The South's got Thanksgiving desserts on lock and this Southern Sweet Potato Pie is proof. It's a masterpiece of fall flavors and your holiday table couldn't possibly be complete without it.
The roasted sweet potato filling has just the right amount of sweetness, with a rich and creamy texture, and it comes speckled with warm and comforting spices like cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. The whole shebang sits atop a perfectly baked, buttery pie crust, and when it all comes together on your fork, you're guaranteed one seriously perfect bite.
This filling is an absolute cinch to whip up, and you can't beat the flavor you get from roasting fresh sweet potatoes! It brings out the natural sugars and intensifies the flavor.
Top it off with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon for a Southern dessert that'll win over any crowd!
Looking for more awesome Pies to add to the list? Try our Apple Crisp Pie with a perfectly crispy oatmeal crumble topping too!
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO PIE
- Prep the Pie Dough
- Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- Blind Bake the Crust
- Mix Up the Filling
- Assemble and Bake
1. READY THE DOUGH FOR BLIND BAKING
The first thing you'll do is prepare the pastry crust and pie dish for blind baking. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface, and then transfer it to your pie dish and poke holes across the bottom using the tines of a fork. Crimp or fold the edges and then, gently lay a sheet or two of aluminum foil across the dough.
Mold the foil over the dough so that it covers the dough completely and then transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
2. ROAST THE SWEET POTATOES
While the pie dough is chilling, go ahead and get your sweet potatoes roasting! To prepare the potatoes, you'll simply drizzle them with oil, place them on a baking sheet, and bake at 400°F for about 45 minutes. Once the potatoes are fork-tender, they're ready to come out of the oven. Remove them and allow them to sit until they are cool enough to handle.
In the meantime, it's to bake the pie crust!
3. BLIND BAKE THE CRUST
If you are unfamiliar with blind baking and why you should do it, be sure to read the section below entitled, All About Blind Baking! It's an extra step, but one well-worth taking when it comes to baking the perfect Sweet Potato Pie! Just wait -- you'll see.
To blind bake the pie crust, remove it from the refrigerator and top the foil with pie weights. Then, transfer the crust to the lower third of the oven and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside on a rack to cool.
4. MIX UP THE FILLING
Here comes the really easy part: Split those roasted sweet potatoes right down the center and transfer the flesh to a large mixing bowl. No tools needed -- the skin will peel right off!
Add the evaporated milk, the sugar, vanilla, spices, salt, eggs, and egg yolk and mix. This mixing is easily done using either a handheld mixer on medium speed or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
If you don't have either, mash the potatoes until smooth, then stir in the remaining ingredients.
5. ASSEMBLE AND BAKE
Remove the foil and pie weights from the crust, and add the filling. It's okay to add the filling, even if the crust is still warm. Smooth over the top and get ready to bake!
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. That part is very important! Then, place the pie in the centermost part of the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Don't try to cut the pie hot out of the oven. It needs to set up. Allow to cool completely, and serve!
HOW LONG TO BAKE SWEET POTATO PIE
If you are trying to figure out just how long everything will take in the oven for your Sweet Potato Pie masterpiece,
- You'll need 40 minutes in the oven for the sweet potatoes to roast.
- Another 20 minutes in the oven for the crust to blind bake.
- And, a total of 40 minutes for the assembled pie to bake through.
That is a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes of bake time.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN SWEET POTATO PIE IS DONE?
To determine if your Sweet Potato Pie is fully cooked and ready to pull from the oven, give it a gentle nudge! If the center of the pie (not the edges) jiggles ever so slightly, it's ready to come out!
If you want to get specific with it, you can take the internal temperature of the pie using an instant-read probe thermometer. The pie is fully cooked when it reaches 175°F!
As mentioned above, the pie needs to finish cooking during the cooling process, so do not attempt to cut into it right away! For best results, allow for four hours of resting time -- minimum!
MORE SWEET POTATO RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:
- Sweet Potato Souffle
- Smoky Sweet Potato Wedges
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Mascarpone
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Goat Cheese
ALL ABOUT BLIND BAKING PIE CRUST
Blind baking is a method in which you bake the pie crust partially before you add the filling. You blind bake to ensure the crust bakes all the way through and does not come out soggy in the end.
