A homemade southern Sweet Potato Pie has a rich flavor coming from the blend of warm spices, it also has a souffle-like texture thanks to the eggs and evaporated milk. This freezer-friendly pie has a buttery and flaky pie crust made from scratch and beats any store-bought pie crust any time! By far this sweet potato pie recipe is the best I ever made. Don’t forget to watch the video tutorial to help you make this amazing treat.
Best Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Let’s agree that sweet potato pie is the most loved pie in the south beside Pumpkin Pie. There are many different recipes out there but believe me, I am sharing the best I recipe with you, and although this is a big claim yet I’m comfortable that you will enjoy every bite of this pie. My love for this sweet potato pie recipe comes from different angles listed below:
- The pie crust is made from scratch and is flaky and buttery, the crust will remind you of shortbread cookies but a little lighter.
- The filling is creamy, fluffy, rich, and full of flavors coming from the warm spices, baked sweet potato, evaporated milk, and vanilla.
- Perfectly sweetened.
- Sweet potato pie freezes well and can be refrigerated for up to three days without any change in its taste or texture. I will explain more on how to freeze the pie later in this post.
- Similar to my Pumpkin Pie Recipe, this pie melts in your mouth, and you won't help but ask for more!
Ingredients in Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Sweet potato: In this recipe, I didn’t boil the sweet potatoes but peeled them, cut them in medium-size slices, and baked them. Baking the sweet potatoes bring out more flavor and makes them tastes sweeter. You can use canned sweet potato puree, make sure there is no sugar added nor spices or other flavors.
Evaporated milk: I found that using evaporated milk instead of regular milk adds richness to the pie filling and creaminess to the texture.
Sugar: Although I have used white sugar, you can use brown sugar, but that will make the pie darker in color and a little heavier in texture. The sweet potato pie will still taste amazing!
Eggs: You need eggs because it will add a custard-like structure and ads body to the pie.
Butter and Oil: The butter is essential because it adds an amazing flavor to the pie and helps it stay firm when it cools down. I have added oil in this sweet potato pie recipe, it is the reason why the filling of the pie maintains a beautiful texture when refrigerated.
Blend of warm spices: Nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger powder.
How to make sweet potato pie?
If you have made my Pumpkin Pie Recipe, you will find that making sweet potato pie is as easy with few differences.
- Make the pie crust by adding all the ingredients together using a pastry cutter or your hands. You can make the dough ahead of time. You can even roll out the dough and place it in the baking pie pan (use aluminum baking pans when freezing a rolled-out pie crust.), and you can freeze it for up to three months.
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes and mix them with cooking oil and bake them for 42 minutes while flipping the slices after 20 minutes of baking.
- In a bowl, add the freshly baked sweet potato slices, and all the ingredients. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer mix all the ingredients (except the eggs) until smooth. Add the eggs and beat for three minutes, and when combined pour the filling into the pie crust.
- Bake the pie for one hour or until the filling is firm with a little jiggle in the middle.
Do you serve sweet potato pie warm or cold?
Serving sweet potato pie warm with cold whipped cream will take you straight to heaven, but that’s how I see it! You can serve the sweet potato pie cold too. The flavor doesn’t change, but the texture of the pie changes a little.
Warm sweet potato pie has a fluffier lighter texture, and that’s because the butter in the filling is melted. A cold sweet potato pie has a much firmer texture, and you can get a clean slice when you cut through the pie, which will ensure a beautiful looking slice when served to your guests.
In my house, we love sweet potato pie, cold or warm!
Can you freeze sweet potato pie?
You can freeze a baked sweet potato pie for up to one month, but you have to keep a few steps in mind.
If you are planning to freeze the pie, then make sure to use a disposable aluminum pie pan. These pans are thin and will allow the pie to freeze faster than regular baking pans, which will stop ice crystals from forming, Ice crystals usually form at the bottom of the pie and make it soggy when thawed. Using an aluminum pie pan will eliminate the soggy crust.
How to freeze a baked sweet potato pie and how to thaw it:
- Allow the pie to cool completely at room temperature.
- Wrap the pie tightly with plastic wrap all the way around and then wrap with aluminum foil.
- Place the wrapped pie in a freezer friendly bag or an airtight container.
- Write the date on the bag or the container and freeze up to one month.
- To thaw the pie, remove it from the freezer bag or the airtight container. Remove the aluminum foil too. Place the pie (which is now wrapped with plastic wrap only.) in the fridge to thaw overnight.
- You can heat the pie in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
More Sweet Potato Recipes You Will Love
📖 Recipe
Best Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
The Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon fine sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter should be chilled and cut in cubes
- 2 to 3 tablespoon chilled water
The Sweet Potato Pie Filling
- 500 gm or 1lb sweet potato
- 3 tablespoon oil divided (use 1 tablespoon in the filling and two tablespoons to bake the sweet potatoes.)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ¾ cup fine sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Making The Pie Crust
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients except the water. Use a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the mixture; it should resemble a coarse meal or wet sand texture. You will see bits of butter in the mixture, but that’s alright.
- Add the chilled water and mix well for a few seconds using a wooden spoon or a spatula. Transfer the dough to the working surface and fold the dough into itself to form a ball. The dough should come together easily and shouldn’t be sticky. Press down the dough and form a disc.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Lightly flour the working surface, place the dough on the working surface, and lightly dust it with flour.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to fit in a 9-inch pie pan. Start rolling the dough from the center and work your way out in all directions.
