Sweet Potato Pie

By: takestwoeggsPosted: 23/11/2022 Updated: 01/12/2023
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 1 hour 30 minutes
Total 2 hours
Change things up this Thanksgiving and wow your family and friends with this homemade sweet potato pie! This old-fashioned sweet potato pie is made with dark brown sugar and warm fall spices and topped with fresh whipped cream for the ultimate holiday dessert.
Sweet Potato Pie

Change things up this Thanksgiving and wow your family and friends with this homemade sweet potato pie! This old-fashioned sweet potato pie is made with dark brown sugar and warm fall spices and topped with fresh whipped cream.

A cut sweet potato pie with slices plated nearby.

Step aside pumpkin pie, this is the best sweet potato pie recipe you will ever taste! Sweet potato pie is definitely an underrated pie. My old-fashioned sweet potato pie has a soft, silky custard texture filled with cozy warm spices that are not powerfully overwhelming, and is held by a deliciously flaky and buttery crust. This recipe is basically autumn on a plate.

This sweet potato pie recipe is my take on a southern sweet potato pie. My dad is obsessed with my sweet potato pie recipe. He ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! If you loved this old-fashioned sweet potato pie, make sure to check out my other Thanksgiving favorites like my apple dumplings, pumpkin mochi muffins, and pumpkin Hong Kong tarts.

Up close of a slice of sweet potato pie being lifted from a pie dish.

Why Sweet Potato Pie better than Pumpkin Pie

Instead of making pumpkin pie this year, here are a few reasons why you should make sweet potato pie instead:

  • Sweet potatoes have a rich naturally sweet, bold flavor that does not require as many spices as pumpkin pie to make a delicious flavorful pie.
  • The best part about making this Southern sweet potato pie recipe is that you use fresh sweet potatoes instead of processed canned pumpkin as the base of your pie.
  • Softened sweet potatoes carry much less water than canned pumpkin so your pie crust will never be soggy and damp!
A slice of sweet potato pie with a dollop of whipped cream on a plate.

Kitchen Equipment

Here are the kitchen equipment you will need to make the best sweet potato pie recipe! I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and pie crust shield for the best results.

  • Kitchen Scale: when it comes to baking, measuring cups are not all made the same. For the most accurate measurements, use a kitchen scale.
  • Mixing Bowls: what makes baking easy and streamlined is measuring out all of the ingredients in mixing bowls before you begin. It makes the entire baking process so much easier and less stressful.
  • Rolling Pin: I recommend using a French rolling pin for the most control in rolling out your pie crust.
  • Stand Mixer: for this Southern sweet potato pie recipe, I used a stand mixer to mash my sweet potatoes and combine the filling. You can alternatively use a hand mixer instead as well.
  • Fine Mesh Strainer: sifting your old-fashioned sweet potato pie batter through a fine mesh strainer is a must if you want that soft, silky, and luxurious pie crust. There may be some stubborn sweet potato pieces that require you to use a rubber spatula to scrape through the sieve.
  • Whisk: you will need a whisk to gently mix the batter after you pour it through the fine mesh sieve.
  • Basting Brush: you will use a basting brush to brush on the egg wash on your crust for a golden crust.
  • 9-inch standard pie pan: this old-fashioned sweet potato pie recipe yields enough for a standard 9-inch pie pan.
  • Pie crust shield: I highly recommend buying a pie crust shield to prevent your crust from cooking too quickly and burning in the oven. You can alternatively make an aluminum foil shield as well but it is much trickier to put on the pie crust halfway through the bake.

Ingredients

All of the ingredients for the best sweet potato pie recipe can be found at your local grocery store in the baking aisle!

Pie Crust

  • All-Purpose Flour: this is a classic crust which uses a classic all-purpose flour.
  • Unsalted Butter: this is the main source of fat in the crust which forms light, lofty, flaky layers when it bakes.
  • Salt: enhances the flavor of the butter in the crust.
  • Sugar: a touch of sugar adds a hint of sweetness to the crust.
  • Ice Water: adding ice water into the crust is key because it prevents the butter from warming too quickly. If the butter melts before it hits the oven then you will not have a flaky pie crust.
  • Cold Vodka: vodka adds moisture to the pie making it easier to work with while also stopping the gluten formation in the crust which yields a more tender crust.

Sweet Potato Pie

  • Sweet Potato: have a delicious and bold natural sweetness and when cooked they have a soft velvety texture. Sweet potatoes also add a lot of nutritional benefits such as having fiber, iron, and vitamins A, B6, and C.
  • Unsalted Butter: use unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt that goes into your pie! Also, make sure that your butter is softened to room temperature so it can easily mix into your filling.
  • Dark Brown Sugar: dark brown sugar holds the most molasses content than any other sugar this pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and give it a deep sweetness that is not overly sweet.
  • Large Eggs: the eggs bind all the ingredients together while also giving the pie its soft, velvety custard texture.
  • Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Cloves this is my favorite combination of warm spices. This classic Southern sweet potato pie has the perfect amount of spices without being overly fragrant.
  • Salt: a touch of salt balances out the dark brown sugar and deep warm spices.
  • Evaporated Milk: evaporated milk gives the old-fashioned sweet potato pie an extra creamy texture without adding too much liquid.
  • Vanilla: adds a warm vanilla flavor to the pie.
All the ingredients for sweet potato pie filling organized and labeled.

