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    HOME Β» Recipes Β» Pie & Tarts

    Published: Nov 10, 2013 Β· Modified: Oct 3, 2021Β· This website generates income via ads Β·

    Easy Sweet Potato Pie Recipe For Thanksgiving

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    This is a special recipe for me, so I am updating it today with new photos and additional useful information. The recipe is perfect and it is not changing, so no worries if it has become your favorite Easy Sweet Potato Pie Recipe for Thanksgiving. I am absolutely making it this Thanksgiving.

    I first made this homemade sweet potato pie nine years ago for my Dad's 88th birthday. He said it was the best sweet potato pie he'd ever eaten. My Mom said "It would win first place in any sweet potato pie contest." They both liked the spices, the texture, the crust, and the fact that it wasn't overly sweet. Mom is gone now, and Dad will turn 97 in three weeks. I wish she were here to enjoy it with us one last time. Rest in peace Mama.

    What you'll love about this pie:

    • You'll love the flavor of the sweet potato pie. It is similar to a pumpkin pie, but more subtle. The spices really shine through in this pie.
    • The texture of this pie is silky and creamy with no grittiness. It is not mushy like some pumpkin pies. This gorgeous sweet potato pie will be perfect on the dessert table alongside a pecan pie.
    • You can use a refrigerated or frozen crust from the grocery store or make your own crust from scratch. I happen to love Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust.
    • This recipe’s name says 'easy" and it is, unless you want to get fancy with the crust ornamentation. I will show you how I did that, if you want to make it extra special. To make it "easy" just make the pie, cut slices, give it a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!
    • I did increase the cooking time a smidge with this update. It wasn't quite done when my recipe said it would be.

    Ingredients

    This southern sweet potato pie recipe uses simple ingredients you probably have on hand. Around the holidays, they can often be found in one location in the grocery store. I love that kind of one-stop shopping!

    All the ingredients for Easy Sweet Potato Pie Recipe For Thanksgiving.

    Full ingredients list & measurements provided in the recipe card.

    Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos

    Two large garnet red sweet potatoes on a baking sheet.

    Wash the sweet potatoes. Make a few small slits with a knife. Put on pan.

    Fully cooked sweet potatoes with shrunken skin still on baking tray.

    Bake until soft and a knife slides in easily. About an hour. Cool to room temperature.

    Bowl of peeled sweet potatoes alongside a plate with the peels.

    Peel the sweet potatoes when they are cool enough to handle. Cut into pieces.

    Sweet potato puree in a food processor bowl.

    Add the chunks to a food processor bowl and pulse until completely smooth.

    Brown sugar, spices, and evaporated milk are added to the puree in a medium saucepan.

    To a large pot add puree, Β½ the milk, butter, spices, salt, and brown sugar.

    Partially oooked pie filling.

    Cook on low until the brown sugar melts. Remove from heat. Cool completely.

    Eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla are added to the saucepan.

    Add the eggs, the other half of the evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla. Stir.

    Fully cooked and whisked smooth pie filling.

    Add to a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth. Chill in fridge.

    A pie plate with crimped crust inside.

    Place pie crust into ungreased pie plate. Crimp edges.

    The unbaked pie filled with the sweet potato pie filling.

    Pour the filling into the crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for approx. 1 hr 8 mins.

    Fully cooked pie with center risen in a dome shape.

    Remove from oven. Pie should be raised in a dome in the center. Cool on rack.

    Fully rested sweet potato pie with the center dome deflated, flat and level.

    As the pie cools the the dome will deflate. Allow to cool completely then refrigerate.

    Equipment

    • Pie Pan standard 9" pie plate
    • Baking sheet
    • Medium saucepan
    • Bowl with lid for chilling the filling
    • Food processor, electric mixer, stand mixer, or hand mixer with mixing bowl

    Sweet Potato FAQ'S

    Where did sweet potato pie originate?

