If you’re looking for a sweet potato pie recipe with pineapples and all kinds of added sugar, then this is not for you.
This dish is for the bodybuilders and fitness fanatics among us who want to build muscle and who prioritize nutrient-content over taste, function over form.
Just so you know, this dish eats like a small meal; definitely not a side.
It’s jam-packed with a lot of good, healthy ingredients as well and it’s relatively quick and easy to make, especially once you’ve baked the sweet potatoes in the oven beforehand, which takes about an hour or so.
This recipe makes two pies and it keeps in the refrigerator for about four days max.
Ingredients:
- 8-9 small to medium-size sweet potatoes, or 5-6 larger size sweet potatoes (organic if you can, but as many have said, conventional, non-organic sweet potatoes, which are touted as being a part of the ‘clean 15,’ are fine because they typically aren’t treated with a lot of chemicals, or pesticides)
- Whole wheat pie shells, 2-pack (preferably organic)
- Organic nut butter of your choice (4 tablespoons)
- 5 whole eggs (organic)
- Organic 0% fat Greek yogurt (2 cup)
- 2 scoops of Naked whey (or other preferably grass-fed whey protein powder)
- Five shakes of ground cinnamon
- A tablespoon of vanilla extract
- A tablespoon of guar gum (may not be needed)
Sweet potato pie recipe with mo’ protein (short version):
STEP 1: Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for an hour at 350. Let cool, then peel, and set aside.
STEP 2: In a food processor or blender, if that’s all you got, add just the peeled sweet potatoes. Blenderize!
STEP 3: Then, add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, two cups of Greek yogurt, four tablespoons of nut butter, and two scoops of whey protein. Blenderize again!
*Note: Depending on the blender you’re using, the mixture may get too thick to properly mix, in which case you’ll have to mix only half of the mixture at a time. If it’s not thick enough, which it usually is, then you may have to add a tablespoon of guar gum as a thickener.
STEP 4: Pour mixture into the two whole wheat pie shells and put them in the over for an hour at 350, or until you see a light browning on top.
*Note: Once you see the light browning on top, don’t leave it in any longer, or it will burn!
Sweet potato pie recipe with mo’ protein (long version):
O.K. so the reason why you want to bake the sweet potatoes in the oven and not boil them in a pot is because boiling them can sometimes dry them out too much. Baking them seals in the moisture and other goodness, making for a better sweet potato pie!
There’s no need to wrap the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil, or anything, if you don’t want to. I normally don’t.
Once they’ve been in there for an hour, they should be cooked through. If you have sweet potatoes that are on the larger side, you may have to cook them for a little bit longer to make sure they’re done (but not much longer).
Don’t burn yourself! Let them cool for a bit, then peel them and set them aside.
Now, with regard to the blender, I use a cheap Oster blender that has the rotating blade at the bottom and I sometimes have trouble blending the mixture because it gets too thick. So, I end up having to pour out some of the mixture and continue blending the rest of it until it’s smooth and then do the same thing for the part I set aside. I make it work.
However, I really do see the benefit in a Ninja-style blender for these types of jobs where you have a really thick mixture because it’s got the blades on a rotating shaft going all the way up the blender. If you’ve got a Ninja, you lucked out because this part will be a lot easier for you.
I usually mix the sweet potatoes first, then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend it up good, until it’s kind of thick, not soupy. If it’s still soupy after blending it, then you may have to add a tablespoon of guar gum to thicken it up, but you probably won’t need to.
Pour out the orangey mixture into the two whole wheat pie shells and throw it in the over for an hour at 350, making sure the top doesn’t over-brown.
Wait for the timer, ‘ding’! and, “boom!” as Emeril Lagasse would say. You’ve got some high-protein sweet potato pie!
Let me know how you like it. Call in and leave a voicemail at 917-267-8590.
Enjoy!
Read next: Why The Best Protein Bars Are In The Refrigerated Aisle