I am not going to lie, I love pie. This homemade sweet potato pie recipe is so yummy and perfect for the holiday season. Of course, you can certainly make it any time of the year.
Whether it is Thanksgiving or Christmas, or another special occasion, or just because, sweet potato pie is a wonderful comfort dessert to serve.
Did you know that sweet potato pie originated in the United States? It is said to have originated in the colonial days in the South. Some people even prefer this pie to the classic pumpkin pie. I am not here to debate which is better, in my opinion, there is always room for a variety of pies, haha.
Sweet potato pie is really easy to make at home. If I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get baking!
Step 1: Gather the ingredients
In order to make this homemade sweet potato pie recipe you need a handful of easy to find ingredients:
- Large sweet potato
- Butter – Use softened salted or unsalted butter.
- White granulated sugar
- Brown sugar – Either light or dark.
- Milk – Use whole milk, or heavy cream can be used as well.
- Eggs
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Flour – All purpose/plain flour
- Pie crust – You can use a store-bought pie crust or this yummy homemade pie crust recipe.
Tools
- Sheet pan or baking pan
- 9-inch pie pan
- Fork
- Spatula
- Hand mixer, stand mixer, or sturdy whisk
Step 2: How to make homemade sweet potato pie
Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C. Take a large sweet potato, which is about one pound in size or slightly larger and wash it, dry it, and then poke some holes in it with a fork.
Place it on a sheet pan or baking pan and put it in the oven, middle rack position, and bake it for 60 to 70 minutes, until it is fork tender.
NOTE: You can also boil it for 50 to 60 minutes too if you like. I prefer to bake it.
Once it comes out of the oven allow it to cool for 15 to 20 minutes until you can handle it. Place it in a large bowl and peel the skin off. After that, mash it with a fork, or throw it in a food processor.
Add in the softened butter with the mashed sweet potato and blend it with a hand mixer or stand mixer. You could also just use a sturdy whisk. Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Next, add in both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk, vanilla extract, and both eggs. Then blend or whisk everything until smooth.
TIP: This can all be done in a food processor as well, if you like.
The mixture will probably be pretty runny, if that is the case add in some flour, about a tablespoon at a time. Just mix it in with a whisk or spoon, instead of using a mixer. Don’t want to over mix it. The flour will thicken it up. The consistency should be almost like applesauce. But, don’t add in any more than 3 tablespoons of flour.
And just like that, the sweet potato pie filling is ready to go.
Step 3: Bake the sweet potato pie
Add the pie crust, either store-bought or homemade pie crust to a 9-inch pie pan. Bake it by itself in the oven for about 10 minutes. While it is not necessary to “blind bake” the pie crust first, I always do, it helps to keep the bottom crust from getting soggy.
You can also use beans or pie weights to help hold down crust down and keep its shape, like I do in this pumpkin pie recipe.
Remove the pie crust from the oven and then pour the sweet potato pie filling into the crust. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all of that awesome filling out of the bowl and into the pie.
Bake the pie in the oven, middle rack position, for 50 to 60 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and the top of the pie should not jiggle. The pit will probably puff up a little bit, but that is okay, it will settle back down after it cools.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then place it in the fridge to set completely, usually about 3 hours.
Serve up a slice of homemade sweet potato pie with a dollop of whipped cream, pecans, etc. Enjoy!
How long does sweet potato pie last?
If stored covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, the sweet potato pie will last 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Or you can freeze it for a few months.
Here are some other pie recipes you may like:
Homemade Sweet Potato Pie
Equipment
- Sheet pan or baking pan
- Large bowl
- 9-inch pie pan
- Spatula
- Mixer or whisk
- Fork
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato 1lb enough to make 2 cups
- 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter 115g
- 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar 105g
- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar 100g
- 1/4 cup of whole milk or heavy cream 60ml
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. of ground nutmeg 2g
- 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon 2g
- 2 tsp. of vanilla extract 10ml
- 9 inch piecrust storebought or homemade
Instructions
- Wash and dry the sweet potato then poke some holes in it with a fork, now into the oven at 350 degrees F for 60 to 70 minutes. Or you can boil it for about 50 to 60 minutes. In both cases, it will be done when a fork goes into it easily.
- Now once the sweet potato is done, let it cool a bit then peel it. The peel will come right off using your fingers. Then using a fork, mash that sweet potato up. You can optionally use a food processor for this step and all the mixing steps.
- Add the softened butter and mix it well with a hand mixer or food processor. Then make sure to scrape the sides and mix again, until the butter is all incorporated nicely. You can use a sturdy whisk as well or a wooden spoon.
- Next, add the rest of the ingredients except for the flour (white sugar, brown sugar, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and eggs) and mix it all together until it is nice and combined. Again you may use your food processor if you like.
- If the mixture is too runny add flour a tablespoon at a time to thicken it up until the mixture is almost like an applesauce consistency. Do not overdo the flour though, so I wouldn't add anymore than 3 Tablespoons.
- Next, place the pie crust in the oven and pre-bake it at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes, not a necessary step, but it helps to keep the pie crust from getting soggy.
- Add the pie mixture to the crust. Scraping the sides as needed to get it all out of the large bowl. Now place it in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the top is not jiggly anymore. Check it after 40 minutes, if the crust is getting too brown, cover it with foil.
- The pie will probably puff up a little bit, and that is ok, after you take the pie out of the oven, let it cool for an hour at room temperature, the top will settle back down and be flatter. After an hour, place the pie in the fridge for about 3 hours to set completely. Serve with whipped cream and or pecans if you like! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you so much for this recipe. This is so good and honestly the best sweet potato pie I ever made. I’m always amazed your recipes. Hoping for more recipes to come. Happy Thanksgiving!
You are so very welcome! Glad you like it and I really appreciate the compliment, Natasha! Happy Thanksgiving!
I love sweet potato pie! Delicious recipe!!!
Thank you! 🙂
I definitely prefer sweet potato pie over pumpkin for the holidays. Thanks for the easy recipe!
You are welcome, April! 🙂