Dye-Free Hot Pink Pie {Paleo, Vegan}
How gorgeous is this PINK? Can you believe there’s NO food coloring, no dyes, nada! It’s 100% NATURAL. Colored with vegetables. Yes, VEGETABLES! 😀
My jaw literally dropped when I saw this HOT PINK. Can you believe this?? Normally, you’d need at least 2 whole bottles of artificial food coloring to achieve this gorgeousness. But not here!
It’s made with PLANTS, lol. I THAT MAKES ME GIDDY. Don’t you just love using whole foods in all their glory? I do! 🙂
Typically, to achieve such vibrancy, I use things like freeze dried fruit because the color is so concentrated. But this is something NEW. No fruit! Just veggies.
Can you guess what the secret vegetable is?? =D
My heart BEETS for you <3
Yep, this pie is made with BEETS!! Ever since I saw this gorgeous beet hummus at Aldi, I knew I had to make a Pretty Pie using beets.
This was my very first time to cook beets. I don’t know why, but they have always intimidated me. Maybe because I had heard horror stories of kitchens looking like a crime scene… ruined clothes, and stained pink everything!
But I was worried for nothing. I asked some friends for advice on how to cook them and their tips were perfect! It was so much easier than I thought. No crime scene kitchen, ha!
Have you ever roasted beets? Basically, you can roast them just like any other root vegetable: 400 degrees, about 45 minutes, until fork tender. But first line your baking sheet with foil or parchment and wrap your beets in foil to contain the drippy pink mess.
No need to peel until they’re cooked and cooled. I didn’t have gloves, so I put ziplock bags on my hands to remove the peel, lol. Worked great!
Beets, Bears, Battlestar Galactica
Any fans of The Office? Beets always make me think of Dwight. I loved that TV show. Hilarious. And now I love beets, too, haha. Dwight and I have something in common. 😉 Beets really are the BEST.
Maybe you’re like me, and you never tasted a beet before. Well now’s your chance! They’re delicious. And they’re gorgeous!!
What do they taste like? They remind me of sweet potatoes (especially purple sweet potatoes). They are starchy, smooth, and sweet with a mild earthy flavor.
But when you combine them with the AMAZINGNESS that is cashew cream, pure maple syrup and a combination of vanilla and almond extracts, it’s a positively perfect PINK party in your mouth. This pie sortof has the same flavor as a vanilla shortbread cookie! But in a luscious cream. So good!
Lipstick and Girl Power
So girly! It’s like a tube of lipstick! This hot pink is the ultimate girl power pie. Bold and beautiful. This one proudly takes the spotlight and radiates it’s bright pink glory. Pleasingly sweet, light, smooth and just drop dead gorgeous. Almost too pretty to eat! Almost 😉
I actually made a Beet FROSTING to go on this pie that I was going to use as garnish, but it didn’t need it. The beautiful, majestic magenta is the star of the show. Pure and simple. You don’t have to dress it up.
(BUT, the frosting is quite tasty, so I’ll put the recipe in the notes just in case you wanna try it. The color is a deeper, almost burgundy shade. And it tastes like chocolate! YUM.)
Do you love pink? You’ve gotta make this! I wanna see your creations! Tag me on Facebook or Instagram #prettypies =D
Hot Pink Pie {Paleo, Vegan}
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbs water
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- 2 Tbs coconut oil
- Dash of Himalayan pink salt
Hot Pink Pie Filling
- 1 cup + 2 Tbs raw cashews
- 3/4 cup roasted beets
- 3 1/2 Tbs maple syrup - to taste
- 1/2 cup coconut oil - melted
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp almond extract
- dash of Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
- Press into the bottom of a 7" springform pan lined with parchment.
To make the filling:
- Soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight (or in boiling water for 1 hour). Drain, rinse and shake dry.
- Blend cashews in a food processor for 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Pour cream over crust and smooth with a spatula. Place a paper towel over the top of the springform (not touching the pie) to absorb excess moisture. Wrap tightly with foil.
- Freeze for 3-4 hours until completely firm.
- When set, run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the springform to release it.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Beet Frosting
To make it: leave about 1 Tbs pie filling in food processor. Add heaping 1/3 cup roasted beets, 2 Tbs cashew butter, 2 tsp each: cocoa, maple syrup, and water. Blend smooth. Transfer to a baggie to pipe on all fancy-like 😉
14 Comments
Ashley
Gorgeous! I love beets – both their earthy taste and amazing color =)
Emily
Thanks, Ashley! I fell in love with them too
Regina Sheung
Hello
Thanks for your post and sharing your beautiful recipes. I have a question about making the crust. May I ask you to walk me through how to bake it as I only see the preparation part above.
I’m very new to this : )
Thanks
Emily
Hi Regina,
Actually it’s no-bake! Just mix it together and when it’s chilled, the coconut oil holds it together. It’s sort of a crumb crust 🙂
Regina Sheung
Thanks again Emily. This sounds amazing!
Emily
You are welcome! & thank you If you make it, I’d love to hear what you think.
Nirvana
This looks amazing! What do you mean by roasted beets. Cooked or raw? Thanks.
Emily
Cooked in the oven 🙂 it makes them a little sweeter
Nicole Lippold
Hi Emily. This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. But just curious about the cashews. I’m wanting to eliminate lectins from my diet as much as possible and was wondering if you know about removing them by pressure cooking.
Emily
Hi Nicole! Thank you!
I have never heard of pressure cooking to remove lectins. I’m sorry. But I have heard that soaking the cashews should help lower them.
One alternative is swapping cashews for macadamia nuts, which are low in lectins.
Or if you have a pressure cooker, I bet it would be easy to cook them in some water.
Good luck to you 🙂 hope you enjoy the pie!
Natasha
It looks amazing. I cannot wait to try it out. However, I have a question. Can I use anything different than cashews? My daughter is cashew intolerant Thank you
Emily
Thanks! Yes, you can use blanched almonds. Use this recipe and add in the beets: https://prettypies.com/almond-dreamcake-vegan-paleo/
Let me know if you have any questions Hope you enjoy!
Kim
Do you think monkfruit syrup will work in this recipe? I can’t wait to try this. I so love the way you make things gorgeous without using artificial colors!!!!!!
Emily
Thank you!! Isn’t the color so pretty? Yes you definitely can use monkfruit syrup (maple or vanilla) — just be sure to taste as you go so it’s as sweet as you like. If it needs a little more, add a bit of powdered monkfruit, or a few squirts of monkfruit or stevia drops. (Not syrup because adding extra liquid may make the pie too soft)
Hope that helps 🙂