How To Make Sweet Potato Pie From Scratch
This sweet potato pie is easy to make! Heres how you do it:
Roast And Mash The Sweet Potatoes
Many sweet potato pie recipes call for boiling the sweet potatoes but in this recipe they are roasted. Roasting takes a bit longer but is completely hands-off, and you dont have to worry about peeling or slicing them.
Simply poke the sweet potatoes with a fork five or six times and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until very tender, about 1 hour.
Let cool, then scoop the pulp out of the skin into a medium bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, mash until smooth.
Make Ahead And Storage Instructions
This sweet potato pie can easily be prepared from start to bottom up a day in advance, which makes it a great make ahead dessert for Thanksgiving or any other holiday celebration. You can then keep it at room temperature, covered with foil, or if you prefer it cold, you can store in the refrigerator. Both options work, its just a matter of personal preferences. Making sweet potato pie ahead of time also enables spices to develop their bold flavors, and as a result the dessert usually tastes even better the next day!
Store the leftovers in an airtight container placed in the refrigerator for a few days. Although it is technically possible to freeze the sweet potato pie, I do not recommend it as I noticed it tends to loose most of its delicate flavors and become starchy.
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My Favorite Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
I precisely remember the first time I had a bite of Sweet Potato Pie and falling immediately in love. Its similar to pumpkin pie, but with a softer flavor. Since that first bite, I have been on the hunt for my version of a perfect sweet potato pie and I have finally got it just right.
My sweet potato pie recipe is sweet, creamy and perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. Its in a basic pie crust and uses baked sweet potatoes to keep it extra moist and easy to make. Brown sugar gives it a slightly caramel flavor that is beyond delicious!
Im excited to share this recipe and all my tips and tricks on how to make the best sweet potato pie!
Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 For a special dollop on top of each slice of sweet potato pie, fold flaked coconut into whipped cream.
- tip 2 For best results use a heat-resistant glass pie plate or dull aluminum pie pan. Shiny or disposable pie pans reflect heat and prevent crusts from browning, dark pans absorb heat, causing over-browning and nonstick pans can cause crusts to shrink.
- tip 3 To soften chilled butter, cut into small pieces and leave at room temperature. A faster method is to microwave it at 5-second intervals checking frequently to ensure the butter is softened but not melted.
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What Equipment To Use
To make a sweet potato pie, you will need a mixer! You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, either will do. This recipe could also be made by hand using a whisk or wooden spoon. However, it will take some arm muscle to mix the ingredients together until creamy. I love using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer to make things easier, but I have made it with a hand mixer as well.
Then Comes The Hardest Step For Me Taking The Pie Out Of The Oven And Placing It Into The Refrigerator To Cool Overnight
The combined scent of the cinnamon, lemon, and vanilla together made my mouth water as a child, and it was very tempting to sneak a taste, even if the pie was still too hot. I was smart enough not to try with my mom around, however.
Before we began making the pie, my dad said it had been so long since he had made a sweet-potato pie that he had forgotten how. But it was clear, as we looked at my actually edible-looking pie, that wasn’t the case. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without his guidance.
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Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
How do you store sweet potato pie?
Store your sweet potato pie covered with aluminum foil or in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze sweet potato pie?
Yes, you can freeze this pie. To do so, wrap it a few times in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Why This Recipe Works:
The best way to get the lumps out of your potatoes is to use a food processor. Just add the ingredients into the food processor. Process real quick until silky and smooth. Pour it into a prepared pie crust and bake. THAT SIMPLE and so flavorful! I’m eating a slice now.
My goodness it’s so good. I’m dreaming of selling them. I made this pie for a recent event and black folks, white folks all races of folks loved it!
Not much else to say about this recipe except to ditch the electric mixer because it takes too long to achieve a smooth batter. The food processor methods works so much better.
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How To Freeze & Store
- How to store leftovers. Leftover sweet potato pie can last in the refrigerate for 4 or 5 days when tightly wrapped and covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Can you freeze sweet potato pie? Yes, this pie can be frozen. Bake as directed then allow to cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Ingredient Info And Substitution Suggestions
CRUST We are using store-bought pie crusts, but you can certainly use your own homemade pie dough if youd like. Our apple pie recipe has a delicious homemade pie crust you can try.
FILLING Sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, salt, lemon juice, heavy cream, and unsalted butter all go into this filling. Were using the boiled sweet potato method for this pie, but baking the sweet potatoes will also yield great results.
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Easy Sweet Potato Pie
This Easy Sweet Potato Pie is a simple to prepare, homemade version of a classic southern treat. Sweet, creamy, and full of flavor. Make this recipe soon, you won’t be disappointed!
