Easy Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

What makes a Sweet Potato Pie so iconically fall? And what makes it a Southern staple?

Why Sweet Potato Pie is a Southern Staple

Adrian Miller, a James Beard award-winning author, addresses the love of Sweet Potato Pie in his book Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate.  

Miller says it is “just one of those foods that evoke deep, deep nostalgia for either family situations or communal situations.”

“It’s a taste of home,” he says. “It’s a taste of church. It’s the taste of family reunions. You know those settings where you can kind of escape from everything else that’s happening in the world. You’ve got this bond, you’re feeling the love.”

He continues to explain that while the pie is important. It’s more than that. It’s about how it makes one feel.

“Cooking is an act of love,” he says, “at the most basic level. Somebody is saying they care about your survival. I think sweet potato pie means that to a lot of people.”

Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients

Here is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious pie. Specific measurements are in the recipe card at the very bottom of this post — keep scrolling!

• Cooked sweet potatoes (see Ingredient Notes below)*
• Granulated sugar
• Large eggs
• Butter
• Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• Cloves
• Salt
• Unbaked 9-inch pie shell, homemade or store-bought

Ingredient Notes

I love the simple ingredient in this equally simple-to-make pie. It all begins with the sweet potato.

Southern purists would say it isn’t sweet potato pie unless you roast or boil the sweet potatoes. And to be honest, it’s my preferred way too.

But, canned store-bought sweet potatoes can work too. You will need about 1½ cups of pureed sweet potato, which should equal about 1 can or 2 to 3 baked and purred potatoes.

The remaining ingredients are simply sugar, eggs, softened butter, milk, and an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. The seasoning is pure fall and the holidays: vanilla, cinnamon, and ground cloves.

How to Make the Sweet Potato Pie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 1: Cook the sweet potatoes

Begin by cooking the sweet potatoes. You can roast then skin and mash, or peel and boil the potatoes, or you can even use canned sweet potatoes.

Step 2: Whip the pie ingredients together

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sweet potatoes and sugar. Beat until incorporated and then add the eggs, butter, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Beat until smooth.

Step 3: Prepare the crust and fill

Pour the sweet potato filling mixture into the pie shell. Brush the crust with an egg wash if desired. 

Step 4: Bake the Pie

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Cool for 2 hours and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

MORE SWEET POTATO RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

If you love sweet potatoes, you’re always looking for ideas to use them. Short of a baked sweet potato, which is utterly divine on all its own. But here are a few ideas in case you have more laying around.

• Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Greek Yogurt Dip
• Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
• Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
• Maple Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Quick and Healthy Sweet Potato Hash

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