    Sweet potato pie (sometimes referred to as sweet potato casserole) is a traditional Thanksgiving dessert. It originated in the Southern United States and was popular among African Americans. It is often served during the holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is often served in place of pumpkin pie, which is more common in the northern United States.

    What is the difference between pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie?

    For those unfamiliar with it, sweet potato pie is similar to pumpkin pie. It's commonly made using almost identical ingredients – eggs, evaporated milk, cinnamon, nutmeg – except that sweet potatoes are used in place of pumpkin.

    Can dogs eat sweet potatoes?

    Sweet potato is commonly found in certain commercial dog foods and treats. When feeding your dog a sweet potato at home, it must be cooked and the skin must be removed. The skin is difficult for dogs to digest. You should never feed your dog a raw sweet potato. Not only are raw sweet potatoes difficult to chew, but they can upset your dog's stomach and potentially cause intestinal blockage.

    Should I put foil over my pumpkin pie crust?

    People often put crimped foil around the edge of the crust if it is getting too brown before the filling is cooked. This is not the best solution as it is hard to get the foil to stay on the edges of an unbaked pie, much less a hot one in the oven. Using pie crust shields, readily available online or in stores that sell baking supplies is a better option. I prefer the silicone shields that come in four pieces to the round ones as they will fit more pie pan sizes.

    Expert Tips

    If you are interested in creating a fancy crust decoration for your pie, I would love to show you how. First of all, you need a set of Baking Pie Crust Cutters like the ones I bought on Amazon. They are also readily available in craft stores like Michaels and stores that carry cake decorating supplies. They come in many different shapes and sizes as well as seasonal shapes.

    You will need another piece of dough. I like the Pillsbury refrigerated dough because it contains 2 crusts. I use one for the pie plate and the other for cutting the crust decorations. If you make your own crust, make enough for a two crust pie.

    This will become not only your best sweet potato pie recipe, but the definitely prettiest. Prepare for "oohs and aahhs."

    Dip the cutter into flour and press down, cutting the shape. Then push the plunger in to stamp the details without cutting through the dough.

    Bake the dough cutouts at 350 degrees until lightly golden brown. I place mine on a wire rack inside a baking sheet pan. Bake approx. 8 mins. Check often!

    Allow to cool completely then lightly dust with cinnamon using a small strainer, tapping the sides gently. Remove excess with a pastry brush.

    Allow the crust cutouts to dry completely before adding them to the pie. I like to place mine along the edge or to one side for drama. Try not to eat them first. πŸ™‚

    Suggestions for decoration

    No decoration

    Offset

    All around

    Anchor with piped marshmallow creme. Put the crust cutouts on close to serving time to prevent them from absorbing moisture from the pie filling.

    Food Storage Tips

    Freshly baked sweet potato pie will keep for about three to four days in the fridge. After that, it gets watery and the crust gets mushy. You should cover it loosely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to store.

    Looking for more harvest pies?

    Pie with butternut squash filling.

    Autumn Pie made with butternut squash.

    Plate with slice of pumpkin pie.

    Libby's New fashioned Pumpkin Pie

    Sweet Potato Pie

    Roasted sweet potatoes and all the traditional warm spices combine in a beautiful, and sweet pie. This will become one of your favorite sweet potato recipes and surely your favorite pie recipe.
    4.98 from 68 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 8 mins
    Cooling time 20 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 43 mins
    Course
    Dessert
    Servings 8

    Equipment

    • Pie Pan standard 9" pie plate
    • Baking sheet
    • Medium saucepan
    • Food processor
    • Bowl with lid for chilling the filling

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes use 2-3 large fresh sweet potatoes
    • ΒΎ cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 ΒΌ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    • Β½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • Β½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • β…› teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoons butter melted
    • 10 ounces evaporated milk divided
    • 3 large eggs lightly beaten
    • Β½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1 Prepared pie crust or store-bought pie shell