This recipe can be made with a store-bought pie crust or you can choose to make your own Homemade Buttery Pie Crust. Also if you love the flavors of sweet potato pie, then you should try making a Sweet Potato Pound Cake.
To me, nothing says that it is Thanksgiving better than a good ole sweet potato pie.
For years, I was intimidated to even give this pie a try. Each year I would ask my mom to make this treat for me so that I could enjoy it. To me, it is the perfect dessert to end a very filling holiday meal. A few years ago I decided to spend some time in the kitchen to watch my mom make these pies and I was floored to see how easy they are to make. The hardest part about preparing these pies is the prep required for the sweet potatoes.
The recipe begins by picking out four large sweet potatoes. Next, you need to clean, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into large chunks. Lastly, you have to boil them until they are fork-tender and drain off all the water to add them to the recipe. That is all you need to do to prepare the sweet potatoes. Place the potatoes along with all of the other pie ingredients into a stand mixer bowl and mix until smooth before adding into the pie crust to bake. That is it! This recipe is so simple and definitely worth giving a try this holiday season.
Pro Tips For This Recipe
- Glass pie dishes are very durable but so slippery be prepared for some slippage during baking.
- TENT your Pie crust! You really want the center of the pie to bake all the way through and set but the crust should be golden brown at the edge. Tenting with foil like you see in the process shot further down will keep your crust from singeing.
- If you want to speed things up you can use a graham cracker crust and you will not be disappointed.
- Use a food processor and whiz, whiz, whiz! Those blades will chop up all the fibrous strings you find in some sweet potato pies and give you a wonderful silky filling.
- For a PERFECT surface put the pie on a turntable and use a large pastry brush to create a swirl.
- For an added depth of flavor try adding orange zest and/or a healthy touch of bourbon.
- You can sub two tablespoons of ice water for vodka. The alcohol bakes off and crust will be extra crisp.
- If you want to go for a shocking twist then use purple sweet potatoes and watch your guests do a double take.
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Variations Around The Recipe
You can serve this sweet potato pie as is, either at room temperature or cold. You can also add a few toppings to make it even more sumptuous. Here are a few examples:
- Add whipped cream on top. If doing so, make sure the filling is cool enough so whipped cream doesnt melt on top. I use homemade whipped cream, by simply beating whipping cream with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form, and then pipe it into a piping bag to make some nice shaped over the pie. You can also spread it over the pie with a spatula.
- Top with homemade Italian meringue pie. This Italian meringue recipe is my favorite it gets a little technical but once you master the technique, there is no other meringue recipe you would like to use in the world. The result is so sumptuous, sweet and subtle!
- Sprinkle candied pecans by followingthis recipe. It will make each bite crunchy and simply irresistible.
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- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons flour
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How To Cut Sweet Potato Pie
First, make sure the pie is very well chilled. Using a clean serrated knife, slice the pie. Remove the sample slice. The first slice doesn’t have to be perfect. Gobble the sample slice then keep it moving.
The plan is to make room for the next slices. So now that the sweet potato pie has more room, gently slice the pie again and and try to gently move the slice over some keeping the knife in slicing position. Keep slicing and moving each slice over.
Don’t forget to wipe the knife clean with a damp clean kitchen towel after each slice. Run the knife a couple times through the slice of pie before you attempt to move it over.
The key is to make sure you cut all the way through the bottom pie crust. Food52 has a great post to help perfect your pie slicing game. Serve the sweet potato pie as is, or top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.
So What Makes The Best Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
So I learned a few things in testing and creating this recipe:
- Blind baking the crust will keep you from ending up with a soft and gooey pie crust.
- Using baked sweet potatoes instead of boiled sweet potatoes concentrates their flavor rather then ending up with water logged boiled sweet potatoes.
- Browning the salted butter adds adds some depth of flavor to the pie filling. Salted browned butter and sweet potato were made to go together
- Keeping it light on the spices lets the sweet potato flavor shine.
- I personally preferred the classic texture of using mashed by hand sweet potatoes vs. those pureed in a food processor.
- The lightly caramelized flavor of evaporated milk was preferred to the flavor of milk or cream.
- Tent pie crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning.
- And being careful not to over-bake the pie prevented deep cracks from happening .
This is easily my favorite sweet potato pie recipe! And I prefer the marshmallow topping for that nostalgic flavor combination, plus I feel thats what will really set it apart from pumpkin pie but feel free to use either whipped cream or marshmallow topping.
If you use the marshmallow topping youll want to prepare and toast it when its time to serve , so its nice and fluffy.
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