This delectable Sweet Potato Pie is a welcome fall tradition. It has a tender, flaky crust, a rich, creamy texture, and a perfect balance of autumn spices. I like to serve it with fresh whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.
This sweet, flavorful Southern pie is a friend and family favorite and is always a hot commodity at holidays, family gatherings, and potlucks. If you like pumpkin pie, you will love sweet potato pie, which has a similar taste and texture. If you like sweet potatoes, try sweet potato casserole, salad, and fries.
This pie is made with an easy four-ingredient buttery, flaky crust and filled with sweet potatoes, butter, cream, brown sugar, and a few pantry spices. It is then baked to golden perfection. Get your forks ready for a tasty treat—it is not just for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: unsalted if using salted, reduce the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon salt
- All-purpose flour
- Salt: take note if using salted butter
- Sweet potatoes: choose ones that are free of soft spots, cracks, and sprouts
- Brown sugar: for sweetness
- Eggs: large ones, please
- Whipping cream: you can also use heavy cream. In many grocery stores, they are the same.
- Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
- Spices: ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
How to make Sweet Potato Pie
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and complete instructions.
Prepare the pie crust dough and pat it out into a disk. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
While the pie dough is chilling, boil the sweet potatoes until soft and gently peel them with your fingers. Mix the sweet potatoes with the remaining pie-filling ingredients in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer at medium speed.
Gently roll out the pie crust, tuck it into the pie pan, trim the edge about an inch over the side, tuck it in along the edge, and flute it.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into the prepared pie crust. Beat the egg and water together and brush the edges of the crust with the egg wash. Bake for about 1 hour or until set. Finally, cool for a couple of hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Preparation Tips
- The pie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store disk-shaped mounds in the fridge covered thoroughly with plastic wrap.
- There is no need to peel the sweet potatoes before boiling. Once boiled, the skins will easily peel right off.
- Always in a hurry? Use a frozen, ready-made pie crust or even a graham cracker crust.
- Just like pumpkin pie, this pie needs to chill for several hours to cut well.
- Top with homemade whipped cream and a very light dusting of cinnamon.
Perfect Pie Crust
- Add just enough water until you form a dough ball that doesn’t crumble when pulled apart. Too much water will make the dough sticky, resulting in a tough, chewy crust, while too little water will make the dough fall apart and crack while you are working with it.
- Form it into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour, but even longer is better.
- Be gentle when rolling out the crust, working from the middle out and turning the dough as you go.
- When moving the piecrust, gently fold or roll it around the rolling pin. Stretching it could cause it to contract when baked, resulting in shrinking and sinking edges.
- After rolling out your pie dough, let it rest in the refrigerator for about 20-25 minutes.
Store and Freeze
Store leftovers covered with wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze, first, cool the pie completely. Then, double-wrap it in plastic wrap and then in a single layer of aluminum foil. You can also use a large freezer-safe airtight container. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Pie Recipes
Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter cut in small cubes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5-6 tablespoons chilled water
Sweet Potato Filling
- 1 1/4 lbs. sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Combine butter, flour, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until very crumbly. Add chilled water a few tablespoons at a time, mixing with a fork until the dough pulls together. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Boil the sweet potatoes until soft. Allow them to cool, and gently peel their skins with your fingers. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat sweet potatoes with butter, brown sugar, eggs, cream, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until blended and creamy.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Gently roll the piecrust out to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fold the piecrust or roll it around your rolling pin to move it to the pie plate. Gently tuck the crust into the pie pan, trim the edge about an inch over the side, tuck the excess dough in along the edge, and flute it.
- Pour the pie filling into the prepared pie crust. Beat the egg and water together. Brush the edges of the crust with the egg wash. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until set. Cool for at least 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Video
Notes
- The pie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store disk shaped mounds in the fridge covered thoroughly with plastic wrap.
- There is no need to peel the sweet potatoes prior to boiling. Once boiled the skins will easily peel right off.
- Always in a hurry? Use a frozen ready made pie crust or even a graham cracker crust.
- This delicious pie is even better the second day after all the flavors have co-mingled for a while. So feel free to make it 1-2 days in advance.
- Just like pumpkin pie this pie needs to chill for several hours to cut well.
- Top with homemade whipped cream and very light dusting of cinnamon.
- Store leftovers covered with wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, first cool the pie completely. Then double wrap it in plastic wrap and then wrap it a single layer of aluminum foil. You can also use a large freezer safe airtight container. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
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Tisha
This is more of a favorite than pumpkin pie in my family! So delicious and great for holidays
Beth Pierce
I agree, Tisha!
Clark
I decided to bake a sweet potato pie for the first time, but it turned out as a purple, mushy mess. My friends took one look and burst into laughter, calling it “alien food.” The recipe is perfect, agreeing that baking might not be my thing.
April
Sweet Potato Pie is better than pumpkin pie, and I’ll fight about it if I need to. Sooooo yummy <3
Beth Pierce
I agree 100%
Valerie C
I tried the sweet potato pie and it turned out delicious! The crust was flaky and the filling was smooth and flavorful. It was a perfect dessert for our family dinner.
karen
As much as I love sweet potatoes, I had no idea you could make a pie out of it! This is awesome! I can’t wait to make me a delicious sweet potato pie.
Sandra W
My family loves sweet potato pie and this recipe was amazing! I am holding on to this one. This could easily become our new favorite fall treat.
Erin J
This became a new favorite in our household! It’s so good, the filling was smooth and creamy, and the crust was flaky and buttery! We were always fighting for the last slice!
Amanda M
Now this is my kind of comfort food! I recommend this recipe to everyone! It is delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Amanda!
Krystle
The blend of autumn spices was just right – warm and comforting without overpowering the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
Beth Pierce
Thank Krystle! I am so happy that you enjoyed the pie!
Kimberly
In your recipe you called for 2 1/2 tbs flour, yet it doesn’t state in the instructions that you are to mix it in.
Just wanted clarification, i have never added flour to the pie before. Thank you
Beth Pierce
Sorry Kimberly. I do not know why no one has called me out on that. The flour is mixed in with the pie filling. I am fixing it now. Thanks for the heads up.
Jennifer L
I need to try making this instead of pumpkin pie this year. I really love sweet potatoes!
Nikki
This sweet potato pie is the best. It reminds me of my grandmothers.
Ed
Delcious! The whole family loved this sweet potato pie recipe. We topped ours with a little chopped pecans and homemade whipped cream. I wish I had a piece for my breakfast this morning but sadly it is gone.
Kay
Wow, my family really loved this sweet potato pie. I think I like sweet potato pie better than pumpkin pie or pecan pie. I did not know it was this easy to make.
Jack
This was so yummy, the best sweet potato pie I have had in ages. Brought me back to may aunt and uncles farm.
Lori
Always a delicious dish to eat and I love how easy it is to make at home! Homemade is always so much better than store bought.
Beth Pierce
So true, Lori!