The Beginner’s Guide to Sweet Bean Pie

by Dorothy Reinhold on February 28, 2015


Print This Post Print This Post Sweet Bean Pie | Bean Pie Dessert Recipe | ShockinglyDelicious.com

We know beans, and we know pie, right? I’m confident you’re with me so far.

But beans IN your pie, and for dessert? If that’s the question, the answer is YES!

My daughter and I first tasted Bean Pie at the Malibu Farmers Market. We bought it from a nice young man vendor who insisted we try all his varieties. “Yes, please,” we said, as we stood there munching. We fell in love with the simple spiced flavor, the custard-like interior, and the cute individual pies. She talked me into buying a few of them so she could take them in her lunch.

History of bean pie: Bean pies have been standard items at black Muslim bakeries and sold by followers of the Nation of Islam on street corners and farmers markets since the early 1970s. In his treatise “How to Eat to Live,” religious leader Elijah Muhammad wrote that beans were a blessed food, but sweet potatoes weren’t fit for man to eat. So his daughter channeled sweet potato pie flavors and created a recipe using navy beans. It was so delicious it became a popular way to raise money for the Nation of Islam.

What beans to use: Although navy beans are the most commonly called for in recipes, you could use Great Northern beans or pinto beans.

Equipment: If you use canned beans, rinse and drain them. You can mash them with a fork (they are so soft they will mash smooth very easily). Or you can use a blender or food processor to mix up the filling if you like. In this recipe, I used a fork to mash the beans, and an electric mixer to mix the filling.

Sweet Bean Pie | Bean Pie Dessert Recipe | ShockinglyDelicious.comSweet Bean Pie…it’s what’s for dessert at my house!

Sweet Bean Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: Serves 8.

Serving Size: 1 piece

With spicing reminiscent of a pumpkin or sweet potato pie, a Sweet Bean Pie will satisfy traditional taste buds. It's wonderful with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!

Ingredients

  • Pastry for a 9-inch single-crust pie {I used Pillsbury}
  • 2/3 cup vanilla sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2/3 cup half-and-half
  • 3 tablespoons light-flavored extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed, cooked navy beans {I used a 16-ounce can of Bush's White Beans, rinsed, drained and mashed with a fork; this was exactly 1 cup}

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with crust, then crimp the edges decoratively and place it in the freezer while you work on the filling.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, half-and-half, olive oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix on low until well combined. Add the mashed beans and beat all the ingredients together well. Filling will be smooth and slightly thick.
  3. Remove pie crust from the freezer and pour the filling into the piecrust. Place the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake 40-50 minutes, until the edges puff up and the center is fairly firm, wiggling only a little when you gently nudge the pan.
  4. Remove pie from oven and place on a cooling rack; let cool for 20-30 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. (Leftovers are great even straight from the fridge!)
  5. Serve 8.

Notes

Source: Adapted from "Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, from Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan," by Nancie McDermott.

Sunday Supper: Here's my collection of Sunday Supper recipes It's a wonderful resource for browsing!

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/sweet-bean-pie/

Today’s recipes for Sunday Supper

Sunday Supper badgeToday our Sunday Supper group offers you 43 recipes for a Beantastic Sunday Supper, hosted by Tammi of Momma’s Meals. Try my Sweet Bean Pie, which might be the most unusual way you’ve eaten beans, or something else from the list below that floats your boat!

Beantastic Beginners:

Bean-a-rific Soups and Stews:

Bean-a-licious Sides:

Incredi-bean Main Meals:

Amaze-beans Sweet Endings:

 

{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }

Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm March 2, 2015 at 2:16 pm

Leave it to you Dorothy to come up with such a unique addition to Sunday Supper. This pie sounds wonderful.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 2, 2015 at 4:55 pm

Aw shucks, Wendy. Just thinkin’ outside the box!

Reply

Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook March 2, 2015 at 12:02 pm

Hey, with those spices and the shape of a pie you could hide anything! This recipe is great – thanks so much for sharing!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 2, 2015 at 4:55 pm

You’re right Lauren. You could hide all manner of vegetables this way.

