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Home / Types / Southern Recipes / Southern Dessert Recipes

Sweet Potato Pie

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Author: Imma Published:11/20/2020Updated:12/12/2021
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Sweet Potato Pie – This creamy, decadent, and insanely delicious pie is the perfect way to finish off any meal. It’s a traditional Southern masterpiece often featured during special occasions made from real sweet potatoes and an indulgent homemade pie crust that will please a crowd, guaranteed. This is next-level comfort food y’all. 🤤

Freshly made sweet potato pie for an insanely delicious treat

“Sweet potato pie!” is more than a Southern expression of surprise. This classic black folk’s sweet potato pie recipe is a true-blue Southern dish. You can count on plenty of sugar, spices, milk, butter, and of course, sweet potatoes to make a rich and filling dessert.

Another great thing about this pie, it uses ingredients that you likely already have on hand. Plus, the star of this show, sweet potatoes, are easy to find at your local grocery store and cheap too!

Content…

Is It a Black Thing?
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make It
Recipe Variations
Tips and Tricks
Make-Ahead Instructions
Serving and Storage Instructions
FAQs
What to Serve
More Amazing Pie Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Watch How to Make It

Enjoying a slice of sweet potato pie

Is Sweet Potato Pie a Black Thing?

Yes and no. Sweet potato pie originates in the Southern U.S., where the main ingredient is abundant and easy to grow. And sweet potatoes have long been widely used by African-American communities within the South, so in a way, yes. Sweet potato pie is a dearly loved recipe by us black folks, and we have a long history with it. That said, people from all backgrounds and ethnicities love a big slice. 😉

Recipe Ingredients

What you need for this recipe
  1. Sweet Potatoes – A bright orange root vegetable that’s just a little sweet and oh-so-creamy textured when boiled and mashed, making the perfect pie filling.
  2. Butter – Adding richness and that telltale Southern flavor, butter is a key ingredient in both this pie’s crust and filling.
  3. Sugar – You’ll need both brown and granulated sugar for this recipe
  4. Evaporated Milk – Use a can or make your own to bring the filling ingredients together with the perfect creamy texture.
  5. Eggs – This ingredient helps bind the filling together and makes an easy-to-slice pie.
  6. 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.
Preparing the filling

Prepare the Filling

  • Rinse, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks, then add them to a medium saucepan and cover them with water.
  • 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.
  • Add them to a mixing bowl. Then, mash the potatoes using a handheld mixer. Next, add the remaining ingredients: softened butter, white and brown sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, egg yolk, nutmeg spice, ground ginger spice, cinnamon spice, salt, and vanilla extract. (Photo 2-7)
  • Continue mixing until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated. (Photo 8)
Finish the filling and fill the homemade pie crust

Bake Your Pie

  • 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. (Photo 9)
  • Remove and serve topped with whipped cream, candied pecans, or caramel sauce (or all of it😉) for a decadent treat.
Sweet potato pie fresh from the oven

Recipe Variations

  1. Ginger-Infused – Add gingery goodness to your pie by zesting a bit of ginger into your filling. Mix some sour cream with your whipped cream to help balance out the flavors. 😋
  2. Smores – Add a layer of marshmallows as the pie topping before baking. Drizzle with a chocolate sauce before serving, and if you want to go all out, swap out the regular pie crust for a graham cracker crust.
  3. Pumpkin-Spiced – Infuse your filling with homemade pumpkin spice for a cozy version of this Southern classic.

Tips and Tricks

  1. If you have any leftover pie filling, use it to make miniature sweet potato pies for some bite-sized fun.
  2. When boiling the sweet potatoes, make sure you have them covered by at least an inch of water to help them cook evenly.
  3. 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.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Feel free to make this pie a few days in advance. It will stay good for 3-5 days stored properly in the fridge. Cover it well with plastic wrap and pull it out of the fridge whenever you are ready to serve it.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Though I usually serve this deliciousness at room temperature, you can serve your sweet potato pie toasty warm if you’d like. Simply let it rest for about half an hour after coming out of the oven and then cut and serve. This pie is equally good chilled, though, so you can always serve it the next day after it’s been refrigerated.

Store leftovers in the fridge. This pie has eggs and milk, so it shouldn’t stay out on the counter for more than two hours. You can also freeze sweet potato pie for three months in an airtight container.

Soul food sweet potato pie with whipped cream

FAQs

Why is my sweet potato pie runny?

Either there was too much liquid in the filling, or it wasn’t baked quite long enough. If the filling mixture seems too runny before baking, you can thicken it by adding a small amount of flour or an extra egg. If your pie seems runny during baking, give it a little longer in the oven. Don’t pull it out until the center is just set.