    Instructions
     

    • Puncture three large washed sweet potatoes (yams) several times with a fork. Roast the sweet potatoes in a 350 degree oven, unpeeled, until a knife slides in easily, about 20 minutes.
    • Allow the sweet potatoes to cool until safe to handle, then peel and cube them. Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
    • Measure out 2 cups of sweet potato puree and put in a medium-sized pot with the packed brown sugar, the spices, salt, the Β½ stick melted butter, and one 5 oz can of evaporated milk.
    • Heat over a low flame, whisking until the brown sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
    • In a medium-sized bowl, beat the three eggs with a fork. Add the second can of evaporated milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla to the eggs and continue beating until creamy.
    • Pour the cooled sweet potato mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the egg mixture. Blend thoroughly with a whisk and refrigerate until ready to use.
    • Pour the filling into a single unbaked pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the pie puffs up and the center is only slightly jiggly. Approximately 68 minutes.
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.
    • If you wish to use the crust cut-out decoration it is best to add them just before serving.

    Notes

    Nutritional information does NOT include the pie crust(s).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 258mgPotassium: 308mgFiber: 2gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 5076IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 1mg

    Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.

    We take every effort to ensure that the estimated meal cost per serving is accurate. We use a meal cost analysis application that estimates the cost of a recipe based on groceries purchased at a Walmart store in my geographical area, northern California.

    Nutritional information does NOT include the pie crust(s).
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

    More Pie & Tarts

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    • French Tomato Tart Recipe with Puff Pastry
    • Libby's New Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
    • Chocolate Velvet Pie

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Deb says

      October 22, 2022 at 4:20 pm

      5 stars
      Such a beautiful pie and the way you decorated it is simply gorgeous. This was the first sweet potato pie I ever made and it came out real good.

      Reply
    2. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says

      October 21, 2022 at 10:41 am

      5 stars
      absolutely beautiful pie - wonderfully detailed instructions.

      Reply
    3. Julie says

      October 21, 2022 at 12:40 am

      5 stars
      I love how the pumpkin spice and cinnamon shine through in this recipe.

      Reply
    4. Liz McCray says

      October 20, 2022 at 9:01 pm

      5 stars
      MY baby girl loves sweet potatoes this would be the perfect pie for her this thanksgiving!

      Reply
    5. Amy says

      October 20, 2022 at 7:55 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a fabulous recipe, I'll be making this for Thanksgiving this year!

      Reply
    6. Agnieszka says

      October 20, 2022 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      This sweet potato pie is absolutely perfect. Loved the recipe.

      Reply
    7. Nancy says

      October 20, 2022 at 11:29 am

      5 stars
      Wow this sweet potato pie was really tasty and fluffy. We love the wholesome
      Ingredients

      Reply
    8. Audrey says

      October 20, 2022 at 7:07 am

      5 stars
      This is such a good recipe! It was very easy to follow too.

      Reply
    9. Nora says

      October 20, 2022 at 6:57 am

      5 stars
      This pie not only looks great, it tastes divine! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

      Reply
    10. Amy Liu Dong says

      October 20, 2022 at 6:31 am

      5 stars
      Such a pretty pie to have, and it looks delicious.
      I will make this at home this weekend. Thank you!

      Reply
    11. Genevieve says

      October 19, 2022 at 7:14 pm

      5 stars
      Oh wow, Mary, what a lovely tribute to your parents, and this pie looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        October 19, 2022 at 7:30 pm

        Thank you Genevieve. ❀️

        Reply
    12. Andrea says

      October 19, 2022 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      this sweet potato pie is going to be a for sure hit this thanksgiving! can't wait to impress everyone!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        October 19, 2022 at 7:31 pm

        Thanks Andrea!

        Reply
    13. Keri says

      October 19, 2022 at 3:54 pm

      5 stars
      How gorgeous is this sweet potato pie? This is on my Thanksgiving menu. It looks luscious!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        October 19, 2022 at 3:56 pm

        Thank you Keri! I still have marshmallow fluff on my fingers!

