Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

This Southern sweet potato pie recipe calls for a store-bought buttery and flaky crust and a sweet, custardy filling made with simple ingredients. It is quick to prepare and makes the perfect Southern dessert for Thanksgiving. Get our homemade pie crust recipe to make it from scratch if you prefer!

One of my favorite sweet potato pie recipes is from Leah Chase, the former owner of the legendary Dooky Chase’s restaurant in NOLA.

This recipe is adapted from hers. I had a chance to try it when I visited New Orleans several years ago and had lunch at her restaurant.

The filling was dense, velvety, and quite sweet. You could taste the homemade factor, which is irreplaceable.

If you always have pumpkin pie for the Holidays, you are missing out.

I call it THE SUPER PIE – because it is very flavorful!

Got yours?

Black Folks’ Sweet Potato Pie Recipe 

Sweet potato pie is a Southern traditional dessert popular among the African American community.  Unlike Texas pecan pie, which is eaten all year round, sweet potato pie is usually served on Thanksgiving and Christmas during the American holiday season.

It replaces pumpkin pie, which tends to be preferred among White Americans and is common in other parts of the United States.

Common ingredients are mashed sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, sugar, spices, and eggs. Some add vanilla extract as well.

The thing is, the baked custard filling can vary quite a bit in texture — from light and silky to dense, depending on the ratio of mashed potato, milk, and eggs. Ours is more on the dense side!

Its origin dates from the early colonial times in the southern United States. Although this root vegetable is native to the Americas, it was most commonly used by African slaves as an alternative to the yam found in Africa. It’s soul food — like collard greens!

But like pumpkin pie, it calls for an open pie shell filled with a sweet custardy filling. Their fillings are alike –you might say they are cousins.

But if you have been asking yourself whether this is about race and rivalry, I would say it has more to do with the availability of those produce items in certain regions of the United States.

Southerners, both black and white, often prefer sweet potato pie because sweet potatoes are easier to grow than edible pumpkins in the South. On the other hand, Northerners turn more often to pumpkin pie because they are plentiful in that region.

What’s the difference between pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie?

 Although both pies have a sweet, custardy filling, the main difference between them is that one uses mashed pumpkin (usually from canned pumpkin) and the other mashed sweet potatoes (boiled or baked) and a variation in spices and type of dairy used.

Some also call out the fact that they can have different textures. Pumpkin pie is more dense and creamy while sweet potato pie is lighter and airier. But this isn’t always true because it will depend on the ratio of sweet potatoes, milk, and eggs in various recipes.

What are the ingredients in a Southern sweet potato pie?

Not all sweet potato pies are made the same. Yes, all of them contain the basic ingredients of the old-fashioned sweet potato pie recipe (mashed sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, sugar, spices such as nutmeg, and eggs) but a few show slight variations (ratio of sweet potatoes, milk, and eggs plus flavorings), as you can see below:

• Sweet potatoes: Make sure to wash and pat dry the sweet potatoes before pricking them all over with a  fork and baking them until tender. This will allow you to mash them in order to prepare the creamy filling. Some prefer to boil them but I don’t recommend it. Why? If you boil them they will take on too much water, making the filling soggy.
• Butter: Use melted unsalted butter. Choosing a good-quality butter (Irish or most European) will make your pie taste much better. It is real butter without water.
• Brown sugar – It will give the pie a warm sweet flavor that granulated sugar can’t offer.
• Eggs – Use whole eggs, at room temperature. Beat them, one at a time, just until combined, but do not overmix them; otherwise, your pie may crack.
• Dairy – Use evaporated milk. But you can easily replace it with either whole milk or 2% milk, although you will have to increase the amount.  For each cup of evaporated milk, use 1 2/3 cups of whole milk or 2% milk (or heavy cream).
• Flavorings – I used freshly ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and also ground ginger plus pure vanilla extract and salt.  But there are people that add pumpkin pie spice instead. 
• Pie crust – I used a store-bought pie crust instead of a homemade pie crust, cutting down the prep time. But you can prepare your own pie crust from scratch. It’s  all up to you!

This not Patti Labelle’s, Paula Deen’s, or The Neelys’ sweet potato pie.

How to make sweet potato pie

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).  

2. Cook the sweet potatoes: Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Wash the sweet potatoes, pat them dry, and prick them a few times with a fork. Put them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove them from the oven. Let them cool enough to handle and peel them.

3. For the pie crust: Meanwhile, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180° C). Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a round (12-inch diameter). Then, line an ungreased 9-inch pie pan with the dough and trim off the excess crust. Crimp the edges! If you prefer your pie to have a crisp bottom, place a sheet of parchment paper on top and add some dried beans or pie weights onto the bottom. Place the unbaked pie crust on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the crust starts to set. Transfer to a wire rack and let it fully cool before filling. But if you don’t mind yours having a soft bottom, skip the pre-baking pie shell step.

4. Prepare the filling: Transfer them to the bowl of an electric mixer, mash the sweet potatoes until smooth using a fork or potato masher. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, and spices and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Pour in evaporated milk and vanilla extract, mixing until combined and smooth. Pour the pie filling into the crust and place it back on a foil-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake the sweet potato pie: Bake the pie in the center of the oven at 350°F (180° C for 55-60 minutes, or until the pie is set and the center is slightly jiggly. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let the pie cool completely. It will sink as it cools. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.  

6. Serve our homemade sweet potato pie topped with whipped cream or cool whip and a dash of cinnamon.

Variations

Did you know you can add a few twists to the Southern sweet potato pie?

Here are a few variations:

• Mississippi sweet potato pie – It adds orange zest and bourbon to the filling of a Southern sweet potato pie.
• Purple sweet potato pie – Unlike a traditional sweet potato pie, it uses purple sweet potatoes.
• Sweet potato pie with condensed milk– Follow our recipe and replace all the brown sugar and evaporated milk with one can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk– plus reduce the butter to ¼ cup. Leah Chase’s recipe uses condensed milk! 
• Vegan sweet potato pie – Take a look at our baking substitutions page to replace the eggs and dairy (milk and butter) with vegan equivalents.
• Sweet potato pie with canned yams – Just like most pumpkin pie recipes call for canned pumpkin, you can make sweet potato pie with canned yams instead of sweet potatoes.

 Why is my pie runny?

This happens when:

• You didn’t bake the pie enough for the filling to set on the edges and get jiggly (not liquidy) in the middle. 
• Or you boiled the potatoes instead of baking them. They will absorb water during the boiling process and will release it when the filling is baking. The pie will become soggy!

Recipe tips for making the best sweet potato pie

• It is best served when it has cooled or it is chilled.
• Make this Southern sweet potato pie at least one day ahead and chill. It is one of those dishes that become more flavorful the next day.
• Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving and then slice.
• Don’t boil the sweet potatoes; otherwise, they will absorb too much water, making the filling soggy.
• If you have time, pre-bake the pie shell before pouring the filling in so the bottom won’t get too soft after baking the pie.

Storage

Store Southern sweet potato pie covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to place plastic wrap loosely over the top and seal around the edges of your pie plate.

Can I freeze this easy sweet potato pie?

Yes! Wrap cool pie with parchment paper and then plastic wrap. Freeze it for up to 3 months.  

Thaw in the fridge.

Other sweet potato recipes to try:

• Sweet potato casserole
• Sweet potato flan
• Mashed sweet potatoes
• Sweet potato pound cake

Other pie recipes to enjoy:

• Buttermilk pie
• Butterscotch pie
• Chocolate chess pie
• Apple pie
• Lemon chess pie
• Lemon icebox pie

PIN & ENJOY!

 

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