Have you ever made a pumpkin pie in a deep dish pie pan? That one can of pumpkin puree is not enough, but 2 is too much! That’s how this gluten-free sweet potato pumpkin pie was born. The filling is already dairy-free and the crust can be made dairy-free too with an easy substitution.
Pie Filling
The sweet potato is such a perfect addition to the pumpkin. It is naturally sweet, so less sugar/sweetener is needed. Just one medium-sized sweet potato added to the filling makes just the right amount for a deep dish pie.
You might be thinking, “but that sounds complicated because I have to cook the sweet potato.” Lucky for you, I am not very patient and I like to get to the part where I can eat the pie. So I use the microwave to cook the sweet potato to get the filling ready pretty quickly. The food processor (or blender) will do the rest of the work of getting this pie filling mixed.
Pie Crust
This recipe includes my rolled, flaky gluten-free pie crust. Here are step-by-step instructions and visuals on how to make a gluten-free pie crust. I do prefer a flaky buttery crust, but again, not being very patient, I also offer you a quicker option.
My 4-ingredient cookie crumb crust is super easy and fast, way faster than rolling out pie dough. If you’re gluten-free or not, use your favorite crunchy cookies like vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, chocolate wafers or even animal crackers. If you can find gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, lucky you! Use those for an even easier pie crust. In a pinch, I have even used crackers (similar to saltines) for an awesome sweet and salty pie crust. See the recipe card in my gluten-free strawberry pie post for the recipe for this gluten-free cookie crumb pie crust. Whether you’re using gluten-free or non gluten-free cookies, this recipe will work.
Of course your other option is to use a store-bought pie crust. I am all for making life easier! So if you have a ready-made one that you like, use that. But remember there is enough filling for a deep dish pie, so a store bought pie crust may be too small.
Baking Tips
I learned a while back the keys to baking a pumpkin and/or sweet potato pie. If you’ve baked one before you probably know that the pies often crack before or even after they come out of the oven. Why is this? The eggs in the filling are what set it. As they cook they tighten up. Tighten up too much, and the pie cracks.
The key to keeping the pie from cracking is to take it out earlier than you think. Way earlier. This pie is baked in 1 hour. Even if the center 4-5 inches are not completely firm, take it out. The residual heat will continue to cook the pie once it’s out of the oven. It’s hard to believe, and some years, I don’t believe it enough and I over-bake the pie.
My solution for an over-baked, cracked pie is a pretty disguise. I make some extra pie dough, roll it out, and cut out shapes to place on the pie once it’s baked. Bake the cut-outs on a sheet pan for about 10-12 minutes. Everyone will swoon at how pretty it is . . . only you’ll know!
Due to the one-hour baking time, it is best to cover the pie crust edge with a shield. This will keep it from over-browning. There are metal and silicone pie crust shields you can buy, or you can make on out of tin foil. Leave the pie crust shield on for the first 45 minutes of baking time.
To make a pie crust shield out of tin foil, tear off a sheet of foil that will cover the pie tin with a 1-2″ overlap.
Fold the foil in quarters.
Cut out the center and trim the square corners to create a 2″ wide ring.
Carefully unfold the ring and place on the crust edge.
Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Toppings
Of course whipped cream is the obvious and tasty choice. But here are a few simple options.
- Cinnamon Whipped Cream add 1/4 tsp cinnamon to 1 cup cream and whip as usual.
- My sweet and spicy candied pecans make an awesome crunchy addition to this pie.
- I know it sounds weird, but fresh cranberry sauce (not the stuff from a can) is SO GOOD on this pie. The tart cranberry is a perfect flavor combo with the rich, sweet pie.
Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie
This gluten-free sweet potato pumpkin pie will fill a deep dish pie pan for a perfect tall piece of pie. The filling is dairy-free!
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
- 1¼ cup gluten-free flour blend*
- ½ cup potato starch or non-gmo corn starch
- 1 Tbsp sugar (omit for savory pies)
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¾ tsp salt
- 8 Tbsps (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp water
- 1 egg for egg wash
Pie Filling
- 1 medium sized yam/sweet potato (about 12 oz or 1 cup)
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- ½ c milk (dairy or dairy-free)
- ½ c sugar
- 5 Tbsp maple syrup or agave
- 4 tbsp melted butter or butter substitute
- 3 eggs
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt (omit if using butter substitute)
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
See notes below for cookie crumb crust recipe with dairy-free option.
Make the pie dough
- In a small bowl, thoroughly beat the egg, water and vinegar together. Cut the butter into cubes.
- Place the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Or whisk them together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal (small pearl-sized pieces of butter). Use a pastry blender or two forks if you don't have a food processor.
- With the processor running, drizzle in the egg mixture. Run until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Form the dough into a thin disk and refrigerate wrapped in plastic for 20 minutes.
Roll out the Dough
- Splash or spray some water onto your counter top (this will keep the plastic wrap from shifting). Lay two 24″ long pieces of plastic wrap side-by-side, overlapping the long sides by 2 inches, on the counter. Smooth them out. Place the unwrapped dough onto the plastic
- Place 2 more side-by-side pieces of plastic over the dough.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/8″ thick. Roll from the center to the outside going around in a circle to keep it round.
- Keeping the plastic on, slide the rolled out crust onto an upside down sheet pan and chill for 20 minutes.
- Remove the top layer of plastic. With both hands and forearms under the bottom plastic, lift and flip it into the pan. Remove the plastic. Don’t worry too much if it tears-just use your fingertips to press it back together. If there are any big tears, just patch it with scraps from the edge. Form the edge and refrigerate again for 15 minutes.
Make the pie filling
- Rinse and slice the yam in half lengthwise. Place it cut side down on a dinner plate. Microwave on high for about 7-8 minutes or until cooked through. If the yam is large, stop the microwave and flip it over once or twice. Once cooked, take it off the hot plate, cut in a few pieces and let cool.
- While the yam is cooling, place the rest of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Once the yams are cooked, peel off the skin. and discard.
- Add the yam flesh to the food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth at least one minute. Be sure there are no chunks of yam.
- Beat the egg for the egg wash with 1 tsp of water. Brush the entire crust with the egg wash. This will keep the crust from getting soggy and will help the edge brown.
- Due to the long baking time, it is best to cover the edge of the crust with a pie crust shield or a ring of tin foil for the first 45 minutes. This will keep it from drying out or burning,
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 1 hour. The center will not be set completely. The residual heat will set the center once out of the oven. Cool at least one hour before serving.
- Top this gluten-free sweet potato pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream flavored with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon or my Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans.
Notes
*If using a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, omit the xanthan gum called for in the recipe.
Cookie Crumb Crust
7-8 oz gluten-free crunchy cookies or 2 c cookie/graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp unsalted melted butter or butter substitute
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt (omit if using butter subs)
Grind the cookies to fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sugar and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are moistened.
Press the crumbs evenly in the pie pan and bake for 5 minutes at 350°. Cool and fill.
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