        Reply
    14. Erin says

      August 12, 2022 at 4:41 pm

      5 stars
      Love sweet potato pie!

      Reply
    15. Liz says

      August 11, 2022 at 5:55 pm

      5 stars
      SO delicious!!! And I tried to copy your garnishing and it looked very pretty, too.

      Reply
    16. [email protected] says

      November 24, 2013 at 8:47 am

      5 stars
      Mary - your pie is fantastic. I have to have those stamps as well. Beautifully crafted and wonderful picture. So impressed! Best wishes for a great Thanksgiving!
      Denise @BeBetsy.com

      Reply
    17. Andi @ The Weary Chef says

      November 19, 2013 at 10:16 am

      This pie is so beautiful. I am very impressed! Thanks for sharing it with us at Saturday Night Fever πŸ™‚

      Reply
    18. Joy @ Yesterfood says

      November 18, 2013 at 7:06 pm

      Mary, I was so excited about the pie, I forgot to say, "Happy Birthday wishes to your daddy!" πŸ™‚

      Reply
    19. Joy @ Yesterfood says

      November 18, 2013 at 7:04 pm

      Mary, this pie is just lovely. My favorite part about Thanksgiving dinner is the PIE, and I can't think of a better pie than sweet potato pie. The stores around here have gotten in some really beautiful dark orange sweet potatoes....they are just begging to be made into your Roasted Sweet Potato Pie! πŸ™‚

      Love, Joy

      Reply
      • Mary says

        November 18, 2013 at 8:51 pm

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    20. [email protected] says

      November 17, 2013 at 5:42 am

      Your pie looks too pretty to eat! I love the leaf embellishments that you used on top. Thanks for sharing with this week's Throwback Thursday party.

      Reply
    21. rlk @ FirstTimeFoods says

      November 16, 2013 at 7:37 pm

      This pie looks incredible! Great job on the decorations! I'd love to know how you made them.

      Reply
      • rlk @ FirstTimeFoods says

        November 17, 2013 at 10:49 am

        Thanks for the extra info; those look like fun! I'm guessing the white is whipped cream via a decorative piping?

        Reply
    22. Dina says

      November 16, 2013 at 10:03 am

      I love sweet potato pie. yours is so lovely!

      Reply
    23. Steph @ From the Burbs to the Boonies says

      November 14, 2013 at 7:31 am

      Number one, that may be the most beautifully decorated pie I've ever seen! πŸ™‚ Number two, I haven't had sweet potato pie since I lived in South Carolina. Maybe I'll have to make it for Thanksgiving to get my fix.

      Reply
      • Mary says

        November 14, 2013 at 8:02 am

        Thanks Steph! Happy Thanksgiving.

        Reply
    24. Kerry says

      November 13, 2013 at 8:59 am

      This looks so good and i love the leaf accents on the top! So cute!

      Reply
      • MichaelO says

        November 13, 2013 at 7:38 pm

        Thanks for stopping in Kerry. Cya soon πŸ˜‰

        Reply
    25. Jennifer @ My Sweet Sanity says

      November 12, 2013 at 6:20 pm

      Oh goodness but that is one beautiful pie. It's so pretty I would not want to cut it. I am with you on the spices. I am not a coriander fan so I would probably like your recipe better out of the two. Definitely pinning this one.

      Reply
    26. Jodee Weiland says

      November 11, 2013 at 7:56 am

      This pie is beautiful and sounds delicious! I'm going to try it soon!

      Reply

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    I am Mary, the blogger behind "Oh That's Good!" I am a former nurse, former hobby farm blogger, former vintage shop owner, and current food blogger. I live with my husband and our little mutt Tucker in a lovely retirement community. I am cooking for two and taking inspiration from old cookbooks, magazines, and memories of watching my mother and grandmother cook. I like reducing my food waste and exorbitant grocery bills! I am busy rewriting my recipes for two servings with the option of adjusting the recipe up to four or six servings with just one click.

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