Crustless Sweet Potato Pie (or Quick No-Bake Pudding)
Is it still considered a pie if it doesn’t have a crust? Or is this more of a custard? Those are life’s big questions right there. I’m going with pie because it’s sliceable.
Titles aside, this is a recipe I’ve been thinking up since Thanksgiving, and now I’m so smitten with it, I couldn’t wait a whole other year to share it with you. Additionally, it’s insanely cold these days and when my five layers of clothing weren’t cutting it, I decided warm sweet potato pie filling was the solution.
In the past, I’ve used tofu or cornstarch as thickeners. This time, I tried something different: cashews. Because, well, what can’t the little cashew do? They’re so versatile—from savory to sweet recipes—and I especially love them in homemade nut milk (no straining! though you do miss out on an opportunity to talk about nut milk bags). I typically soak my cashews for a couple of hours before using them, but for today’s recipe I simply added them to the blender with the other ingredients and blended everything for a couple of minutes until smooth. The result was a perfectly creamy, rich but not heavy, ridiculously easy dessert. If you’re particularly short on time, you can even skip the baking, call this sweet potato pudding, and grab a spoon. I had trouble not eating it straight out of the blender.
So, whether you call it crustless pie, custard, or pudding, I hope we can all agree that filling trumps crust any day (and coconut whipped cream is divine). The crust, after all, is just a vehicle for the filling.
Crustless Sweet Potato Pie (or Quick No-Bake Pudding)
Crustless Sweet Potato Pie (or Quick No-Bake Pudding)
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
This recipe is dedicated to all of my fellow pie filling lovers, who can usually be found standing in the refrigerator door when no one is looking, scooping out the filling and leaving a sad, empty crust. Alternatively, if you don't feel like baking, this recipe makes one seriously good (and super quick) sweet potato pudding.
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegan Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Total Time: 45 mins
This recipe is dedicated to all of my fellow pie filling lovers, who can usually be found standing in the refrigerator door when no one is looking, scooping out the filling and leaving a sad, empty crust. Alternatively, if you don't feel like baking, this recipe makes one seriously good (and super quick) sweet potato pudding.
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a pie dish with coconut oil and set it aside.
- In a high speed blender, process all of the filling ingredients until very smooth (about 2 minutes).
- Transfer the sweet potato filling to the prepared pie dish and bake it for 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool until just warm (about 1 hour) before serving. The filling will firm up as it cools.
- Just before serving, prepare the coconut whipped cream by opening the can of coconut milk and scooping out the top layer of solid coconut cream into the bowl of a stand mixer (Sidenote: save the remaining coconut liquid for smoothies).
- Mix the coconut cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean powder on low speed until combined, then crank it up to high speed for 1-2 more minutes until light and fluffy.
- Generously dollop over the sweet potato filling and serve immediately.
Notes [2]
Leftover coconut whipped cream can be stored in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days. It will harden when cold, so simply mix it on high speed until it’s light and airy again.
I do not recommend using the Whole Foods 365 brand of full-fat, canned organic coconut milk. I had a tough time getting it to separate when refrigerated, which made for a runnier whipped cream than I would have liked.
Copyright © 2023 Amanda Maguire for Pickles & Honey
