Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

This Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie Recipe is the classic Southern dessert that deserves a place beside pumpkin pie on every Thanksgiving table. Roasted sweet potatoes whip into a silky, dense filling sweetened with brown sugar and warmed with cinnamon and nutmeg, all baked in a flaky, buttery crust. It is less spiced than pumpkin pie, letting the natural sweetness of the potatoes shine.

If you love holiday desserts, try our Classic Pumpkin Pie, our Classic Pecan Pie and our Cinnamon Monkey Bread.

What Makes This Sweet Potato Pie So Good

Roasting the sweet potatoes is the key step. Roasting concentrates their sweetness and removes excess water, so the filling bakes up dense and smooth instead of wet and loose. Boiled sweet potatoes work, but they make a lighter, less flavorful filling, so roasting is worth the extra time.

The spice level is deliberately gentle. A light hand with cinnamon and nutmeg lets the sweet potato flavor lead, which is what separates a great sweet potato pie from a pumpkin pie imitation. Vanilla and a little lemon zest in the background round out the flavor without stealing the show.

The Key Ingredients

A short list carries this pie, so roast the potatoes well and do not over spice.

The Sweet Potatoes

Choose firm, heavy sweet potatoes with smooth skin, and roast them whole until completely soft. The flesh should scoop easily and mash without lumps. Orange fleshed varieties give the prettiest color and the sweetest flavor.

The Crust

A flaky butter crust is the classic base, and a store bought crust works fine if you are short on time. Blind baking the crust for a few minutes before filling helps it stay crisp under the moist filling, so do not skip that step.

The Filling

Eggs set the filling, evaporated milk keeps it rich without making it heavy, and brown sugar adds a caramel note that white sugar cannot match. A pinch of salt sharpens all the flavors, and a splash of vanilla ties them together.

How to Make Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

The pie comes together in a few simple stages.

• Roast the potatoes: roast whole sweet potatoes at 400 degrees until very soft, about 50 minutes, then cool and scoop the flesh.
• Blind bake the crust: fit the crust into a pie dish, line with parchment and weights, and bake for 12 minutes.
• Mix the filling: beat the sweet potato flesh with brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, butter, vanilla, spices, and salt until smooth.
• Fill and bake: pour the filling into the warm crust and bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes until the edges are set and the center barely jiggles.
• Cool completely: let the pie cool for at least 2 hours so the filling sets and slices cleanly.

Mistakes to Avoid

Using Watery Potatoes

Boiled sweet potatoes hold extra water that makes the filling loose. Roast them instead, and if the mash seems wet, let it sit in a strainer for a few minutes before mixing.

Over Spicing the Filling

Heavy spice turns sweet potato pie into pumpkin pie. Keep the cinnamon and nutmeg light so the sweet potato flavor stays front and center.

Slicing While Warm

A warm sweet potato pie will not hold a clean slice. Cool it completely, at least 2 hours, and it will cut into neat, beautiful wedges.

What to Serve with Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

This pie needs very little alongside it:

• Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for the classic topping
• A scoop of vanilla ice cream, for a cold and creamy contrast
• A dusting of cinnamon, for a simple, pretty finish

Make It Your Own

The base recipe welcomes easy changes. Add a splash of bourbon to the filling for a grown up version, top the pie with toasted marshmallows in the last few minutes of baking, or stir in a spoonful of molasses for a deeper flavor. A gingersnap crust is a delicious swap for the butter crust. The pie keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be baked a day before Thanksgiving, which makes holiday planning easier.

Make This Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie Today

Smooth, dense, and steeped in Southern tradition, this sweet potato pie is the Thanksgiving dessert your table has been missing. Roast the potatoes tonight and bake it tomorrow. Browse more of our Desserts recipes for more holiday baking.