These mini paleo sweet potato pies have the enthusiastic approval of six yoga teachers, two paleo bloggers, two cousins, one aunt, one uncle, and, me. When the beta version of the recipe was shared with the above, they all said, “this is definitely a blog-worthy recipe.”
I think it is one of the most blog-worthy recipes I’ve made in a while, in fact. The creamy, silky filling pairs beautifully with the shortbread-like crust. Even better, prep is easier than a traditional pie because you don’t need to roll out the dough. And it cooks in half the time. Win win!
About the ingredients
Tigernut flour – Tigernut is the new “in” superfood. It’s not a nut, it’s a grain-free flour made from nutrient-dense tubers. It lends a naturally sweet, nutty, toasty flavor and shortbread texture to this pie crust. I’ve written about the nutrition benefits of tigernuts here. Tigernut flour is not available in many stores (yet), but you can find it here on Amazon.
Sweet potato puree – You can make your own sweet potato puree from roasted sweet potatoes, and I highly recommend my technique for getting the perfect roasted sweet potato every time. Alternatively, I recommend this organic canned sweet potato puree. You can also use fresh or canned pumpkin puree to make mini pumpkin pies.
Coconut butter – Don’t confused coconut butter with coconut oil. It’s the same difference as almond butter and almond oil. I have a post about the various uses of coconut butter here, if you are wondering what else to do with it.
- ½ cup tigernut flour, available here
- ⅓ cup coconut flour, available here
- 2 Tbs. arrowroot flour, available here
- 1 Tbs. coconut sugar, available here
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or ghee, melted
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1¾ cups fresh sweet potato puree, or use 1 full can of sweet potato puree
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 Tbs. maple syrup
- 1½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice OR 1 tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. allspice, and ⅛ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut butter, liquified (see note below), available here
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight
- If using fresh sweet potatoes, I recommend this foolproof method for baking perfect sweet potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- To make the crust, combine all ingredients. I highly recommend using a handheld electric mixer. You will have a slightly sticky dough. Evenly divide the dough into the muffin cups and press into the bottom of the cups. Set aside while you make the filling.
- To make the filling, combine all ingredients, preferably with an electric mixer.
- Divide the filling on top of the crusts. Bake the mini pies for about 30 minutes, until the filling doesn't jiggle when the pan is tapped. Cool completely.
- To make the coconut whipped cream, keep the can upright and open it. Scoop out the thick coconut cream and leave behind the liquid. Whip the cream with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until it looks like whipped cream.
- Serve at room temperature or chill before serving. These mini pies store well in the fridge for a couple of days, but the color is most vibrant before they are refrigerated.
Coconut butter tends to harden if you have a cooler home or pantry. To liquify the coconut butter, place the jar in a saucepan of hot water, with water coming halfway up the jar. Once softened, stir to create a creamy consistency.
I can wait to try this recipe. Amazon messed up my tiger nut flour order and shipped me raw nuts do think there is anyway I can make my own flour
I cannot wait to try this recipe. Amazon messed up my tiger nut flour order and sent me raw nuts can I process them at home to make flour.
Hi Lauren, I’ve been researching the potential for tiger nut flour to be contaminated with heavy metals due to the unregulated soils in which they’re grown. Organic Gemini tiger nuts are from Niger and are imported from Spain, according to their website. A look at the CIA fact sheet on Niger is concerning: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ng.html. Food insecurity and drought are major issues, as is sanitation. I can’t specifically find information on heavy metal contamination in Niger but neighboring Nigeria has a serious problem with it: http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/publications/abdussalam/Some%20Heavy%20Metals…Ibadan,%20Nigeria.pdf AND http://www.pjoes.com/pdf/23.4/Pol.J.Environ.Stud.Vol.23.No.4.1091-1100.pdf.
I wonder if you have any connections which could shed light on this question. It would be really great if tiger nut flour and related products could be tested for contaminants by Mike Adams in his lab (Natural News).
I don’t expect you to publish this comment but I trust that if you have any information to share you’ll post it on your blog.
Thanks so much for all you do to encourage healthy living in so many of us. You’ve been a huge influence in my life and I’m sure many others’ as well. All the best!
Can I substitute something for tigernut flour? If not, can you direct me to another pie crust recipe without tigernuts? Thank you!
You can substitute any other nut or seed flour for the tigernut flour.
Lauren, your link to tigernut flour actually takes me to tigernuts. I also see tigernut flour on Amazon’s website. Which is correct?
If I wanted to make these in one big pie, how long should I bake them and at what temperature?
Looks amazing! Can I do flax eggs instead of regular eggs for both crust and filling?
Looks amazing!!! Thoughts on subbing flax eggs for all eggs in recipe?
Is arrowroot flour the same as arrowroot powder?
Yes, they are interchangeable.
Can I mix it up by hand instead of an electric mixer? Also, can I use coconut flour in place of the tigernut flour? Or will that be too much coconut flour? Thank you!
Yes, you can mix it by hand. I would suggest replacing the tigernut flour with a nut or seed flour (almond flour or sunflower seed flour, for example) not coconut flour. The coconut flour absorbs too much liquid.