Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie this holiday season? This Sweet Potato Pie is a super easy, tasty, must-have dessert that will have folks coming back for seconds!
A DELICIOUS SWEET POTATO DESSERT
Sweet potato desserts are absolutely amazing and I love swapping out traditional pumpkin with sweet potato. Sweet potato pie seems to be more popular in the south; however, my northern family members have definitely been converted after eating this pie! This particular Sweet Potato Pie recipe is one that has been perfected over the years to get the spices just right. In addition, I’ve also started making it easier by microwaving the sweet potatoes rather than boiling or baking them. Also, if you enjoy pumpkin pie then you will certainly enjoy this pie since the texture and spices are similar. If you are looking for that flavorful dessert to impress your guests this year, then you need to make this Sweet Potato Pie recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Sweet Potato Pie is a sweet custard pie made with cooked and mashed sweet potatoes. The mashed sweet potatoes are combined with sugar, cream and warm spices then baked in a single pie crust. Sweet Potato Pie is very similar in texture to pumpkin pie.
Absolutely! If you aren’t a fan of refrigerated pie crusts you can make your own favorite recipe. I have a single pie crust recipe on the site here that I call my Wham Bam Pie Crust.
I do not recommend using canned yams for this. Unfortunately, they contain too much water (even when drained) so I prefer using actual sweet potatoes to get the right consistency and so the pie sets up properly.
We like to microwave them for this recipe as it is the quickest and less messy method but you could also bake them or boil them. To boil, I peel the potatoes, cut them up in chunks and boil in water until fork tender.
Yes – technically you could. However, I tested this recipe a lot to get the spice combination just right. So if it all possible, use the recipe I have below. I sometimes think some store-bought pumpkin pie spices are way too heavy on the ginger. If you must use pumpkin pie spice then I would recommend a homemade version since you can control the spiciness (and you’ll have plenty on hand for later!)
When the internal temperature reaches 175F degrees. Another way to tell is when the top looks set and isn’t liquid. There will be the slightest jiggle in the middle (but not a lot). Pull it out and it will continue to set up as it cools.
Yes definitely. Cool the pie completely. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. If you can, place in a large freezer bag and place in the freezer where it will keep for up to 2 months. To defrost, place in your refrigerator overnight.
Yes. This is a custard pie (meaning its made with cream and eggs) so it does need to be kept refrigerated. Just wrap the pie in plastic wrap and it will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR SWEET POTATO PIE: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- sweet potatoes
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- heavy cream
- all-purpose flour
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
- cloves
- ginger
- nutmeg
- refrigerated pie crust
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO PIE:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. First, poke holes all over the sweet potatoes and place them in a microwave-safe place. Microwave for 5 minutes flipping the potatoes over halfway through. Poke a knife through the potato, if there is no resistance they are ready, if not place them back in the microwave in 30-second intervals until soft. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Then remove the peels off the potatoes (they should just slide right off) and place them in a large bowl. Nest, whip the potatoes with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
Add in the butter and mix until combined.
Now add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, mix until smooth.
Next add the eggs and mix until smooth.
Then, add the heavy cream, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, mix until smooth and combined, scrape the sides if needed.
Place the pie crust into a pie plate and crimp the edge.
Add the filling and smooth out the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until set. It might be the slightest bit jiggly. It is ready when a butter knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Or, an internal temperature reaches 175°F.
Finally, let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing to serve, or chill first.
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SWEET POTATO PIE
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (estimate about 2 large or 3 medium sized)
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 9- inch refrigerated pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Poke holes all over the sweet potatoes and place them on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 5 minutes flipping the potatoes over halfway through.
- Poke a knife through the potato. If there is no resistance then they are ready. If not, place them back in the microwave in 30-second intervals until soft.
- Let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Remove the peel from the potatoes (they should just peel off) and place them in a large bowl. Whip them with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in the butter and mix until combined.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, mix until smooth.
- Next add the eggs and mix until smooth.
- Add the heavy cream, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, Mix until smooth and combined. Scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Place the pie crust into a deep 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edge.
- Add the filling and smooth out the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes until set. It might be the slightest bit jiggly which is normal. It is ready when a butter knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Or, an internal temperature reaches 175°F.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing to serve.
Video
Notes
- Prepare your sweet potatoes how you’d like. I just find microwaving to be the easiest and fastest way to do it.
- Note: My pie dish is just a bit deeper than a standard pie dish so you may have just a little filling leftover if you are using a smaller or more shallow pie dish. You could always use the leftover to make a couple “personal” pies by using the other refrigerated pie crust and making them in a muffin tin.
- You can make your own homemade pie crust.
- This can be frozen, see my notes above.
- Milk or evaporated milk can be substituted for the heavy cream (but trust me – use the heavy cream)
- One pound of sweet potatoes should yield about 2 cups. Weigh your sweet potatoes while in the produce section.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I made this pie and I had way too much to put in a 9″ pie shell How many cups in 1 lb of sweet potatoes I used 2 cups
Oh no! Just as a general FYI, you can freeze any extra filling. You could also take your second refrigerated pie crust from the box (since they come in a package of two) and make some smaller mini pies in a muffin tin as well. But the filling does freeze very well if you’d like to use it later
The recipe for the sweet potato pie is spot on. Thanks for a great recipe!