sweet potato pie

Here is a sweet potato pie that has a velvety smooth filling and is baked in a flaky pie crust! With a hint of lemon, vanilla, and warm spices that help the sweet potatoes shine!

Move over pumpkin pie. It’s time to put this sweet potato pie in the spotlight. (Not that we don’t truly appreciate the easy pumpkin pie.) This sweet potato pie is flavored with lemon and vanilla and is perfectly spiced with cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg. Paired with my all-butter pie crust or easy pie crust recipe, this pie will make the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table. 

To help you fill out your Thanksgiving table, you must try the bright blackberry pie, my vibrant cherry pie, or the rich Mississippi mud pie! Try my sweet potato dinner rolls or sweet potato soup for savory sweet potato recipes!

Professional Tips for Making this Sweet Potato Pie

• Roast the sweet potatoes. When choosing to boil or roast the sweet potatoes, choose roasting if you have the time. Roasting the potatoes will allow the sugar inside to caramelize, giving you a better texture and flavor. It also evaporates some of the water, which will make your pie filling thicker. It also saves you the time of peeling the potatoes.
• Use room-temperature eggs and warmed milk. Warmed milk and room-temperature eggs will prevent the butter from solidifying in the filling. If the butter solidifies, it can cause the filling to curdle. 
• Scale the ingredients while you cook the sweet potatoes. You want to be ready when the sweet potatoes are done baking. Keeping the filling warm will help create the best texture in the pie.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• All Butter Pie Crust: Make and blind bake my all-butter pie crust. You can choose from many excellent pie crusts, like my easy pie crust recipe, Crisco pie crust, or almond flour pie crust. They all have different qualities but are all equally delicious. You may also use store-bought if you prefer. 
• Unsalted Butter: The butter will melt with the sweet potatoes and help create a smooth and luscious filling. 
• Granulated Sugar: The sugar will help stabilize the filling and add sweetness. 
• Sweet Potatoes: Using medium sweet potatoes, roast or boil them, then scale out your two cups. You may also use canned sweet potato puree. 
• Eggs: The fat from the eggs will help emulsify the filling. To keep the filling from separating, use room-temperature eggs. 
• Milk: I use whole milk in this recipe but you could also use half and half, non-dairy creamer or evaporated milk. 
• Lemon Zest & Juice: Fresh lemon will compliment the sweet potato, giving the pie a bright flavor. Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing. 
• Vanilla Extract
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg will complement the sweet potatoes. I recommend using freshly ground nutmeg for the best flavor.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Add some alcohol. Add brandy, bourbon, or dark rum to the filling before baking. I would suggest swapping it for the milk to keep the pie from being too runny. 
• Use light or dark brown sugar. For a warmer sweet potato pie, switch out the granulated sugar and switch to dark or light brown sugar. The molasses in the sugar will complement the roasted sweet potatoes really well. 
• Make this pie with a purple sweet potato or winter squash. Substitute with a purple sweet potato, butternut squash, pumpkin puree, or honeynut squash. 
• Sweet Potato Pie dip or jars. Bake the filling in a cookie sheet or cake pan in a water bath. Then you can recondition the filling and use it as a dip or fill jars. Don’t forget to bake pie crust strips with heavy cream and turbinado sugar.

How to Make a Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Use these instructions to make a perfect sweet potato pie every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Par-bake the crust: 

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and follow the instructions for how to blind bake pie crust through step 8. You can set it aside to cool or use it warm. 

You don’t have to par-bake the crust for this pie, but the only way to ensure a crisp, flakey crust, especially in a glass or ceramic dish, is by blind baking. You may also bake this pie at 400°F for 15 minutes before lowering to 350°F to finish baking. 

Cook the sweet potatoes: 

Step 2: Scrub and wash the skins well. Prick a few times with a fork. 

Step 3: You can boil them in the skins or roast them (350°F) in a baking dish covered with foil until soft and easily pierced with a fork, cake tester, or knife. 

Roasting them whole in a baking dish covered with aluminum foil produces the most flavorful pie. Boiling is faster and easier, but if you roast them until the point when the sugar starts to caramelize, then the resulting pie is fantastic! 

Step 4: Wait until just cool enough to handle and remove the skins. You can simply squeeze it out or scoop it with a spoon. Place the hot sweet potato flesh in a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl.

Making Filling: 

Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F.Warm the milk in a saucepot over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Keep warm.

Step 6: Beat the butter and sweet potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed or with an electric mixer. The hot potatoes will melt the butter and make a smooth mixture. 

For the smoothest filling, puree the sweet potatoes and the butter with a ricer. You can also do this directly in the bowl of the stand mixer. 

Step 7: Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition until smooth. 

Step 8: Add the eggs, one at a time; beat after each addition and scrape down the bowl. 

Cold eggs or milk will solidify the butter. If that happens, don’t stress. The pie will still be delicious. When I start making the crust, I take my eggs out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. 

Step 9: Add the warm milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and nutmeg to the sweet potato mixture; stir until fully combined. 

Step 10: Pour the mixture into the partially baked pastry shell. The mixture will still be a little warm, which is ideal. 

Step 11: Bake the pie at 350°F until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. 

If you poke the pie to test it, it will crack as it cools. If you don’t care, great! If you do, you can test it using the “jiggle test.” The center will puff slightly, and the filling will move into one cohesive mass, like Jell-O, rather than liquid.

Step 12: Cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Chill for 2 hours or overnight before slicing and serving. The pie is delicious at room temperature or cold. Serve with lemon whipped cream or cinnamon spiced whipped cream. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional pie recipe. Check out our other delicious, pie and tart recipes! For more sweet potatoes, check out the streusel-topped sweet potato casserole or dive into all our Thanksgiving recipes!