Substitutions and Additions

This is your sweet potato pie recipe. You can customize it however you please! I’ve added a few recommendations for substitutions/additions below.

Substitutions

  • Pre-made pie crust: if you do not want to deal with making a crust from scratch, you can alternatively use a pre-made pie crust instead
  • Light brown sugar: you can alternatively substitute light brown sugar for dark brown sugar.

Additions

  • Bourbon: if you want a more complex Southern sweet potato pie with a rich bourbon flavor, I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of bourbon to your filling and reducing your vanilla to 1 teaspoon.
  • Cardamom: I absolutely adore the flavor of cardamom and cannot help but add 1/4 teaspoon to all my fall bakes. This spice is a bit pricey but the beautiful flavor is always worth the cost.

How to Make a Sweet Potato Pie

Here are the steps for how to make a sweet potato pie. I recommend reading the instructions and tips section through before you begin.

Pie Crust

  1. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined.
  2. Mix butter. Cut your cold butter into about 1/2-inch cubes. Immediately add your cold, cubed butter to the flour and toss to coat. Working quickly, squish each piece of butter between two fingers to create flat little “shingles” of butter. Work until you’re left with about pea-sized butter pieces.
  3. Combine. Make a well in the center of your mixture and add about half of your ice water. Using your hands, combine the water and flour incorporated. Continue 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the dough until it comes together. You want to stay on the side of crumbly, yet holding together. If it is too wet and sticky add a tablespoon of flour to adjust.
  4. Wrap and chill. Split the dough in two, form each half into discs, wrap both tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  5. Roll and assemble pie crust. Roll out one of your pie crusts on a well-floured surface into about a 12-13 inch circle and carefully transfer it to a standard 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges and crimp the edges of the crust. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 day. Save the other disc for either garnishes or another pie crust.

Sweet Potato Pie

  1. Preheat your oven. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F or 176°C
  2. Prepare sweet potatoes. Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Cut them into large 2-inch chunks. Place them in a large saucepan and then cover them with water and bring to a boil. Once the pot has reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium heat and simmer the potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Drain the sweet potatoes with a colander.
  1. Mix filling. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sweet potatoes and beat on medium high speed until smooth. Add the butter, dark brown sugar and eggs and mix until combined. Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, ginger, cloves, salt, evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Then mix until everything is combined and smooth.
Mixing together all of the ingredients for sweet potato pie in a stand mixer.
  1. Strain. Strain the batter through a fine mesh sieve and use a rubber spatula to push the batter through. There may be some large sweet potato chunks that need to be pushed through. After the batter is strained, whisk the batter until combined. This will ensure a silky smooth pie filling.
  2. Bake. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour the sweet potato filling into the pie crust. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the egg and milk and brush the egg wash onto the edges of the pie crust. Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and bake the pie at 350°F or 176°C for 50 minutes or until the edges are cooked and the center 2-3 inches slightly jiggles. At the 25-minute mark, I recommend shielding the crust with a pie crust shield or a ring of aluminum foil to protect it from cooking too fast.
  1. Cool and serve. Place the sweet potato pie on a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours, before decorating it with whipped cream.
A sweet potato pie being placed on a table.

Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Pie

  • Wash your sweet potatoes! Make sure to wash your sweet potatoes before peeling and chopping them. There is a lot of dirt on sweet potatoes and even if you peel them you don’t want any remaining dirt to be cooked in your pie.
  • Sift the batter for ultimate silky texture. Most sweet potato pie recipes yield lumpy unappetizing-looking pies. The best way to ensure a silky soft pie is to sift the batter and smooth out any lumps from the sweet potato. Make sure to gently whisk the batter after you sift it for uniform flavor.
  • Make sure to not over bake your pie. The key to a silky, smooth, and delicious pie is not over-baking it. You will know when the pie is finished if the outside edges of the pie look set and the inside 2-3 inches wiggle like jello slightly in the center. If it swooshes too vigorously then the pie needs more time.
  • Use a pie crust shield after 25 minutes. I have learned this the hard way. Most recipes say “if the crust is browning too quickly shield the pie crust” which is totally vague and will 100% yield a dark and over-baked pie crust. I recommend placing the pie crust shield halfway through baking. The pie crust will still bake in the remaining 25 minutes but it will not be overly brown and burnt!

Storage Instructions

You can tightly wrap this sweet potato pie and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Before serving, bring the pie to down to room temperature.

