It might be temping this year to buy a frozen sweet potato pie like Patti LaBelle’s version, but nothing can take the place of this homemade Southern sweet potato pie. A classic dessert for Christmas, you wont believe how easy it is to make your own from scratch sweet potato pie masterpiece that you (and your taste buds) are proud of.
Easy Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet potatoes are a bit southern staple and eaten more often during the latter half the year – during Thanksgiving and Christmas as side dishes. There are about a thousand ways to enjoy the sweet potato, although my favorite way is most definitely in a pie like this recipe or in a traditional sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.
While prepping for Southern Sweet Potato pie and purchasing a bag of sweet potatoes, you may have extras. If so, try them out in a crock pot sweet potato casserole, candied sweet potatoes or simple savory roasted sweet potatoes and onions. Additionally baking sweet potatoes or eating sweet potatoes hasselback style is a great way to enjoy the last of the bag.
Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
This sweet potato baked pie is a Southern classic and often everyone’s favorite pie. Mashed sweet potatoes all baked up with sweet sugar and butter help bring a rich life of their own and once this simple pie is prepped, topping with candied pecans and a generous helping of whipped cream pulls it all together. Most often enjoyed in Thanksgiving and fall months, the hearty sweet potato is filling and a great part of the dessert table every holiday season.
- 1 refrigerated unbaked pie crust
- 2 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
- 1 stick, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 small can, 5 oz. evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- whipped topping for serving
Please see bottom for brown sugar substitute.
This is the pie plate I used – 9 inches.
How many sweet potatoes do you need for 2 cups smashed?
You need 3-4 sweet potatoes to get 2 cups of mashed for this recipe. Simply soften them in a pressure cooker like an instant pot or oven bake the potatoes. Whatever method you use to soften your sweet potatoes normally is fine for this sweet potato casserole, but traditionally baking them first provides the best potato flavor if you have time. Boiling is not recommended. This is how I prep sweet potatoes in the Ninja Foodi.
How to make Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Preheat oven to 350 and place the pie crust into the pie plate. Flute the edges.
Note: If you have a favorite pie crust recipe, you are welcome to make homemade pie crust over a refrigerated pie crust – I just like the ease of using the ones already done from the store.
You don’t need the pie crust to go over the edges, since there’s no crusted top to worry about like apple pie.
The crust should fit in the pie plate and you can flute the edges from there.
Set pie crust aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together mashed sweet potatoes and butter.
Add sugar and beat well.
Add milk, eggs and vanilla.
Beat in flour and all spices.
Pour pie filling batter into prepared crust and and place unbaked pie in the oven. Bake for approximately 50-55 minutes.
Edges should be cooked and center will be a little bit jiggly as it continues to set after the pie is pulled from the oven.
Remove from oven and cool completely before serving with whipped topping.
Makes 8 sweet potato pie slices.
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe Tips
How do you know the sweet potato pie is cooked: Like most pies, pie should be cooked and a toothpick should come almost clean in most areas of the pie. The center will still be SLIGHTLY jiggly and not fully set, but not soupy either. Pie may rise and then fall on cooling, which is normal. Please note that ovens bake differently and at different temperatures and it is impossible for me to know if your oven needs more time. Some ovens may need an extra 5-7 minutes to complete baking time but be careful not to accidentally overbake.
How to store sweet potato pie: Pie needs to be completely cooled (which could take about 2 hours) at room temperature. Then store pie in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3-4 days.
How to served sweet potato pie? We always serve with cool whip topping. You can also sprinkle with cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg, or top with walnuts or pecans.
Can sweet potato pie be frozen? Sweet potato pie can be frozen. As with all frozen foods, make sure the pie is well packaged. To defrost, place in fridge and let defrost naturally.
How to cut sweet potato pie: Pies can be notoriously difficult to cut without falling apart. Make sure pie is completely cooled prior to cutting. Keeping a pie cold also helps with cutting. Last but not least, cleaning the knife between cuts is the best way to cut pies, cakes, and fudge.
Can brown sugar be used?
Yes. If you prefer, you can substitute the 1 cup white sugar in the recipe above for 1/2 cup packed brown sugar combined with 1/2 cup white sugar. Please note that this change makes a sweeter sweet potato pie.
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 uncooked refrigerated pie crust
- 2 cups sweet potatoes - cooked and mashed*
- 1 stick - (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 small can - 5 oz. evaporated milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- whipped topping for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and place uncooked refrigerated pie crust into the pie plate. Flute the edges.
- Set pie plate with crust aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together cooked and mashed sweet potatoes and unsalted softened butter.
- Add white sugar and beat ingredients together well.
- Add evaporated milk, 2 eggs and vanilla extract.
- Beat in flour and spices.
- Pour uncooked pie batter into prepared crust and bake for 55 minutes.
- Edges of pie and crust should be cooked and center of pie will still be a little jiggly in middle but an inserted toothpick should come out mostly clean. Please note that some ovens take longer to cook than expected times. If the pie needs to cook more and the crust is becoming too dark, add foil to the edges of the pie to stop the cooking.
- Once toothpick in center is mostly clean, remove sweet potato pie from oven and cool completely on counter and before serving.
- Pie may take 2 hours to fully cool. When cutting, use a clean knife in between cuts.
- Serve with whipped topping and candied pecans.
- Store baked and cooled pie in fridge, covered with plastic wrap, for 3-4 days.
Recipe Notes
- *Please note prior to the pie, sweet potatoes should be cooked and mashed. I recommend letting mashed sweet potatoes cool to prevent burns prior to prepping the pie. Typically 3-4 sweet potatoes make up 2 cups. See full article for more information.
- If preferred, substitute 1 cup of sugar for 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup of white sugar.
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