Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet Potato Pie – This creamy, decadent, and insanely delicious pie is the perfect way to finish off any meal. This traditional Southern masterpiece is featured on special occasions, and real sweet potatoes deliver an indulgent homemade pie for a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This is next-level comfort food. 🤤
“Sweet potato pie!” is more than a Southern expression of surprise. This classic black folks’ sweet potato pie recipe is a true-blue Southern dish. You can count on plenty of warmly spiced sweetness for a rich and filling dessert.
Another great thing is that you likely already have the ingredients. Sweet potatoes are also easy to find at your local grocery store!
Is Sweet Potato Pie a Black Thing?
Sweet potato pie originated in the Southern U.S., where the main ingredient is abundant and easy to grow. African-American communities within the South have long used sweet potatoes, so in a way, it is. That said, people from all backgrounds and ethnicities love a big slice. 😉
Recipe Ingredients
- Pie Crust – A store-bought works fine, but a homemade pie crust recipe is even better.
- Sweet Potatoes – Sweet and oh-so-creamy when boiled and mashed, they make the perfect pie filling.
- Butter – Adding richness and that telltale Southern flavor, butter is a key ingredient in both this pie’s crust and filling.
- Sugar – You’ll need both granulated and brown sugar for this recipe
- Evaporated Milk – Use a can or make your own evaporated milk to deliver the perfect creamy texture.
- Eggs – This ingredient helps bind the filling and create an easy-to-slice pie.
- Spices – Warm and earthy nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon spices go beautifully with sweet potatoes.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
Blind Bake the Pie Crust
- Prepare the Crust – Line the bottom of the pie crust with parchment paper, then add dried beans on top. The beans will ensure that the bottom of the crust does not rise.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes in the preheated oven, remove from the oven, and let it cool.
Prepare the Filling
- Prep Sweet Potatoes – Rinse, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks. Then, add them to a medium saucepan and cover them with water.
- Cook – Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat. Cook until tender and potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes. You may need more time depending on the size of the potatoes. (Photo 1)
- Drain water and simmer the potatoes for about 1 minute or until water has evaporated.
- Mash – Add them to a mixing bowl. Then, mash the sweet potatoes with an electric mixer or potato masher.
- Mix – Add the remaining ingredients: softened butter, sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, egg yolk, nutmeg, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Continue mixing until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. (Photos 2-8)
Bake Your Pie
- Assemble – Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is nice and browned or when a tester (skewer, toothpick, etc.) inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Photo 9)
- Serve – Remove and serve topped with whipped cream, candied pecans, and/or caramel sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Ginger-Infused – Add a bit of grated ginger to your filling. Mix top it with homemade whipped cream. 😋
- Smores – Use a graham cracker crust and add a layer of marshmallows on top before baking. Then drizzle with chocolate sauce before serving.
- Pumpkin Pie – Replace the sweet potato puree with pumpkin puree. That was easy!
Tips and Tricks
- Make miniature sweet potato pies for bite-sized fun if you have leftover pie filling.
- Cover the sweet potatoes with at least an inch of water so they cook evenly.
- Your pie should jiggle, not ripple, in the middle when it’s ready.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Feel free to make this sweet potato pie ahead of time. It will stay fresh for 3-5 days in the refrigerator or 2-3 months in the freezer when stored well. Cool completely, cover it well with plastic wrap (2-3 layers). Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then take it out 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Sweet potato pie is delicious when it cools to room temperature. Let it rest for about half an hour after coming out of the oven so it firms up. Then, cut and serve. Or serve it chilled the next day.
Store leftovers in the fridge. This pie has eggs and milk, so it shouldn’t stay on the counter for more than two hours. You can also freeze sweet potato pie for three months in an airtight container.
FAQs
Too much liquid or not baking it quite long enough can affect firmness. You can thicken it with a small amount of flour or an extra egg. Or it may need a little longer in the oven so the filling sets.
I like to peel sweet potatoes ahead, so I don’t have to wait for them to cool. But leftover baked sweet potatoes with the skin on work great. Peel and mash, done!
Blind baking (a fancy word for baking your pie crust for five minutes before adding the filling) should give you a flaky pie crust. But you can also brush a slightly beaten egg white on the inside of the pie crust before adding the filling. That creates an extra barrier, preventing the dreaded “soggy bottom.”
Sure! I love making homemade pie crust when I can because it tastes amazing. But I use store-bought when I’m in a pinch for time. 😅
What Goes With Sweet Potato Pie
For an upgrade on a classic holiday dinner, try turkey tenderloin, smoked baked potatoes, and cornbread stuffing. For a fancier sweet potato pie, top it with whipped cream! 🤩
More Favorite Pie Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Whip up this Southern sweet potato pie recipe everyone will love. Did you do a recipe variation? Share what you did in the comments.❤️
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch homemade unbaked pie crust
- 1½ pounds (680g) sweet potatoes
- 4 ounces (113g) butter, softened
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (120ml) evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177℃.
- Line the bottom of the pie crust with parchment paper, then add dried beans on top. The beans will ensure that the bottom of the crust does not rise.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes in the preheated oven, remove from the oven, and let it cool.
- Rinse, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks, then add to a medium saucepan. Cover them with water by at least an inch.
- Bring it to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat. Cook until tender and the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork – about 12 minutes or more, depending on the size of the potatoes.
- Drain water and simmer for about a minute or until the water has evaporated.
- Put the sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl, and mash them using a handheld mixer. Next, add the remaining ingredients: softened butter, white sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, egg yolk, nutmeg, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Continue mixing until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is nice and thoroughly browned or when a skewer inserted in the middle of the pie comes out clean.
- Remove and top with whipped cream, pecan, or caramel sauce for a decadent treat. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- If you have any leftover pie filling, use it to make miniature sweet potato pies for some bite-sized fun.
- When boiling the sweet potatoes, make sure you have them covered by at least an inch of water to help them cook evenly.
- Another way to tell if your pie is done is by looking at how set it is. It should just jiggle in the middle when it’s ready. It might take a few tries to be able to tell if your pie is done by sight only, but you’ll get the hang of it.
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used.
Lovely! But wasn’t sure when to add the sour cream.
Hi Trina . Add the sour cream together with all the wet ingredients .
I didn’t see sour cream on the ingredients list. Did I miss something?
No you did not. This recipe can be made with or without sour cream. Omit the milk and add about 1/3- 1/4 cup sour cream.
This recipe was absolutely mouth watering !! Highly recommend it! I did not have ground ginger so I left it out and added 1/8 tsp of allspice instead. Also, I accidentally put too much condensed milk. So to fix the problem, I removed some of the liquid and added 2 tbsp of all purpose flour to thicken it. Came out great!!
Hi Taona! Glad to hear it worked out well . Thanks so much for taking time to share your experience with us.
Best sweet potato pie ever. I made it with Molokai sweet potatoes, they’re purple & make the pie taste great
Awesome! Thanks so much.
This recipe is so awesome and I will definitely use it again and again, thanks!
Thank you, it makes my day to hear that. Happy Holidays.
I just finished making this using your pie crust dough. And both turned out great! A few minor changes – I added 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Perfection! Next stop apple pie
Happy Holidays!!!
So happy to hear this ! You are going to love the apple pie too. Happy Holidays!!!
This is a Great Recipe thanks For Sharing It.
Glad you like it, Susan.