and it's a poor man's substitute for recreational drugs - it's actually categorized as a psychoactive drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Learn more...

Yields (6) 9-inch deep-dish pies.

Ingredients:

12 Sweet Potatoes

4 Cups Cane Sugar

1 Cup Vegan Butter

2 teaspoon Coriander

1- 1/2 teapoon Cardamom

3 teaspoons Non Alcoholic Vanilla

1/2 Cup Nut Milk

3 Cups Pecans, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Place them in a large pot (I use a 32-quart container) and fully submerge them in water. Boil for about 1 hour, or until a knife slides through easily.

2. Remove the sweet potatoes from the water (discard the water) and allow them to cool for about 1 hour. Then remove the skins.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prebake the pie crusts for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

4. Using a hand blender, begin blending the sweet potato. As you blend, remove any “hair” strings from the blender head. This may take several rinses (3–5 rinses). Also remove any dark spots in the mixture as needed.

I place a large paper bag over the bowl to prevent the fibers from flying around the kitchen.

As I blended the sweet potatoes, I rinsed the blender head occasionally to remove the fibrous “hairs,” ensuring the pie filling stayed silky and smooth.

5. Add the cane sugar and blend well. Then add the butter and blend again.

6. Add the coriander and blend. Then add the cardamom and blend.

7. Add the vanilla and blend. Then add the nut milk and blend until smooth.

8. Using a ladle, pour the sweet potato mixture into the pre-baked pie crusts. After ladling in the filling, use the bottom of the ladle to gently smooth the top so the surface is neat and even before baking.

9. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the tops of the pies.

10. Bake the pies at 350°F for 1 hour. Remove and allow them to cool at least 1 hour before serving.

    *If storing stacked: cover each pie in foil and stack with cardboard pieces between each pie.

    

    This is a picture of a "standard" Sweet Potato Pie

11. To reheat a finished pie, warm it in the oven at 150°F for about 30 minutes.