Should I peel sweet potatoes before boiling them?

Up to you! You can peel the sweet potatoes before or after you boil them. Just be sure to cut off any black spots before you boil. I like to peel ahead of time, so I don’t have to wait for the potatoes to cool to peel them before whipping together my filling.

How do you keep pie crust from getting soggy on the bottom?

Blind baking (a fancy word for baking your pie crust for five minutes before adding the filling) will help keep your pie crust flaky and beautiful, but you can go a step further by brushing a slightly beaten egg white to the inside of the pie crust before adding the filling to create an extra barrier and prevent the dreaded “soggy bottom.”

Can I use a store-bought sweet potato pie crust?

Sure! I love making homemade sweet potato pie crust when I’ve got the time because it’s extra special and tastes amazing. But I use the store-bought kind when I’m in a pinch for time. 😅

What Goes With Sweet Potato Pie

Serve sweet potato pie soul food recipe as a follow-up to a smoked turkey with homemade stuffing – it’s a match made in heaven. As for drinks, you can go for Southern sweet tea in the heat of the summer or homemade eggnog if it’s chilly out.

If you want to fancy up your sweet potato pie, top it with homemade whipped cream, candied pecans, and some homemade caramel drizzle too! 🤩

More Amazing Pie Recipes to Try

  1. Apple Pie
  2. Chocolate Pecan Pie
  3. Tomato Pie
  4. Pineapple Pie
  5. Chess Pie
  6. Southern Buttermilk Pie

Conclusion

Get out your baking gear and whip up this black folk’s sweet potato pie for a Southern treat that the whole family will love. How did it turn out for you? Drop me a comment below to let me know or to share your best tips, tricks, and variations on this recipe.❤️

Watch How to Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Vk5mAFkI” upload-date=”2020-11-25T11:17:50.000Z” name=”Sweet Potato Pie” description=”Creamy, tasty, and insanely delicious SWEET POTATO PIE makes the holidays a lot better. This traditional southern masterpiece made from real sweet potatoes and an indulgent homemade pie crust takes “desserts” to another level. Truly a crowd-pleasing comfort food you can easily make at home.” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]

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Freshly made sweet potato pie for an insanely delicious treat
Print

Sweet Potato Pie

Creamy, tasty, and insanely delicious SWEET POTATO PIE makes the holidays a lot better. This traditional southern masterpiece made from real sweet potatoes and an indulgent homemade pie crust take “desserts” to another level. Truly a crowd-pleasing comfort food you can easily make at home.
5 from 4 votes
Prep: 25 minutes mins
Cook: 40 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Southern
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch homemade unbaked pie crust
  • 1½ pounds (680g) sweet potatoes, cleaned
  • 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:

  1. If you have any leftover pie filling, use it to make miniature sweet potato pies for some bite-sized fun.
  2. When boiling the sweet potatoes, make sure you have them covered by at least an inch of water to help them cook evenly.
  3. 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.
  4. Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1slice| Calories: 422kcal (21%)| Carbohydrates: 56g (19%)| Protein: 6g (12%)| Fat: 20g (31%)| Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)| Cholesterol: 100mg (33%)| Sodium: 319mg (14%)| Potassium: 389mg (11%)| Fiber: 3g (13%)| Sugar: 31g (34%)| Vitamin A: 12550IU (251%)| Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)| Calcium: 102mg (10%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)
Author: Imma
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Southern
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Comments & Reviews
  1. Taona says

    Posted on 1/4 at 5:58PM

    5 stars
    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!!

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 1/5 at 5:08PM

      Hi Taona! Glad to hear it worked out well . Thanks so much for taking time to share your experience with us.

      Reply
  2. Ray Turkovich says

    Posted on 12/23 at 10:35PM

    5 stars
    Best sweet potato pie ever. I made it with Molokai sweet potatoes, they’re purple & make the pie taste great

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 12/24 at 7:16AM

      Awesome! Thanks so much.

      Reply
  3. KJ says

    Posted on 11/30 at 4:54PM

    5 stars
    This recipe is so awesome and I will definitely use it again and again, thanks!

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 12/2 at 5:58PM

      Thank you, it makes my day to hear that. Happy Holidays.

      Reply
  4. Jen says

    Posted on 11/22 at 6:51AM

    5 stars
    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!!!

    Reply
    • ImmaculateBites says

      Posted on 11/22 at 6:53AM

      So happy to hear this ! You are going to love the apple pie too. Happy Holidays!!!

      Reply
  5. Susan Thomas says

    Posted on 11/21 at 6:37AM

    This is a Great Recipe thanks For Sharing It.

    Reply
    • imma africanbites says

      Posted on 11/21 at 7:15PM

      Glad you like it, Susan.

      Reply

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