You can alternatively freeze the pie by storing it in a freezer safe container or ziplock for up to 3 months. Let the pie thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s

What is the difference between a sweet potato pie and a pumpkin pie?

Sweet potato pie is very similar to pumpkin pie in that it uses similar ingredients. However, the main difference is sweet potatoes have a natural sweetness while pumpkins have a more mild flavor. Since sweet potatoes have a naturally sweet flavor, they need fewer spices than a traditional pumpkin pie.

Do you put eggs in sweet potato pie?

Yes! A traditional old-fashioned sweet potato pie has a custard filling that uses eggs to bind the ingredients together. For best results, make sure to use room-temperature eggs before mixing them into your mixture.

Is eating sweet potato pie good for you?

Absolutely. Although this is a dessert and has added sugar, consuming sweet potatoes can enhance brain function, support the immune system, and have a good amount of Vitamin A, B6, and C

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Recipe

Up close of a slice of sweet potato pie being lifted from a pie dish.

Sweet Potato Pie

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Change things up this Thanksgiving and wow your family and friends with this homemade sweet potato pie! This old-fashioned sweet potato pie is made with dark brown sugar and warm fall spices and topped with fresh whipped cream for the ultimate holiday dessert.
Servings: 8 servings
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon (6 g) table salt
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter cold 2 sticks
  • ¼ cup (60 g) ice water more as needed
  • ¼ cup (60 g) vodka cold

Sweet Potato Pie

  • 1 lb sweet potatoes about 2 medium
  • 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar packed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cup (310 g) evaporated milk
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) vanilla extract

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Topping

  • whipped cream

Instructions

Pie Crust

  • Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined.
  • Mix butter. Cut your cold butter into about 1/2-inch cubes. Immediately add your cold, cubed butter to the flour and toss to coat. Working quickly, squish each piece of butter between two fingers to create flat little “shingles” of butter. Work until you’re left with about pea-sized butter pieces.
  • Combine. Make a well in the center of your mixture and add about half of your ice water. Using your hands, combine the water and flour incorporated. Continue 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the dough until it comes together. You want to stay on the side of crumbly, yet still holding together. If it is too wet and sticky add a tablespoon of flour to adjust.
  • Wrap and chill. Split the dough in two, form each half into discs, wrap both tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  • Roll and assemble pie crust. Roll out one of your pie crusts on a well-floured surface into about a 12-13 inch circle and carefully transfer it to a standard 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges and crimp the edges of the crust. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 day. Save the other disc for either garnishes or another pie crust.

Sweet Potato Pie

  • Preheat your oven. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F or 176 C.
  • Prepare sweet potatoes. Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Cut them into large 2-inch chunks. Place them in a large saucepan and then cover them with water and bring them to a boil. Once the pot has reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium heat and simmer the potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Drain the sweet potatoes with a colander.
  • Mix filling. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sweet potatoes and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the butter, dark brown sugar, and eggs and mix until combined. Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, ginger, cloves, salt, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract. Then mix until everything is combined and smooth.
  • Strain. Strain the batter through a fine mesh sieve and use a rubber spatula to push the batter through. There may be some large sweet potato chunks that need to be pushed through. After the batter is strained, whisk the batter until combined. This will ensure a silky smooth pie filling.
  • Bake. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour the sweet potato filling into the pie crust. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the egg and milk and brush the egg wash onto the edges of the pie crust. Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and bake the pie at 350 F for 50 minutes or until the edges are cooked and the center 2-3 inches slightly jiggles. At the 25-minute mark, I recommend shielding the crust with a pie crust shield or a ring of aluminum foil to protect it from cooking too fast.
  • Cool and serve. Place the sweet potato pie on a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours, before decorating it with whipped cream.

Notes

  • Wash your sweet potatoes! Make sure to wash your sweet potatoes before peeling and chopping them. There is a lot of dirt on sweet potatoes and even if you peel them you don’t want any remaining dirt to be cooked in your pie.
  • Sift the batter for the ultimate silky texture. Most sweet potato pie recipes yield lumpy unappetizing-looking pies. The best way to ensure a silky soft pie is to sift the batter and smooth out any lumps from the sweet potato. Make sure to gently whisk the batter after you sift it for uniform flavor.
  • Make sure to not over-bake your pie. The key to a silky, smooth, and delicious pie is not over-baking it. You will know when the pie is finished if the outside edges of the pie look set and the inside 2-3 inches wiggle like jello slightly in the center. If it swooshes too vigorously then the pie needs more time.
  • Use a pie crust shield after 25 minutes. I have learned this the hard way. Most recipes say “if the crust is browning too quickly shield the pie crust” which is totally vague and will 100% yield a dark and over-baked pie crust. I recommend placing the pie crust shield halfway through baking. The pie crust will still bake in the remaining 25 minutes but it will not be overly brown and burnt!
  • Storage: You can tightly wrap this sweet potato pie and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Before serving, bring the pie to down to room temperature.

Nutrition:

Calories: 707kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 9210IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 3mg

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