- Dust the dough with flour whenever it gets sticky but don’t overdo this step, or the pie crust won’t come out flaky.
- Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and then unfold it into the pie pan.
- Gently fit the pie crust to the pie pan using your fingers. Prick the crust all over with a fork and refrigerate until you are done preparing the filling.
Making The Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into medium slices. Add two tablespoon oil to the slices and mix well.
- Place the sweet potato slices on a non-stick baking sheet, or you can line a baking sheet with parchment paper, which will help in cleaning up later.
- Bake the sweet potato slices for 20 minutes. Flip the slices and bake for 22 minutes.
- In a big mixing bowl, add the baked sweet potato slices while hot. Add all the ingredients to the hot sweet potato slices EXCEPT the eggs.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients on low for one minute, increase the speed and beat until combined.
- Add the eggs to the previous mixture and beat on medium speed for three minutes until fluffy.
- Pour the pie filling into the chilled pie crust and bake for 55 minutes or until the edges of the pie filling is firm and the center is a little jiggly.
- The pie will puff up and rise like a souffle but will sink a little when it cools, and that’s normal.
- Let the pie come to room temperature and serve with whipped cream, or if you wish you can serve the pie warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was previously published in 2016 and is now updated with new images, a video, and more text.
This page may contain affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you.
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Nagi@RecipeTinEats
I'm glad you decided to share this wonderful recipe with us! Such a lovely looking pie!
Chris Scheuer
It does look wonderful, that's for sure. I love how it cuts so cleanly and looks so moist and full of flavor. YUM!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Buttery crust and creamy smooth filling...a heavenly combo!
Scott
Mine always turn out cracked (and a bit dry). This one looks so nice - I could only wish for mine to turn out so well.
Mistee Dawn
My hubby would absolutely love this! Sweet Potato Pie is his favorite!
munatycooking
Hope he enjoys my version 🙂
Danielle Harper
My oldest daughter loves sweet potato pie! I might have to surprise her with this for desert one night.
munatycooking
Wow! That will be great, I hope she likes it 🙂
Melissa
This does look like the best sweet potato pie recipe ever. I have not eaten sweet potato pie like this before.
lisa
This is a beautiful looking pie. I have always wanted to make a sweet potato pie. Making a good crust always scares me away from making pie..but this looks pretty tempting.
munatycooking
Making this pie is easy, and the crust is forgiving, adding more flour will not kill the flavor when added during the rolling.
Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking
Oh Muna, your sweet potato pie looks incredibly delicious. I must say out all the pies this one is one of my favorites.
Stunning clicks and wonderful recipe... Also, your new site looks amazing!
munatycooking
Thanks a lot my friend 🙂 this is indeed the best pie I ever had. Thanks for your kind words!
Samantha
I just finished cooking your recipe of sweet potato pie. It looks amazing. I have it setting until tomorrow. Thanks for the help. I saw your recipe & I knew it was the one I wanted to try.
munatycooking
I'm happy that you tried my recipe and I hope you enjoy it 🙂
W
What type of oil do you use - it says spoon oil?
munatycooking
Any cooking oil will do.
FOODHEAL
I love this recipe it seems simple to make. Thank you for inspiration.
munatycooking
You are welcome, it is a very delicious sweet potato pie recipe 🙂
Indya | The Small Adventurer
This sounds really intriguing! My partner really loves sweet potato - we NEVER leave a shopping trip without picking up a few - and I enjoy baking at home, and have been wanting to get into making more pies and pastries, so this recipe is the perfect way to combine both of those things! Hopefully I get the chance to try it out soon ☺️
munatycooking
I hope you do because you will like it for sure 🙂
Kristine Nicole Alessandra
I have never tried a sweet potato pie but you really convinced me to make one asap! This sure looks really delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I'll get all ingredients ready and make this for my family this weekend.
Joan
I have actually never sweet potato pie I am worried that it would be overly sweet since too much sweetness never goes well with me but never hurts to try it for the family.
Kemi
This looks great! I've been experimenting with baking during lockdown and pies are my next baking attempt. Wish me luck! lol.
munatycooking
Best of luck Kemi 🙂
Viano
This turned out nicely and really looks delicious. I guess I could try making my first sweet potato pie. I hope it comes out just as good.
munatycooking
Don't worry, this recipe is easy to follow and I'm sure you will do well 🙂
Lyosha
Looks very delicious! I totally want to try it for myself. Sweet potato is not there often for me but I sure do enjoy it
Di
I've never heard of sweet potato pie before. So I haven't tried it, but looks delicious.
munatycooking
It tastes like a custard pie with warm spices. It is really good and I hope you try it 🙂
blair villanueva
This is a wonderful yet simple recipe of potato pie! I would love to prepare this for our family using your recipe 🙂
Cheeia
I am not ready for Thanksgiving! This reminds me of Thanksgiving Dinner! Looks delcious! I need to start baking! What do you think are some important rules to baking?
munatycooking
Hi Cheeia, I guess following the recipe is one important rule, but then there is the preheating of the oven, and using the right ingredients 🙂