Reply

cathy March 2, 2015 at 6:41 am

beans in pie — well why not? Yum

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 2, 2015 at 8:39 am

Cathy,
Exactly! No reason why not!

Reply

Susan | LunaCafe March 1, 2015 at 6:58 pm

I’ve never heard of bean pie. So of course I had to check it out. And now I have to try it. 🙂

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 7:58 pm

You do, Susan. You must make it!

Reply

Amanda March 1, 2015 at 5:38 pm

This is one pie recipe I just have to try! It’s interesting, has a story, and anything that tastes sort of like pumpkin pie is something I must have 🙂

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 5:39 pm

If you like pumpkin pie, Amanda, you’ll like this!

Reply

Kimberly March 1, 2015 at 5:23 pm

Wow … what a unique pie recipe! And it really does sound delicious! Thanks for sharing the history of it too!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 5:40 pm

Kimberly,
I found the history fascinating!

Reply

Cindys Recipes and Writings March 1, 2015 at 4:51 pm

I love it Dorothy! Very different!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 5:07 pm

Thanks Cindy! You have to try it. Trust me.

Reply

April March 1, 2015 at 4:48 pm

So I made this today and the color wasn’t nearly as appetizing as the picture here. I like that it’s not very sweet given that most American desserts are over-the-top sweet and I like the flavor but I think it could actually use a bit more spice. The consistency is ok but I can’t help but wonder if either blending the beans in a food processor or even straining them somehow might have helped a bit. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to try something new!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 5:09 pm

April,
You can absolutely spice it up to your liking. I had some very fresh spices, so my amounts here reflect that. ALSO, here’s an idea that occurred to me, but I was too lazy to do it…you might do a light dusting of cinnamon on top. And IF your family likes sweeter desserts, you can absolutely increase the sugar to 1 cup. I just think sometimes when something is too sweet, all you taste is sugar. The color of the pie will depend on what beans you use, as well. If you want it even browner, you could use pintos.

Reply

Valerie Cathell Clark March 1, 2015 at 12:55 pm

I’m so trying this unique recipe! It sounds amazing!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 1:33 pm

Valerie,
Oh I hope you do!

Reply

Diana @DandelionGreensBlog March 1, 2015 at 12:42 pm

I love recipes with a story, and this one was so fun to learn more about. Great post and recipe!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 1:34 pm

Diana,
I found this history of this pie fascinating!

Reply

Sue Lau March 1, 2015 at 12:34 pm

So interesting! I love all the spices!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 1:34 pm

Sue,
The spices in here ROCK!

Reply

Debra March 1, 2015 at 8:35 am

I have been making sweet potato pie every week for about a month now, this is going to be my next pie!
Isn’t God good! He blesses us with such food that is a bounty for our bodies and our souls!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 1:35 pm

Debra,
If you love sw pot pie, you will ADORE this, I predict!

Reply

Christie March 1, 2015 at 8:01 am

I am so intrigued by this recipe. I would never have thought to use beans in a pie. Can’t wait to try it.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 1:36 pm

Christie,
I know, I know…it’s such a surprise, and it works so well!

Reply

Alisa @ Go Dairy Free March 1, 2015 at 7:22 am

Wow, I’d never heard of bean pie, how cool! It almost sounds like pumpkin pie.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 7:27 am

Alisa,
The spicing is very similar to pumpkin pie!

Reply

Renee March 1, 2015 at 7:00 am

I can’t wait to try it! I recently tasted a pie made from summer squash and it was sweet too. I love seeing savory made into sweets like this.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 7:27 am

Renee,
Go forth, intrepid pie baker!

Reply

Jen March 1, 2015 at 5:55 am

Wow. My mouth is watering!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 6:31 am

Jen,
You have to try it! It’s sooo good!

Reply

Liz March 1, 2015 at 3:31 am

I love seeing all the “bean” desserts! I’d never have guessed you could make such a scrumptious pie with navy beans 🙂

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 6:32 am

Liz,
Being the dessert lady, you really have to try this!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 1, 2015 at 1:33 pm

Betsy/Desserts,
Thanks! I do hope you try it. I think you will like it A LOT!

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: