Homemade sweet potato pie is a delicious fall treat similar to pumpkin pie but sweeter with a smooth, creamy texture! It's a Southern-classic recipe that is easy to make and can be made ahead of time and served for dessert or brunch.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Sweet potato pie is a classic Southern comfort food dessert that is delicious, easy to make, and uses minimal ingredients. And just like its cousin pumpkin pie, it has a light sweet filling with a buttery pie crust that is the ultimate comfort food when you're craving something sweet.
The sweet potato pie filling is a mixture of warm festive spices that you usually associate with pumpkin pie, like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. The brown sugar and mashed sweet potatoes give the pie its delicate sweetness, combined with the eggs and evaporated milk for a creamy texture.
This sweet potato pie recipe uses a store-bought pie crust to help save time in the kitchen, but you can easily make your own, check out the variations for a graham cracker crumb base.
It takes just over an hour to make this delicious treat if you have leftover cooked sweet potatoes on hand, so it's perfect for a last-minute dessert or an easy brunch dish.
No matter what mood you're in, this holiday season favorite hits the spot every time and is perfect for sharing and putting smiles on everyone's faces.
🍽 Key Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you need for this sweet potato pie recipe, and they are likely things you already have in your kitchen.
Pie Crust - Use a store-bought 9-inch pie crust to help save time.
Brown Sugar - Gives the pie its characteristic sweetness.
Sweet Potatoes - Use pre-cooked, if possible, to save time on boiling fresh sweet potatoes.
Unsalted Butter - Helps give the pie a smooth, creamy texture.
All-Purpose Flour - Flour thickens the filling so that it firms up and is not too runny.
Vanilla Extract - A key ingredient in the flavor profile of the filling.
Eggs - The eggs help to keep the filling together and add a rich texture.
Evaporated Milk - This gives the filling its creamy texture.
Spices - You'll need festive warm spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
If you want to learn more about Southern food, I invite you to read my article on Southern seasonings that you must have in your pantry.
Substitutions
Sweet potato
You could use frozen or canned sweet potatoes in this recipe.
Evaporated milk
You could use whole milk, half and half, or cream in place of evaporated milk.
Crust
If you don't have a store-bought crust, you can try making a homemade pie crust recipe.
🔪 How to make
Homemade Southern sweet potato pie is one of my favorite fall recipes that is guaranteed to be a hit with your family and friends. Follow the recipe below for step-by-step instructions and helpful cooking tips.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and grease a pie dish with soft butter.
Step 2
Sprinkle a little flour on the bottom and around the sides and place the pie crust into the pie dish, crimping the edges with a fork.
Step 3
Combine the sweet potatoes, unsalted butter, and brown sugar in a bowl using a masher or an electric mixer until creamy.
Step 4
Next, add eggs, evaporated milk, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder, and salt. Mixing until thoroughly incorporated.
Step 5
Pour the sweet potato filling in the pie shell and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.
Step 6
Insert a knife or tooth into the center of the pie to check if it's perfectly cooked. The toothpick or knife should come out clean.
Step 7
Allow the baked pie to cool completely, then place it in the fridge until firm.
Step 8
Cut into 8 slices and serve with whipped cream.
💭 Cooking tips
Make small, sweet potato pies.
If you have a muffin tin, you could make smaller pies for kids to make them easier to handle.
Don't open the oven.
During baking, resist the temptation to open the open, as this will let the warm air out of the oven, and it could cause the pie to cook unevenly.
📖 Variations
Try one of these variations to change up the flavor or texture of your sweet potato pie:
Gingery sweet potato pie
Give your sweet potato pie a healthy kick of fresh ginger to combine with the sweetness of the sweet potato. Add 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger to the mixture.
Sweet potato meringue pie
Top your sweet potato pie with a fluffy meringue for an extra-special dessert. Beat 2 egg whites and ¼ cup of sugar together until stiff peaks form, then spread on top of the pie and bake for 5-10 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned.
Graham cracker crumb base
If you're looking for a different kind of crust, try using graham crackers. Combine 1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs with ¼ cup of melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes before adding the sweet potato filling.
🥗 What to serve with
Sweet potato pie is best served with whipped cream or ice cream, but it's also delicious, combined with other sweet recipes for kid's parties like cupcakes or cookies. Here are a few easy recipes to try at home:
Carrot cake cupcakes
These carrot cake cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and have a delicious cream cheese frosting. They're made using similar ingredients to the sweet potato pie, so you don't need to spend more money on other items and kids them!
The ultimate sugar cookies
Sugar cookies are always a hit with kids and adults alike because of their soft and chewy texture and look great decorated with frosting or sprinkles. They're perfect for decorating with the kids and would make a great activity to do before eating the sweet potato pie.
Salted caramel Samoa bars
These samoa bars are an easy and delicious way to enjoy the flavors of a Samoa cookie in bar form. They have a cookie base, a gooey caramel center packed with shredded coconut, and are topped with a chocolate ganache.
You can certainly serve this sweet potato pie with a delicious southern smothered chicken for a Sunday soul food dinner.
Pair my juicy southern meatloaf recipe with this pie as a dessert, it is absolutely mouth-watering.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
Why is my sweet potato pie not firm?
If your sweet potato pie is not firm, it's likely because the filling wasn't cooked long enough. Make sure to cook the pie until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Otherwise, it will be too soft in the middle.
How to prepare fresh sweet potato mash?
Place the sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated oven for an hour, then simply remove the sweet potato flesh and scoop out the mash. Alternatively, you can peel and cut the sweet potatoes and boil them in boiling water for 20 minutes until soft, then mash the boiled sweet potatoes with a fork.
🧊 Storing
Sweet potato pie recipes are great for storing and eating over many days refrigerated. A piece of sweet pie to pack in your lunch box makes for a tasty and easy workday treat!
Fridge - If you plan on keeping the sweet potato pie in the fridge for a few days, it is best to transfer it to a pie plate and cover it with aluminum foil to prevent any odors in the fridge from affecting the taste.
Freezer - To freeze sweet potato pie, first, allow the baked and cooled pie to firm up in the refrigerator. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container before freezing for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to eat the frozen pie, thaw it overnight in the fridge before serving.
🍳 Related recipes
If you love my homemade sweet potato pie recipe. Try one of these fantastic recipes for your next meal. Including my easy brioche french toast recipe.
👪 Serving size
This sweet potato pie yields 8 servings if you cut the pie into 8 equal slices.
This is the best sweet potato pie recipe EVER and is guaranteed to be hit with anyone who tries a slice of it. Topped with whipped cream or meringue, it is a delicious fall treat, and if you're a pumpkin pie fan, check out this amazing recipe along with my collection of pumpkin dessert recipes.
Love this dessert recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dessert recipes for your next meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Sweet Potato Pie (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 Pie Crust - (9 inch)
- 2 cups Sweet Potatoes - cooked and diced (fresh or frozen)
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter - melted
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Whipped Cream to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and grease a pie dish with soft butter.
- Sprinkle a little flour on the bottom and around the sides and place the pie crust into the pie dish, crimping the edges with a fork.
- Combine the sweet potatoes, unsalted butter, and brown sugar in a bowl using a masher or an electric mixer until creamy.
- Next, add eggs, evaporated milk, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder, and salt. Mixing until thoroughly incorporated.
- Pour the sweet potato filling in the pie shell and bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.
- Insert a knife or tooth into the center of the pie to check if it's perfectly cooked. The toothpick or knife should come out clean.
- Allow the baked pie to cool completely, then place it in the fridge until firm.
- Cut into 8 slices and serve with whipped cream.
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