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These Sweet Potato Pie Bars are Gluten-Free, Vegan, and made with only 9 healthy ingredients! Perfectly spiced, Refined Sugar-Free, and Oil-Free.
I love sweet potatoes. At one point in college, I was eating SO many that my hands and feet turned orange – oops? Thankfully, these Sweet Potato Pie Bars won’t make you look like an oompah loompah…
They will, however, make you do a little happy dance because they taste so dang good. With a buttery pecan crust and creamy, naturally-sweetened filling, they’re the perfect wholesome autumn treat. Step aside, pumpkin pie!
INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION
Not only does this recipe taste delicious, but it’s good FOR you as well! These sweet potato bars are made from only 9 plant-based ingredients and is also gluten, oil, and refined sugar-free.
This recipe is made from simple and wholesome ingredients – the crust is made from rolled oats, pecans, and a flax “egg” to bind everything together. The sweet potato “filling” is simply made from steamed sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder! I also like to add in some pumpkin pie spice for extra autumnal flair.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SWEET POTATO PIE BARS
This recipe comes together with only a few simple steps:
- 1. Steam your sweet potatoes and set a 9×9″ baking pan off to the side
- 2. Pulse the crust together in a food processor, then press into the pan.
- 3. Blend the sweet potato filling, then spread it on top
- 4. Bake until set, then enjoy!
It’s as easy as pie! Or in this case…bars (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself). But that being said, I do think I prefer bars to pie. They’re easier to slice, hold their shape well, and are easy to pick up, making them a perfect party food. Plus who could say no to these cute little squares?
You can top your Sweet Potato Pie Bars with a dollop of coconut whip cream and a pecan for some extra ~fancy feels~, but they are honestly just as delicious on their own, too. However you serve them, they’re a perfect holiday (or any time of year) treat that everyone can enjoy.
COOKING TIPS + FAQ
- Can I make these without nuts? Sure! You can substitute the pecans in this recipe for either pumpkin seeds (recommended) or sunflower seeds.
- What about canned sweet potatoes? I used fresh sweet potatoes for this recipe and steamed them. I have not tested this recipe using a canned sweet potato puree and cannot guarantee the same results, as it will be runnier. Same goes with pumpkin puree – it’s not as thick, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
- Thickeners: Please do not replace the Arrowroot Powder in this recipe; it acts differently than cornstarch and the final result will not be the same.
If you’re looking for more autumn-inspired dessert recipes, you’ll also love this Vegan Pecan Pie, this Wholesome Vegan Apple Cake, and this Fluffy Pumpkin Bread!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintSweet Potato Pie Bars
These Sweet Potato Pie Bars are Gluten-Free, Vegan, and made with only 9 healthy ingredients! Perfectly spiced, Refined Sugar-Free, and Oil-Free.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9-12 Bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 tablespoons ground flax + 5 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 cup (105 g) pecans
- 1 cup (92 g) rolled oats, gluten-free if necessary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- 4 cups (580 g) sweet potato, peeled & diced (about 2 medium)
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used Soy)
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) grade A maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder*
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and grease or line a 9×9″ baking pan. Mix the flax and water together in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes, to let thicken.
- Steam: Add the diced sweet potatoes to a vegetable steamer or a pot + colander combination with 3″ of water. Cover and steam for 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Crust: In the meantime, prepare the base layer for the bars. Add the pecans, oats, and salt to a food processor with an S-blade attached. Process until a fine crumble forms. Add the flax egg to the mixture and pulse until well-combined. A sticky “dough” should form. Press the dough into the baking dish; I like to use a spatula to make sure it is really packed down and even. Quickly rinse out the food processor, then return it to its base.
- Filling: Add the steamed sweet potato to the container with the milk, maple syrup, arrowroot powder, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt.Process for at least 60 seconds, or until the mixture is thick and smooth. Spread this mixture over top of the crust, using a spatula again to smooth out the top.
