When you've got extra boiled potatoes on hand, you make a custard pie, right? Or is it just me? ??
Well who knew, but potatoes as a sneaky hidden ingredient make such a lovely no-bake pie -- in fact the end product is something very similar to a custard. It's smooth, lush, and somehow very delicate, and checks off all the boxes in the delish and unusual department.
Of course regular blueberry pie will always have my heart too, but this was a nice change up. On a whim I decided to whip up some potatoes with a bunch of other things I had on hand, including a big ol' jar of blueberry jam, and I was really pleasantly surprised at the result.
One thing to note: I actually made a bit too much filling in this case because I used an unusual pan that had very shallow sides, so the resulting extra filling went into a little trifle jar, layered with some coconut whip and coconut chocolate whip. It was quite delish like that as well.
So depending on your mood, you can make the custard filling on its own, or go all the way for a custard pie by adding the crust. The crust is really more of a container in this case... either way you're in for a treat :)
Blueberry Custard Pie
A blueberry custard pie made thanks to a surprising ingredient -- potatoes! This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free, and can be made without added oil or nuts.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 7" tart
- Category: Pie
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
-
1¾ cups gluten-free instant oats
-
⅓ cup cashews (or another ¼ cup gluten-free instant oats for a nut-free version)*
- 6 tbsp coconut milk (add a touch more if the consistency seems dry)
-
⅓ cup maple syrup
-
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
-
¼ teaspoon salt
- optional: 2 tablespoon coconut oil for a firmer consistency
Filling
- 340 gr peeled potatoes, boiled or steamed until fork tender and falls apart easily, cooled to room temp
- ½ cup coconut cream (just the thick white stuff from the top of a can of full fat coconut milk that's been chilled overnight)
- 1 tbsp lime (or lemon) juice
- ½ cup fruit-sweetened blueberry jam (I used St. Dalfour)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Toppings:
- ¼ cup more blueberry jam
- cacao nibs or chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)
- dried culinary lavender
Instructions
- Process all crust ingredients in a food processor into a sticky fine crumble. Transfer the mixture into a 7" pie plate with a removable bottom (or a dish of a similar size lined with parchment paper) and press down into an even crust along the base and edges. Freeze while working on next step.
- Blend all filling ingredients in a power blender into a smooth consistency. Transfer the filling mixture into the prepared crust and level out the top.
- Drop the additional jam from the toppings onto the top of the pie and use a spoon to lightly swirl it in. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate of cacao nibs around the edges (if using).
- Freeze for 3-4 hours to set, or refrigerate overnight. Enjoy! (Keep leftovers refrigerated).
Notes
*The cashews really help the crust's flavor and texture, but for a nut-free alternative feel free to go with more oats to replace the nuts.
Vinny says
I made this and my spouse and kids enjoyed it.
Audrey says
So happy to heat that Vinny! This pie is so fun to try out :)
Chris says
This sounds amazing! How do you think it would work with additional nuts rather than oats in the crust? Any suggested substitutions for the coconut cream and coconut milk?
Audrey says
Hi Chris, I think an all nut crust will work great here. But the coconut cream is kind of essential to the filling here. I think you can get by with maybe some cashew cream instead, but I haven't tried it out so it would be experimental :) If you're doing an all nut crust by the way, you don't need the coconut milk in the crust, it's there more to soften and moisten the oats.
Mika says
Hi, Audrey! I wanted to catch you in the most likely place so I thought it'd be your second most recent post. Of course i'm here to ask you if you could make something. Just because you can. And this time its a spiced, refined sugar free zucchini bread. because I have NO idea what to do with the (four) zucchini ( is it zucchini or zucchinis?) rotting away in my fridge. And that's the only thing I could think of. Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Mika. I'd love to, but unfortunately I'm juggling a few projects at the moment and definitely don't think I could churn out a recipe fast enough before your zucchini expires :)
Not sure if it's helpful, but these buckwheat zucchini chocolate "mud cakes" could be a good way to use some of them up: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/buckwheat-zucchini-chocolate-cupcakes-gluten-free-vegan-refined-sugar-free-oil-free-gum-free/
And if you see a zucchini bread on the blog down the road, know that it's inspired by your request :)
Cassie Autumn Tran says
What a clever idea to put leftover potatoes in a pie! Sneaking in some nutrients and fiber there too :) Anyways, this blueberry custard pie looks just like a dream. I could have the entire thing in heaven and be so happy!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Cassie :) I wasn't expecting the texture to be so custard-like, so I'm glad I gave it a try.
Francoise Murat says
Do you think I could use sweet potatoes instead ? Love your recipes by the way always taste so good :)
Audrey says
Hi Francoise. I think it could probably work, but it would be quite a different dessert. Sweet potatoes are less starchy, a lot sweeter, and have a strong color usually. So the coloring will be kind of muddy in this, I imagine (purple + brown), and the sweetener would need to be reduced to taste. If it must be a sweet potato, I'd go with white yams or something like that for a closer match.
Pixie @ Cheerfully Vegan says
Sounds intriguing. I don't have a kitchen scale. Can you give a rough estimate of how much potato was used?
Audrey says
Hi Pixie, sorry for the delayed reply. It's roughly 2.5 medium potatoes.
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
This is so very clever! I love it - what a great idea using potatoes in the filling.
Audrey says
Thanks Kari. It makes a surprisingly lovely filler :)