Did you know the sweet potato pie has deep roots in the Southern U.S., dating back to colonial times? It's said that African slaves began making this scrumptious pie because sweet potatoes were reminiscent of the yams from their homeland. Over the years, this humble pie has graced many a Thanksgiving table, making it a beloved holiday staple. And guess what? I've got a super Easy Sweet Potato Pie Recipe This Thanksgiving, that not only tastes divine but is also easy on the wallet. Perfect for a cozy Thanksgiving meal for two!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE ABOUT THIS EASY SWEET POTATO PIE RECIPE
- 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's 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 FOR THIS EASY RECIPE FOR SWEET POTATO PIE
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!
For the full recipe with quantities, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS
Wash the sweet potatoes. Make a few small slits with a knife. Put on the pan.
Bake until soft and a knife slides in easily. About an hour. Cool to room temperature.
Peel the sweet potatoes when they are cool enough to handle. Cut into pieces.
Add the chunks to a food processor bowl and pulse until completely smooth.
To a large pot add puree, ½ the milk, butter, spices, salt, and brown sugar.
Cook on low until the brown sugar melts. Remove from heat. Cool completely.
Add the eggs, the other half of the evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla. Stir.
Add to a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth. Chill in fridge.
Place pie crust into ungreased pie plate. Crimp edges.
Pour the filling into the crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for approx. 1 hr 8 mins.
Remove from oven. The pie should be raised in a dome in the center. Cool on rack.
As the pie cools the dome will deflate. Allow to cool completely then refrigerate.
EQUIPMENT FOR THIS SWEET POTATO PIE RECIPE
- 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 and a mixing bowl
SWEET POTATO FAQ'S
weet 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.
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.
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.
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.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PIE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ON THE DESSERT TABLE
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 aahs."
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.
SUGGESTIONS FOR DECORATING A SWEET POTATO OR PUMPKIN PIE
No decoration
Offset
All around on this Easy Sweet Potato Pie Recipe This Thanksgiving.
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 FOR SWEET POTATO PIE
Freshly baked sweet potato pie can be kept for about three to four days in the fridge. After that, the filling begins to separate and gets watery and the crust gets mushy. You should cover it loosely with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to store it.
LOOKING FOR MORE SQUASH PIES FOR THANKSGIVING?
These pie recipes are favorites of our readers, one of them going back 10+ years.
Autumn Pie made with butternut squash.
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
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 10 ounces evaporated milk divided
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ 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 ½ 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
Nutrition
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 This 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 98 in three weeks. I wish she were here to enjoy it with us one last time. Rest in peace, Mama.
Deb says
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.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
absolutely beautiful pie - wonderfully detailed instructions.
Julie says
I love how the pumpkin spice and cinnamon shine through in this recipe.
Liz McCray says
MY baby girl loves sweet potatoes this would be the perfect pie for her this thanksgiving!
Amy says
This is such a fabulous recipe, I'll be making this for Thanksgiving this year!
Agnieszka says
This sweet potato pie is absolutely perfect. Loved the recipe.
Nancy says
Wow this sweet potato pie was really tasty and fluffy. We love the wholesome
Ingredients
Audrey says
This is such a good recipe! It was very easy to follow too.
Nora says
This pie not only looks great, it tastes divine! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Amy Liu Dong says
Such a pretty pie to have, and it looks delicious.
I will make this at home this weekend. Thank you!
Genevieve says
Oh wow, Mary, what a lovely tribute to your parents, and this pie looks amazing!
Mary says
Thank you Genevieve. ❤️
Andrea says
this sweet potato pie is going to be a for sure hit this thanksgiving! can't wait to impress everyone!
Mary says
Thanks Andrea!
Keri says
How gorgeous is this sweet potato pie? This is on my Thanksgiving menu. It looks luscious!
Mary says
Thank you Keri! I still have marshmallow fluff on my fingers!
Erin says
Love sweet potato pie!
Liz says
SO delicious!!! And I tried to copy your garnishing and it looked very pretty, too.
Denise@BeBetsy says
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
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
This pie is so beautiful. I am very impressed! Thanks for sharing it with us at Saturday Night Fever 🙂
Joy @ Yesterfood says
Mary, I was so excited about the pie, I forgot to say, "Happy Birthday wishes to your daddy!" 🙂
Joy @ Yesterfood says
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! 🙂
Love, Joy
Mary says
Thank you so much!
Paula@SweetPea says
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.
rlk @ FirstTimeFoods says
This pie looks incredible! Great job on the decorations! I'd love to know how you made them.
rlk @ FirstTimeFoods says
Thanks for the extra info; those look like fun! I'm guessing the white is whipped cream via a decorative piping?
Dina says
I love sweet potato pie. yours is so lovely!
Steph @ From the Burbs to the Boonies says
Number one, that may be the most beautifully decorated pie I've ever seen! 🙂 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.
Mary says
Thanks Steph! Happy Thanksgiving.
Kerry says
This looks so good and i love the leaf accents on the top! So cute!
MichaelO says
Thanks for stopping in Kerry. Cya soon 😉
Jennifer @ My Sweet Sanity says
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.
Jodee Weiland says
This pie is beautiful and sounds delicious! I'm going to try it soon!