Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

For an old-fashioned Southern sweet potato pie, this recipe is quite sweet, warmly spiced, and straightforward to prepare. You’ll need about 15 minutes of hands-on prep, plus baking and cooling time. A ready-made crust keeps things convenient, or you can use a homemade pie crust for a from-scratch option. Since the pie needs time to cool and chill, you can prepare it a day ahead for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or another holiday meal.

Black Folks’ Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Sweet potato pie has long been part of Southern and African American food traditions, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Black cooks in the South helped shape the dessert into the holiday staple it is today.

My recipe is adapted from one of Leah Chase’s sweet potato pie recipes. I had her pie when I visited New Orleans and ate at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant several years ago. It was dense, velvety, quite sweet, and tasted homemade, which is what I loved about it.

Depending on the recipe, sweet potato pie can have a light, silky filling or a denser one. This version is on the dense side, similar to the pie I had in New Orleans. Sweet potato pie is especially popular during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, alongside other Southern holiday desserts like Texas pecan pie.

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes – 1 lb. Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes give the filling its natural sweetness and dense texture. Choose firm ones without soft spots or wrinkled skin.
• Light brown sugar – 1 cup, firmly packed. It adds a deeper sweetness and mild molasses flavor that pairs well with the sweet potatoes.
• Evaporated milk – 5 oz. It gives the custard a rich, creamy texture. Whole milk or 2% milk can be used instead, although the filling will be less rich.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. These spices add warmth and balance the sweetness of the filling. Cinnamon is used in a larger amount, with smaller amounts of nutmeg and ginger.
• Pie crust – one 9-inch crust. A ready-made crust saves time, or you can use a homemade crust if you prefer making it from scratch.

How to Make Southern Sweet Potato Pie

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Bake 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. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove them from the oven and let them cool until they’re easy to handle. Peel and discard the skins.
3. Prepare the pie crust: Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Sprinkle a little flour on a clean work surface and roll the dough into a round 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to an ungreased 9-inch pie pan and trim off the excess.
4. Crimp the crust: Crimp the edges and place the pie pan on a foil-lined baking sheet.
   Note: For a crisper bottom crust, pre-bake it. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes, or until the crust starts to set. Let it cool completely before adding the filling. Skip pre-baking if you prefer a softer bottom crust.
5. Prepare the filling: Place the peeled sweet potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer and mash them until smooth with a fork or potato masher. Add the brown sugar, melted butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix until combined.
6. Add the eggs and milk: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Pour in the evaporated milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake the sweet potato pie: Bake 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 pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely. The filling will sink slightly as it cools. Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
8. Serve: Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.

FAQ About Sweet Potato Pie

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4.20 from 15 votes

Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

With a flaky crust and smooth, velvety filling, Southern Sweet Potato Pie is a classic custard dessert made with sweet potatoes, brown sugar, warm spices, and evaporated milk.

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Resting time 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 slices

Calories394.3 kcal

Author Valentina Dimitrova

Cost $ 1.00 per slice

Equipment

• oven
• baking sheet
• pie plate
• mixer

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potatoes
• 1 cup light brown sugar – firmly packed
• ½ cup butter – melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 large eggs – at room temperature
• 5 oz can evaporated milk or 1 cup whole milk or 2% milk, I used 1 can
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ready-made 9-inch pie crust – thawed and unbaked

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Bake 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. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove them from the oven and let them cool until they’re easy to handle. Peel and discard the skins.
• Prepare the pie crust: Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Sprinkle a little flour on a clean work surface and roll the dough into a round 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to an ungreased 9-inch pie pan and trim off the excess.
• Crimp the crust: Crimp the edges and place the pie pan on a foil-lined baking sheet.

  Note: For a crisper bottom crust, pre-bake it. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 15 minutes, or until the crust starts to set. Let it cool completely before adding the filling. Skip pre-baking if you prefer a softer bottom crust.
• Prepare the filling: Place the peeled sweet potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer and mash them until smooth with a fork or potato masher. Add the brown sugar, melted butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix until combined.
• Add the eggs and milk: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Pour in the evaporated milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet.
• Bake the sweet potato pie: Bake 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 pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely. The filling will sink slightly as it cools. Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
• Serve: Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Storage and Freezing

Refrigerator: Let the pie cool completely, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Freezer: Let the pie cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thawing: Thaw the frozen pie overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Make Ahead: You can make the sweet potato pie one day ahead. Let it cool completely, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 394.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 50.9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19.5g | Saturated Fat: 10.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6.4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 76.6mg | Sodium: 234.5mg | Potassium: 323.4mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 8501.2IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 102.5mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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