- Bake: Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let the bars cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing. Top as desired (I like to serve mine with some coco whip and a pecan). Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
- Nut-free: use pumpkin seeds instead of pecans
- If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- Substitutions: Ground flax may be substituted with ground chia seed. Rolled oats may be substituted with quick oats, but not steel cut oats. I do not recommend substituting the arrowroot powder in this recipe; it acts differently than cornstarch and the final result will not be the same.
Keywords: Sweet Potato Bars, Sweet Potato Pie Bars, Vegan Sweet Potato Bars, Vegan Sweet Potato Pie Bars
This post was updated 11/2021 with new photos and copy, but the recipe remains the same.
Wholesome and delicious! I ended up subbing tapioca starch for the arrowroot powder like some comments suggested and it turned out well. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it, Natalie!
I used 1.5 times everything and made it in a 9×13, it was amazing! Will make again soon 🙂
★★★★★
So happy you loved it, Sydney!
I didn’t have arrowroot powder, so I replaced it with the same quantity of tapioca flour/starch. The result was delicious too! Thanks for the lovely recipe Caitlin.
Glad it worked out, Xena! Thank you so much ♥
Hi! I have left over, baked, sweet potato and would love to use it with this recipe. Do you know what the sweet potato cup measurement is? Thank you.
Hi Linda, 4 cups (580 grams) sweet potato. Since what you have is already baked, I’m assuming they would be fork tender or at least soft enough and ready to mix with the other ingredients for the filling in a food processor.
I found this recipe to be quite versatile and delicious! I used walnuts (all I had) and tapioca powder (3Tbls + 1/2 tsp per another comment). After cooling, the filling was super custard-like. Put in the fridge overnight it was perfect pie consistency! Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
I made this recipe and it was good but I would add some sweetner or sugar – just a bit to the crust next time!
★★★★
Thank you for the feedback, Jennifer. 🙂
I too added some sweetener to the crust. Since I already had the crust in the pan before tasting a bit, ( I used walnuts) I just drizzled some agave on top of the crust before adding the filling. Will definitely be making this recipe again. It’s delicious and versatile.
★★★★★
Happy you loved it, Sheila! Thank you so much.
These are incredible – so easy to make and taste amazing!
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Jen!
Looks so very good. Haven’t yet made them because I don’t have arrow root. I’m going to use potato starch. Don’t understand why this ingredient is not in your pantry. Or have I just missed it?
Arrowroot differs significantly from potato starch so I wouldn’t recommend interchanging them.
I have an excess of canned pumpkin on hand, is there any way I could substitute with that? Not sure what the quantity would be though.
That could work, although we didn’t intend to use canned pumpkin because it could potentially be a bit thinner. I would go with maybe 2-3 cups of pumpkin if you decide to give it a shot!
I don’t usually leave comments about recipes but this one is just too good not to shout out about! What a wonderful, healthy dessert whether you are plant-based or not. This will definitely be my “go to” recipe when I need to bring a dessert to an event. Cut into squares, it makes perfect finger food.
I left the tray in another room to cool off. The aroma was so good in there that I walked in and out several times just to breathe deeply and plant another smile on my face!
It turns out that my box of Arrowroot was actually Arrowroot Substitute – Tapioca – but the bars still held their shape. I could pick them up and then bite into that delicious, slightly gooey sweet potato mix. I would probably add 1/2tsp. more of the tapioca powder next time just to see if it makes much of a difference.
Many thanks from the Far North, New Zealand!
★★★★★
That’s so awesome to hear, thanks so much! Arrowroot and tapioca can swap out pretty seamlessly but with slight differences, as it seems you noticed. Thanks again!
I’ve made this twice in the last two days, needless to say my fam and I love this recipe! I even took some to work and my non plant based coworkers could not get enough. Great recipe and probably my new fav dessert! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing your success story with your coworkers, love hearing that! And glad you liked it!