This Southern sweet potato pie is smooth and silky, made from scratch, and loaded with warm spices. Thanks to roasting the potatoes there is a deep caramelized flavoring. Serve topped with cold vanilla whipped cream for the ultimate southern dessert!
This is the perfect pie to serve for the holidays. To complete your holiday meal from the South serve some Cornbread Dressing, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Easy Creamed Corn.
All about this Sweet Potato Pie…
There is nothing better than a fresh homemade pie for the end of a perfect holiday meal. This homemade southern sweet potato pie has it all! The combination of roasted and caramelized sweet potatoes, warm spices, and brown sugar give a delightful deep flavoring to this pie. If you’re a huge fan of pumpkin you may want to give this pie a chance, sweet potato has a more pronounced flavor profile and a denser texture than pumpkin.
Ingredients Needed:
- Sweet Potatoes: the star of the show. This recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes.
- Butter: mixing the sweet potato with butter makes for a smooth and creamy puree for the base of our pie recipe.
- Light Brown Sugar: the warmth of the molasses in the sugar pairs perfectly with the sweet potato and definitely sets this pie apart!
- Vanilla: a must for an extra pop of flavor.
- Warm Spices: a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger adds a taste of fall and a warmth throughout the pie.
- Eggs: provide the structure and custard texture to the pie filling.
- Heavy Cream: guarantees a smooth and creamy texture.
How to Make (step-by-step):
- Step 1: Roast the potatoes, roasting as opposed to boiling the potatoes gives a rich caramelized flavoring. It’s definitely worth the time it takes to complete this step.
- Step 2: Peel the potatoes for puree, after roasting the skins will just peel off easily using your fingers.
- Step 3: Prepare the sweet potato puree, mix the sweet potato with a hand or stand mixer with some butter to create a smooth, rich, puree. Combine the other ingredients needed for the pie filling and mix together.
- Step 4: Prepare the pie crust, my all butter pie crust is perfect for this recipe. Prepare the pie crust, roll out and place into the pie dish. Crimp the edges and you’re all set. Preparing the pie filling first ensures that the pie crust is perfect temperature for baking right away.
- Step 5: Pour the pie filling into the pie crust. The pie filling is slightly thicker than a pumpkin pie filling. If you are concerned that it has markings on the top from spreading the filling, give the pie dish a shake or a jiggle to help smooth out the top.
- Step 6: Bake and cool, bake the pie for about an hour. The pie will still have a slight jiggle in the center when done. You can insert a butter knife into the center to check done-ness if desired, this will leave a mark that you can easily cover with whipped cream later. Let the pie cool to room temperature (at least one hour) prior to slicing and serving.
Expert Tips:
- Sweet Potatoes: 1 lb of sweet potatoes is generally 2 medium size potatoes. Depending on the size of the potatoes I will use between 3 and 4 medium sized ones. After blending there will be about 2 cups of puree.
- If making ahead of time, let the pie cool completely before covering, this helps prevent any condensation from appearing and dripping onto the pie.
- Make the pie crust ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Simply make the pie crust and form into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, let the crust warm just enough to roll out and place in the dish. Pie crust is best when baked from a cooler temperature.
FAQ’s:
It can be served either way. My preference is to have mine slightly warmed to a room temperature. But it can also easily be eaten cold out of the refrigerator.
No. Since this pie contains eggs, it should only be left to cool to room temperature for up to 2 hours and then should be stored in the refrigerator.
The center of the pie should have a slight jiggle in the center. If using a thermometer test the internal temperature for 175°F. Or insert a knife into the edge of the filling and it should come out moist but clean.
More Pie Recipes:
- Butternut Squash Pie This pie has SO many 5 star ratings! You won’t believe how much more flavorful this pie is over a classic pumpkin pie!
- Always a winner, this Classic Southern Pecan Pie is a family favorite.
- Mini Pecan Pies Looking for a fun and bite sized dessert? These pecan tassies are always a hit!
- Mini French Silk Pies A classic pie made in a mini size.
Recipe first published December 11, 2020. Updated with new information and video. Recipe is unchanged.
Photography by KJandCompany.co
