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

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Hot Pink Pie {Paleo, Vegan}

Gorgeous color without artificial coloring! Smooth vanilla cream pie that's unbelievably PINK!

2.75 from 8 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Emily

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

This recipe makes a small pie. Use a 6-7" cheesecake (springform) pan or tart pan. Double the recipe to fill a standard 9" pan.

What I used:

Keep tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Or freeze for 1 month.

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 😉

Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!