Dreamy Sweet Potato Pie Bars with Ginger Cookie Crust (vegan, gluten-free)
Have you had sweet potato pie before? My first time was when we lived in Arkansas. I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually pretty good! I like pumpkin pie, but don’t love it, so I thought it would be similar. However, I actually really love the flavor of the sweet potato pie way more.
The store bought one I first tasted was a little too sweet for my liking, but these homemade sweet potato pie bars are the perfect sweetness, so smooth, creamy, and full of fall flavor! I decided to go the bar route instead of a traditional pie crust because I love how the ginger cookie crust compliments the pie filling so well. It adds the perfect amount of spice and crunch to the luscious filling. No soggy bottoms/crusts here! If you aren’t a huge ginger fan, you can definitely just use graham crackers (or gluten-free ones), but let me just say the ginger cookies really take these sweet potato pie bars to the next level.
The dreamy sweet potato pie filling is so incredibly easy to make too! Just put everything in the food processor and blend until nice and creamy. That’s it! I could literally just eat the filling by the spoonful. It is so dang good. I used fresh, steamed sweet potatoes that I mashed up into a smooth puree. You can either steam your sweet potatoes whole (I used my instant pot to do it) or roast them whole in the oven.
This pie is probably my second most favorite pie for Thanksgiving (my apple crumble pie is my number 1) and honestly I would make this year round. It’s seriously so delicious and an absolute dream pie, you would never guess that it is vegan and gluten-free (if using a GF cookie for the crust)! I’ll be having this for pie night this week!
Dreamy Sweet Potato Pie Bars with Ginger Cookie Crust (vegan, gluten-free)
Ingredients
Cookie Crust
- 2 cups ginger cookie crumbs (I used Nairn’s GF ginger cookies, but any crunchy ginger cookies will work, or use graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Filling
- 2 cups mashed sweet potato
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (make sure the can is shaken well and the cream is mixed in with the water before using)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. I sprayed the pan then used 2 pieces of parchment paper going in different directions to line the pan. Spraying it before putting parchment paper down helps hold the paper in place.
- To make the cookie crust, add ginger cookies (or graham crackers) to a food processor and process until it forms fine crumbs or a flour like consistency. Measure out 2 cups and place it in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and maple syrup. Stir until everything is well combined. Press cookie mixture into the prepared pan and make sure it is packed into the pan evenly. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool while you make the filling.
- Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F to preheat while you make the filling. Add all filling ingredients into the food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. I processed it for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally. Pour filling into the pan with the cookie crust. Smooth out the top and lightly drop the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F (without opening the oven door) and bake for an additional 25-28 minutes. Let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 1-2 hours then place in the fridge (uncovered) to cool and firm up overnight. Slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
