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This Sweet Potato Pie recipe has a sweet and creamy sweet potato filling in a flaky, buttery crust. Serve with whipped cream for a crowd favorite holiday dessert.
Sweet Potato Pie is a classic Thanksgiving dessert that can be made in advance! It’s a staple holiday recipe that will be requested year after year. Perfect for serving after the Thanksgiving Turkey, Homemade Stuffing, and Cranberry Orange Sauce.
Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes – You’ll scrub them clean but do not need to peel them. After boiling the skin will peel right off.
- Butter
- Pie crust – You can make your own pie crust or buy one at the store.
- Can of evaporated milk – do not use sweetened condensed milk.
- Brown sugar – I used light brown sugar, but you could swap in dark brown sugar if that’s what you have
- Eggs
- Cornstarch
- Ground cinnamon and salt
How to Make Delicious Sweet Potato Pie
Making this holiday dessert is so easy. You can even use a store bought pie crust to cut down on prep time.
Cook sweet potatoes – Boil about 6 cups of water in a large 5 quart pot. Add the scrubbed sweet potatoes and boil for about 25 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
Peel and blend potatoes – Transfer the sweet potatoes to a baking sheet and let sit until they are cool enough to handle. It’s easiest to use a slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water. Peel the sweet potatoes and discard the peels. Add the potatoes to your food processor and blend until smooth then add the butter and blend again.
Make the pie filling – Preheat the oven to 375℉. Add 2 cups of the sweet potato puree to a large bowl and stir in the evaporated milk, brown sugar, and eggs. Use a whisk to mix together until well combined and smooth. In a separate, small bowl mix together the cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the potato filling.
Assemble – Press your pie dough into a pie plate and crimp the edges. Use a fork to poke the bottom of the crust 5 or 6 times – this keeps the crust from puffing up. Pour the filling into the crust and bake in the preheated oven. Bake until the pie is set and only jiggles slightly when you move it – this will take about 35-45 minutes.
Serve – It’s best to let the pie cool for at least an hour before serving so that the slices hold their shape. You can serve it at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. I love serving it with whipped cream as well.
Expert Tips
- You can mash by hand – Although using a food processor will give you the smoothest sweet potato filling. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash the sweet potatoes by hand. Be sure to mash well so there aren’t any lumps.
- Tent the pie crust edges with foil – If the pie crust edges are starting to brown, you can tent the edges with foil to prevent over-browning and burning.
- Do not over-bake – Overbaking your pie is what can lead to cracks in the top. Keep an eye on the last 10 minutes of cooking. You want to remove the pie from the oven when there is just a very slight jiggle.
- Unlike Sweet Potato Casserole, this is definitely a dessert. Save it for the after party!
Frequently Asked Questions
This pie is a great option to make the day before the holiday. You’ll want to store it in the refrigerator and hold off on topping with whipped cream until just before serving.
Sweet Potato Pie is custard based, so it must be stored in the refrigerator. Cool completely for 2-4 hours, then loosely cover with foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing may change the texture of your pie slightly, but it can be done. Cool completely, then wrap in a couple of layer of plastic wrap, then cover in foil or pop into a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for 3-4 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
If your pie hasn’t set up, it probably hasn’t baked long enough. Leave it in the oven a bit longer – it should jiggle slightly but be mostly firm.
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Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes scrubbed clean
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 pie crust rolled out
- 12 ounces canned evaporated milk
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Boil six cups of water in a large pot over high heat then add in the sweet potatoes and boil for about 25 minutes or until completely soft in the center.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the pot and let them cool for about 30 minutes or until you can handle them easily.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove the peels from the sweet potatoes then add them to a large food processor and blend until almost smooth.
- Add in the butter and blend until completely smooth.
- Press the pie crust into a pie pan and crimp the edges in a design that you like then poke the bottom of the crust five to six times with a fork.
- Measure out two cups of the sweet potato puree and add it to a large mixing bowl along with the evaporated milk, brown sugar and eggs and whisk until completely combined.
- Stir in the cornstarch, cinnamon and salt then pour the entire mixture into the pie crust.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the center of the pie is set and jiggles only slightly when you move it.
- Let it cool for one hour before slicing and serving with whip topping if desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead: This pie is a great option to make the day before the holiday. You’ll want to store it in the refrigerator and hold off on topping with whipped cream until just before serving.
- Storage: Sweet Potato Pie is custard based, so it must be stored in the refrigerator. Cool completely for 2-4 hours, then loosely cover with foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Cool completely, then wrap in a couple of layer of plastic wrap, the cover in foil or pop into a plastic freezer bag. Freeze for 3-4 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
