Sweet Potato Pie

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Not a fan of pumpkin? Try this easy sweet potato pie for the holidays. It’s full of fragrant, warm spices and has a wonderfully creamy texture.

While I personally adore pumpkin pie, I know that not all of my guests do, so sometimes I make a sweet potato pie for the holiday dessert table instead.

How are they different? Well, sweet potatoes bring more of their own flavor to the pie, while pumpkin pies rely heavily on the added sweeteners and spices. They’re both creamy custard pies though, so it’s possible some of your guests might not be able to tell the difference!

This pie doesn’t take long to make, especially if you can cook your sweet potatoes ahead of time. Make sure to use plain sweet potatoes, not canned yams that are packed in syrup!

Don’t want to wait for Thanksgiving? I wouldn’t blame you if you made this sweet potato pie today!

Ingredients for sweet potato pie

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Pie crust – Homemade or store-bought
• Sweet potatoes
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander
• Butter
• Evaporated milk
• Heavy cream
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract

Regular sweet potatoes will do just fine for this recipe. You can use white sweet potatoes if you like, but they have a slightly different flavor and texture, so a little extra liquid might be needed to ensure the pie is creamy. 

Similarly, you could use purple sweet potato or ube for a very pretty pie. Note that these are not exactly the same thing: ube is botanically a yam while purple sweet potato is… potato.

You’ll see this recipe calls for ground coriander seed. If you’re not familiar with using this ingredient in desserts, it adds an aromatic, somewhat lemony note to the pie that helps to balance the sweetness. Don’t skip it!

How to make this recipe

Roll out your prepared pie crust (if you are making my homemade pie crust recipe, you can roll it out right after forming the dough) to about 12 inches in diameter. Roll around the rolling pin or fold into quarters and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges so the crust extends just past the plate edge, then fold it under and crimp as desired. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours.

While the crust is chilling, prepare the rest of the recipe. Set an oven rack to the lower third and preheat to 375°F.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Add to a large pot and cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium, cover, and let the potatoes simmer until tender.

This can take between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on your stove.

Drain the cooked potatoes and return to the pot. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Measure out 2 cups, saving the rest for another recipe.

Combine the 2 cups mashed sweet potato in the pot with the brown sugar, spices, butter, and half of the evaporated milk. Simmer over medium-low, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

If you have an immersion blender, use it to purée the potato mixture until smooth, or just continue using the potato masher. We want the mixture to be as smooth as possible for the pie filling, so if you’re having trouble getting it smooth, you can transfer the mixture to a food processor to pulse briefly. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining evaporated milk, cream, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Whisk the egg mixture into the sweet potato mixture, mixing until completely smooth.

Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the pie filling into the crust, then carefully transfer the pie on the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and continue baking for 40-50 minutes, until the center of the pie just barely jiggles and the outer edges are set.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. If you do not cool the pie long enough, the custard will not set. I usually cool the pie at room temperature for 2 hours, then cover and transfer it to the refrigerator to cool the rest of the way.

Serve with your favorite whipped cream!

Storage tips

Custard pies like this one must be stored in the refrigerator. 

Cover the pie with plastic wrap or foil and store for up to 3 days. Your pie might get some condensation on top, but you can just dab it off with a paper towel.

You can also freeze a baked sweet potato pie. Let it cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

I recommend only freezing the pie if you are baking in a disposable pie plate, so you don’t have your pie plate trapped in the freezer for months! You can also flash freeze the pie, freezing it just until solid, and then carefully popping it out of the pie plate before re-wrapping and returning to the freezer. When thawing, unwrap and place back in a pie plate.

Thaw frozen pies in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

More holiday pies

Pies are a big part of the holiday season of course, so if you’re looking for other ideas, try these!

• Maple Pecan Pie
• Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese
• Caramel Apple Slab Pie
• Shoofly Pie
• Chocolate Chess Pie

Make sweet potato pie for your holiday spread this year!

Sweet Potato Pie

A great alternative to pumpkin pie, this sweet potato pie is rich, creamy, and full of warm spices.

Author : Megan Myers

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Print Pin Recipe Review

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Crust Chill Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings 8

Calories 423 kcal

Ingredients

  

1/2x1x2x3x

• 1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 cup evaporated milk, divided use
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

• On a floured surface, roll the pie dough to about 12-13 inches in diameter. Carefully roll up the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edge all the way around so it extends just slightly past the dish, then fold the edges under and crimp. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 2 hours.
  1 9-inch pie crust
• Place a rack on the upper third oven shelf and preheat to 375°F.
• Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2-inch pieces. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are fully tender with no resistance when pierced with a fork, 15-30 minutes. Drain into a colander. Alternatively, you can use the microwave (see notes).
  2 medium sweet potatoes
• Return the sweet potatoes to the pot and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Measure out 2 cups and discard any remaining sweet potato (or save for a different use).
• Return the 2 cups to the pot and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, salt, butter, and half the evaporated milk. Simmer on medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. You want to get the mixture as smooth as possible. If you have one, use an immersion blender toward the end to help puree the ingredients (if not, continue using the potato masher). Remove the pot from the heat.
  3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup evaporated milk
• In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly whisk together the remaining evaporated milk, cream, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour into the sweet potato mixture.
  1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Pour the prepared filling into the pie crust. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 375°F, then reduce the heat to 325°F and bake until cooked through, about 45 to 50 minutes. The center of the pie should just barely jiggle in the pan.
• Cool completely before serving. Serve topped with whipped cream.
  Whipped cream

Notes

• To save time, you can microwave the unpeeled sweet potatoes whole. Piece the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave in 2-3 minute increments until fork-tender. Slice lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, discarding the skins.
• The sweet potato can be cooked in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Do not forget to reduce the heat during baking or your pie will be overcooked and burnt.

Nutrition

Calories: 423 kcalCarbohydrates: 56 gProtein: 7 gFat: 19 gSaturated Fat: 9 gCholesterol: 103 mgSodium: 275 mgPotassium: 377 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 34 gIron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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