We learned how to make sweet potato pie from our friend, Richard. He’s an incredible chef and grew up in the South, so I knew he was the right person to talk to about it. Richard’s sweet potato pie is out of the world. So light, delicious, and creamy! If you’re familiar with our pumpkin pie, this homemade sweet potato pie is similar, but it’s a bit more flavorful, less spiced, and has a more light and fluffy filling. I love it so much!
Key Ingredients
Pie crust: I use this flaky butter pie crust. It’s the homemade crust we recommend for all our pie recipes on Inspired Taste. To make sweet potato pie without a crust, pour the filling into a baking dish and bake it until a toothpick inserted about 2 inches from the crust comes out clean. Sweet potatoes: I use fresh sweet potatoes, which are sometimes sold as yams. It doesn’t matter if the label says sweet potato or yam as long as you buy medium-to-large potatoes with orange flesh. Look for Beauregard, Jewel, and Garnet sweet potatoes. Tips for canned sweet potatoes are below the recipe. Sugar: This pie is less sweet than others I’ve tried. We use brown sugar in the filling, which sweetens and adds a caramelized flavor. Butter and Milk: Unlike my pumpkin pie recipe, which uses cream in the filling, this sweet potato pie calls for a mixture of melted butter and milk. They make our pie filling lighter and more fluffy. Eggs: I use 2 eggs to help the pumpkin pie filling set up. They also add a rich flavor that you’ll love. Spices: I love the combination of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in this pie. You taste the spices, but they aren’t overpowering.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pie is just as simple to make as homemade pumpkin pie. Instead of pumpkin puree, you’ll need cooked sweet potato. Based on Richard’s recommendations, I steam them. It’s really easy and quicker than baking. Steaming also prevents our potatoes from becoming waterlogged. Another option is to bake them (baking tips are below the recipe). We do not recommend boiling sweet potatoes for this pie. When the potatoes cool, I scoop out the flesh and beat them with melted butter, brown sugar, milk, eggs, and our spices. A handheld mixer does the trick, or you can use a stand mixer. When it’s well blended, I scoop the filling into my crust and bake the pie! I bake sweet potato pie in a 350°F oven for around 50 minutes. Depending on your oven, you might need a bit longer. Then, it needs to cool to room temperature, and if you have the time, chill it in the refrigerator overnight. Chilling overnight helps with that shiny top and the smooth, creamy filling. For serving, I love this traditional Southern pie topped with our not-so-traditional sour cream whipped cream (phenomenal) and a dusting of chopped pecans. As much as I love pumpkin pie, we’re bringing sweet potato pie to Thanksgiving this year, and I think you should, too. For more Thanksgiving recipes, see my favorite Thanksgiving turkey, these incredible candied pecans, this fresh green bean casserole, and our homemade apple pie. We prefer to steam our sweet potatoes for this pie. Steaming is easy and is a little easier when it comes to making sure the entire potato is cooked through, but not caramelized. If you’d prefer to bake them, we’ve included tips below. 2 large sweet potatoes or yams (orange flesh), 1 ½ pounds 8 tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, omit if using salted butter 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, or more to taste 6 tablespoons (90g) sour cream 2Steam until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 35 to 45 minutes. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool completely. 3Make-ahead: Wrap and store steamed sweet potatoes for up to 2 days in the fridge. 2Roll out the dough to be two inches larger than your pie dish (I use an 8-inch or 9-inch pie dish). Gently press the dough down into the dish to line the bottom and sides. (Be careful not to pull or stretch the dough). Trim dough to within 1/2-inch of the dish edge. 3Fold the edges of the dough underneath itself, creating a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Crimp edges. (We do this in our pie crust recipe video). Refrigerate until you are ready to bake the pie. 2Place sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl and use a handheld mixer to beat them on medium-high speed for one minute. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. 3Mix on a low speed until blended, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for two minutes. The mixture may look grainy, but this is okay. 2Place pie dish with crust onto a baking sheet. Scoop batter into the prepared pie shell and smooth out the top. Bake until the filling is set and a toothpick or thin knife plunged it into the pie, about 2 inches from the edge, comes out mostly clean. Rotate once or twice during baking. The pie will bake 55 to 60 minutes. 3Let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight. As it cools, the middle of the pie will fall slightly. Do your best to cool the pie to room temperature slowly — one way to do this is to leave the pie in your oven turned off with the door open. 2Continue beating the cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks form — this occurs when the beaters are lifted, and the cream peaks gently flop over. 3Once soft peaks have formed, add the sour cream to the mixing bowl. Continue beating the cream on medium-high speed until it thickens and the peaks stand tall and firm when the beaters are lifted. Spread or pipe the whipped cream onto the pie. If there are any cracks between the crust and filling, use the whipped cream to cover them.