Remember, blind baking only partially bakes the crust, so if the center of the pie appears damp after its small stint in the oven, this is totally normal and intended!
WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE PIE WEIGHTS?
If you do not have pie weights, you can use dried beans or even rice to fill the dish. The dish doesn't have to be all the way full; just full enough so that the bottom is covered. The purpose of the filler is to keep the pie crust from bubbling up and rising, keeping the bottom flat and smooth!
INGREDIENTS
- Pie Dough | You have lots of options when it comes to the pastry dough. You can make your own pie crust (I highly recommend this flaky pie crust recipe) or you can use storebought crust if you need to save a little time. You will only need one round of pastry dough.
- Sweet Potatoes | For this Sweet Potato Pie Recipe, we'll be working with fresh sweet potatoes and you'll need 1 ½ pound (or 3 to 4 sweet potatoes). It really is best if you are able to weight them as it helps to keep all other ingredient proportions right on par. However, if you don't have access to a scale, just know three larger potatoes will do the trick, as will four smaller to average-sized potatoes.
- Oil | The oil will be used for roasting the potatoes and will not go into the filling at all. A flavorless oil is best, and because you're roasting the sweet potatoes at a high temperature, a high smoke point couldn't hurt either. Canola, avocado, or vegetable oil will work great!
- Evaporated Milk | Do not make the mistake of confusing evaporated milk with sweetened condensed milk! If you would like to sub in half-and-half or cream, feel free to do so.
- Brown Sugar | You can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. Whichever you have on hand is fine! Dark brown sugar has a deeper molasses flavor to it and a higher moisture content than light brown sugar, but it should not affect the flavor of your pie filling in any significant manner.
- Vanilla Extract | Never underestimate the power of pure vanilla extract. It will add balance and loads of flavor to your pie filling!
- Spices | The spice mix for this Sweet Potato Pie is small but mighty! You'll need ground cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. All of these spices pair particularly well with sweet potatoes and make for one delicious bite!
- Eggs | Eggs serve two main purposes in this pie filling. The two whole eggs serve as binders to keep the sweet potato filling together and help it to set up, while that lonesome yolk adds a rich and velvety texture. Don't leave it out!
WHY USE EVAPORATED MILK IN SWEET POTATO PIE?
Evaporated milk is milk that has been through a heating process, removing about 60% of its moisture. This makes it rich, thick and an overall great product for adding creaminess to Sweet Potato Pie!
HOW TO STORE SWEET POTATO PIE
Once your sweet potato pie has cooled completely, you can transfer it to the refrigerator. Cover the top with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. The pie will keep for 2-3 days refrigerated. Whether you are attending a Thanksgiving gathering or hosting it we have the perfect Thanksgiving Recipes for you, check these out!
HOW TO FREEZE IT
To freeze Sweet Potato Pie, again, you'll need to let it cool completely. Then, place the pie in the freezer uncovered until the filling is firm to the touch.
Wrap the frozen pie multiple times in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and return to the freezer. Freeze for up to 2 months.
5 MORE PIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 single-crust, pastry dough
- 1 ½ pound sweet potatoes (about 3-4 medium-sized potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon canola or avocado oil
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and have ready a pie dish, as well as a baking pan lined with aluminum foil.
- Roll out the pie crust, transfer it to the pie dish, and crimp or fold the edges as desired. Poke holes across the bottom using the tines of a fork.
- Gently cover the crust with aluminum foil (you’ll likely need 2 sheets) and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, drizzle the potatoes with oil and rub all over. Bake for 45 minutes, or until fork-tender. Set aside to cool. Do not turn off the oven.
- Remove the crust from the refrigerator and add either pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice on top of the foil. Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F in the lower third of the oven. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Remove the crust from the oven and carefully remove the foil and pie weights. Your crust should appear somewhat damp on the bottom. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Split the roasted sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, remove the flesh, and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice, eggs, and egg yolk and mix until well combined. You can use a handheld mixer or a sturdy whisk for this task.
- Transfer the filling to the pie shell and smooth over the top. Bake for 40 minutes, until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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