I asked on my Facebook fan page if there were any Thanksgiving recipes that folks were looking to replace because they are on GAPS. I was able to find substitutes for several of the requests, but not for Sweet Potato pie. And so I set out to see if I could invent a Sweet Potato Pie substitute. There was only one small problem… I've not eaten Sweet Potato Pie enough in my life to know what it's supposed to taste like. Luckily I happen to work with some of the nicest people who are willing to sacrifice their taste buds to try my GAPS legal goodies.

My first task was to determine what to substitute for the sweet potatoes. I've heard that pumpkin [affiliate link] pie is very similar to Sweet Potato pie, but obviously those who love Sweet Potato pie aren't going to be satisfied with pumpkin pie. For one thing, the color is off. Right? Sweet potatoes are usually a bright pretty orange color. I decided to ask Google what could I substitute for sweet potatoes.

Google told me carrots. Yes, carrots.

Now when I did the taste testing at work, I told my guinea pigs – er, my coworkers that I could not reveal to them the secret ingredient until they tasted the pie. I needed an honest opinion, I told them, on whether this pie could pass for a Sweet Potato Pie. I received a thumbs up from ten people who know what Sweet Potato pie is supposed to taste like.

There was some surprise that the secret ingredient was carrots. My taste testers admitted they might have been swayed in the tasting process had I revealed they were eating Carrot Pie. It just doesn't conjure up the right taste in your mouth, unless you're Bugs Bunny. 😉

So my advice to you is to keep the secret ingredient secret, if at all possible, until your family has tasted this magnificent pie.

If you have been following GAPS for a while and your taste buds have adjusted to having less sweets, use the “extreme” version amounts for honey [affiliate link]. The baking time is a slightly less for the smaller amount of honey. The pie is perfectly delicious with less honey. However, if you are trying to please family and friends who are accustomed to eating lots of sweets, I recommend using the full amounts of honey.

And one more note before I share the recipe – this pie freezes nicely. It would be best to freeze the pie without the meringue as the meringue became “sloppy” once thawed. It takes about four hours to thaw at room temperature, and I would make the meringue on the day you are planning to serve the pie.

Faux Sweet Potato Pie

This recipe works in a 9-1/2″ pie plate.

Pie Filling

• 2-1/2 cups of carrots (2 pounds of carrots; after peeling and removing tops they weighed 1# 10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup honey* (reduce to 2 tablespoons for the extreme version)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 large eggs [affiliate link]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla [affiliate link]
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt [affiliate link]
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon [affiliate link]
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger [affiliate link]
• 1/2 cup coconut milk [affiliate link]

Peel and trim the tops and bottoms from two pounds of carrots. Cut into 1-1/2 to 2″ pieces.

Steam above the level of the water for 25 minutes, or until fork tender. I used Costco's large organic carrots and they were perfect for this recipe.

Add the cooked carrots, honey, melted butter and eggs to your blender. I used my Magic Bullet Blender and split up the ingredients into three batches.

Blend until completely smooth and creamy. The mixture will be thick like pudding.

Remove to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix together.

Pie Crust

• 1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour [affiliate link], tamped down and measured with a knife flat across the top of the cup measurement
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup palm shortening or butter, soft and at room temperature
• ice water

Add almond flour into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in the salt, and mix together to spread evenly throughout. Add butter and using a Pastry Blender (or two knives) cut the butter into the flour. When the mixture looks crumbly, add one teaspoon of ice water and gently fold using a fork. Add one to two more teaspoons of ice water, each time gently lifting the flour and folding over so that all flour is moistened. The mixture should look crumbly.

Take about 2/3rds of the mixture and sprinkle it evenly into the pie plate. Begin pressing gently with your fingers and heel of your hand along the bottom of the pie plate. When you have the dough pressed evenly across the bottom and slightly going up the sides of the pie plate, add the remaining 1/3 evenly around the sides. Now begin working the dough up the side of the pie plate, gently pressing until even in all areas. I find this method works well with almond flour, rather than trying to roll out between parchment paper.

You may wish to decorate the edges with the tines of a fork pressed gently into the rim.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the pie filling to the pie crust. Smooth the pie filling to the edges and smooth the top until it is level.

The crust will need to be covered with either a ring fashioned from aluminum foil, or if you have a pie crust protector like this one I recently found which previously I never knew existed: Norpro Silicone Pie Crust Shield

Bake for 40 minutes and check for doneness. I had to bake this pie for 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the outer edges came out clean, but the center was still a little bit sticky when I took it out. Remove from oven and it will continue baking for just a little while and the center will firm up.

Bake the extreme version for 35 minutes at 350°F.

Meringue Topping

If you need super sweet GAPS Legal topping, please follow the original recipe, found here at Cara's: Health, Home and Happiness Simple Meringue Frosting.

For my taste testers, I used Cara's recipe, and used my husband's torch to toast the top. If you do not have a Kitchen Torch you can put the pie into the oven at 400°F and bake for 3 to 5 minutes until the peaks are browned.

• 1/4 cup honey (2 tablespoons for the extreme version)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Carefully separate egg yolks from egg whites. Place the egg whites into a bowl with the salt. Using a hand mixer whip at high speed for 1 minute and 30 seconds until stiff peaks are formed. Place the honey in a small saucepan and heat at medium heat until the honey boils and begins to slightly turn a darker color. If you have a thermometer, boil until the honey reaches 245°F.

Return to the egg whites, turn the mixer back on high and begin slowly drizzling the boiling hot honey into the egg whites. Continue to whip the egg whites for 2-3 minutes longer until the mixture has cooled to the touch.