Southern Sweet Potato Pie
There’s nothing like a Southern Sweet Potato Pie after Thanksgiving dinner! My pumpkin pie fans are shaking their heads right now, but trust me on this! You’ll make it every year once you taste this delicious version!
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
This pie is about as easy as it gets to make. Bake the sweet potatoes, mix them with the other ingredients, put everything in the pie shell, and bake. You won’t believe how flavorful this pie turns out. And it really does turn out perfect every time!
You might also love to serve these pretty sweet potato bites as a delicious appetizer to start the evening or at any gathering. They are so good! For a delicious breakfast treat, try these sweet potato muffins.
What You Need to Make the Pie
Key Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes: We used medium-sized. Look for smooth skin with no soft spots or cracks.
Eggs, milk, and butter: We used whole milk and unsalted butter to get the creamy texture.
Spices: Use warm spices. We used cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, kosher salt, and vanilla extract.
Pie shell: You can buy an unbaked pie crust or make your own. The choice is yours! Ours is premade because it’s so time-consuming, and honestly, the premade shells have great flavor and texture.
How To Make Sweet Potato Pie
Start by washing and patting your sweet potatoes dry. Then, pierce them, place them in the preheated oven, and bake as directed.
Once done, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. They should be soft. Allow them to cool a bit, then peel the skins off. Add to a mixing bowl.
Mash well using a hand blender or stand mixer.
Add the mashed sweet potatoes, egg, milk, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt in a bowl. Mix well to combine the wet ingredients.
Roll out your homemade pie crust, or ready your store-bought pie crust.
Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the crust, place it in the oven, and bake until the filling is set.
Once done, allow the pie to cool before you slice and serve.
Hint: Covering the edge of your pie crust with a pie crust protector (limited-time sale!) or aluminum foil will help prevent your flaky crust from getting brown too quickly as it bakes. Remove the foil from the last 10 minutes of baking your pie.
You can add whipped cream to the entire pie or wait and add it individually. Our homemade whipped cream recipe is super easy to make.
Tips & Variations
- Always remove the sweet potato skins as they will make the pie chewy.
- Make sure to mash your sweet potatoes well so there are no clumps. An electric mixer or potato masher can help you get it all mashed.
- You can add more or less spices to deepen or lighten the spices in the pie filling.
- Use brown sugar in place of granulated sugar to add a caramel-like flavor to the dessert.
- Add a tablespoon of bourbon to the pie filling to create a boozy twist to the pie.
How to Store Homemade Southern Sweet Potato Pie
You can store your homemade sweet potato pie at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Ensure the pie is covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container.
You can also freeze the pie for up to 3 months if you would like. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-friendly container or freezer bag.
FAQS
Yes, you can substitute canned sweet potatoes for fresh ones, but adjust the sugar levels accordingly or make sure there is no sugar added to the canned version.
The pie is done when the filling is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Of course! This is your pie! Reduce, omit, or replace any spices you don’t care for. For the best flavor, we recommend making the pie as we’ve created it here.
More Tips
- For a smoother texture, you can pass the sweet potato filling through a fine mesh sieve before pouring it into the pie crust.
- To prevent the crust from becoming soggy, you can blind bake it before adding the sweet potato filling for about 5 to 10 minutes to 350F.
- If you prefer a richer pie, you can use half-and-half or heavy cream instead of whole milk. We think it’s delicious with whole milk and like saving a few calories, even on Thanksgiving!
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb sweet potatoes
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pie dough store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Pierce them with a fork and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 1 hour or until they are tender. Let them cool, then peel and mash them in a bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt until well combined.
- Roll out the pie dough and place it in a pie dish.
- Pour the sweet potato filling into the pie crust.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 55-60 minutes or until the filling is set.
- You can cover the edges of the pie crust with foil if they start to brown too quickly.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Optionally, serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
