Have you tried Sweet Potato Pie? You'll love it: warming spices plus sweet potato make a creamy filling that is so sweet and yummy! All in a flaky and buttery pie crust.
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Growing up in Vermont, Sweet Potato Pie was not in our holiday pie rotation. Pumpkin? Yes. Blueberry? Of course. Chocolate Pie? HECK YES.
So where did I hear about Sweet Potato Pie? From my friend Chief Meteorologist Amanda Thibault! She grew up in Florida and this pie is her all-time favorite, Thanksgiving pie. And when I tried it I understood why: it is so good!
This pie is a good one to try on Pi Day in March, too!
Why you'll love this recipe
This pie has a lovely, smooth texture thanks to cooked sweet potato, evaporated milk, sugar, and eggs. And the perfect amount of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg that give it that quintessential holiday flavor.
Like pumpkin pie, this pie does occasionally get a crack in the top as it's cooling. However, the pie gets a thick dollop of homemade whipped cream (either over the whole pie or on each slice) so no one will ever see that crack anyway!
This pie is made with my Flaky Buttery Pie Crust recipe which is wonderful with this filling. Making this crust for the first time? My post with the recipe has lots of tips and techniques to get great results.
🔪 How to make Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes:
- Boiled Cider:
- Brown Sugar:
- Pie Crust Dough:
- Butter:
- Half & Half:
- Eggs:
- Sugar:
- Vanilla:
- Spices:
Step 1: Prepare the sweet potato.
Roast the cut sweet potato with boiled cider and brown sugar until the chunks are very tender. Let them cool to room temperature.
Step 2: Prebake the pie shell
Use half of the Flaky Buttery Pie Crust recipe—the dough should be chilled. Fit the dough into the pan and crimp the edges all around. Line the pie shell with foil and fill the shell with pie weights.Bake the shell for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake the shell for 5 minutes longer. Let the shell cool while you make the filling.
Step 3: Make the filling.
Blend the cooked sweet potato with half-and-half until the mixture is blended and smooth. Mix this together with the eggs, melted butter, sugars, and spices until the filling is blended and smooth.
Step 4: Fill and bake the pie.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Pour the sweet potato filling into the crust, then bake it for about 50 minutes. The pie is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let it cool.
Step 5: Add whipped cream, slice, and serve.
Make a batch of fresh whipped cream using heavy cream and sugar. The top of the pie can either be covered with the cream before slicing, or dollops of cream can be added to individual slices.
Tips:
- This recipe calls for boiled cider, which gives wonderful sweetness and flavor to the roasting sweet potatoes. You can find boiled cider at this link!
- I like the flavor that comes from roasting sweet potatoes with boiled cider and brown sugar. Another option for cooking them is to boil them on the stove top until they're tender.
How nice to have another pie in the repertoire! And the best news: Amanda liked it!
Add this Sweet Potato Pie to your dessert table. The recipe is below, and here are a few more pie dessert ideas, too.
💬 What do you think of this pie? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes:
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes
- ⅓ cup boiled cider
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
For the pie:
- ½ portion Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust recipe
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup half & half
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whipping cream
- ¼ cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Prepare the sweet potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 450° F. Very lightly coat the bottom of an 8-inch x 8-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into 1-inch thick slices and then cut each slice into quarters. Place the cut potatoes into the pan along with the boiled cider and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Toss the potatoes to coat them with sugar and cider.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil, stir the potatoes and bake them uncovered for 20 to 30 more minutes. The potatoes should be soft and mashable.
- Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the potatoes to a dish and allow them to cool to room temperature.
Prebake the pie shell:
- Use half of the Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust recipe - the dough should be chilled. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness and cut out a circle large enough for the pie pan.
- Fit the dough into the pan. Fold under and crimp the edges all around. Line the pie shell with foil and it should extend over the edges as well. Fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans.
- Refrigerate the crust while you preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Bake the shell for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil, then prick the shell all over with a fork. Bake the shell for 10 minutes longer. Let the shell cool while you make the filling.
Make the filling:
- Purée the cooled sweet potatoes in a food processor while slowly adding in the half and half. The potato/half and half mixture should be as smooth as possible - purée it in batches if need be. Transfer the puréed potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave (10 second bursts until it's melted.) Add this to the sweet potatoes. Add in the eggs, the remaining ⅔ cup of brown sugar, the granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Mix everything together in the stand mixer until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
Assemble the pie:
- Reduce the oven heat to 350° F. Spoon the sweet potato filling into the prebaked shell and smooth the top. Cover the pie crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning.
- Bake the pie for 50 to 55 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Allow the pie to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Fresh, sweetened whipped cream can be spread over the cooled pie before slicing, or simply add dollops to slices as you serve them. Spreading whipped cream over the uncut pie can be a great option to hide a crack in the top of your pie, should one appear after it's baked!
To make fresh, whipped cream:
- Chill the bowl and whisk from your stand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes, then assemble them on the mixer. Beat the heavy cream and confectioner's sugar for 4-5 minutes on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream over the pie before slicing it, or add dollops to individual slices. Serve the pie.
Notes
- Find the recipe, plus step-by-step instructions for my Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust dough at this link.
- This recipe calls for boiled cider, which gives wonderful sweetness and flavor to the roasting sweet potatoes. You can find boiled cider at this link!
- I like the flavor that comes from roasting the sweet potatoes with boiled cider and brown sugar. Another option for cooking them is to boil them on the stove top until they're tender.
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