Posted Nov 04, 2022, Updated Feb 15, 2024 When you think of a fall pie I bet your mind goes straight to pumpkin pie like mine often does. However, this sweet potato pie recipe is one that should not be overlooked, and is (dare I say) even more delicious than its pumpkin counterpart. In this sweet potato pie, a sweet filling is infused with rich fall spices and vanilla. The filling is made in the blender so it’s smooth and creamy and not at all stringy – which is very important to me and something that was a top priority when developing this recipe. Texture is a huge part of the flavor of any dish! The buttery, flaky, homemade pie crust perfectly compliments the delicious filling. I promise you – it will be love at first bite and you’ll be saying “pumpkin who?”
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Pie Crust. I give instructions on how to make an all butter pie crust in this post (you make half of the recipe in the post), as well as in the recipe card. You can use store bought, if preferred. Sweet potato. I suggest cooking your own sweet potato for the filling for the freshest taste and best flavor. Heavy Cream. Half & half, full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream are all possible substitutions for heavy cream. Light Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar or coconut sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar. Spices. I included my favorite combination and ratio of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger). You can play around with this if you’d like, but I suggest making the recipe as-written first.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
This recipe has a few steps, but making this sweet potato pie from scratch is worth the extra effort. Begin by cooking the sweet potatoes and making the pie crust (which needs to chill) then make the pie!
Cook the Sweet Potatoes
I often cook the sweet potatoes the day before I plan on making this pie. That way they are ready to go when I need them. There are two ways to cook the sweet potatoes to use in this recipe:
Make the Pie Crust
Whether you use a food processor or a pastry cutter, making the all-butter pie crust for this sweet potato pie recipe takes 5 minutes. It is easy and tastes so much better than the store-bought crusts. I prefer to use a food processor. Pulse the dry ingredients, then add the butter and water and process until coarse crumbs form. Then, form the dough into a flat, round disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight. If chilling for longer than an hour, put the wrapped dough in a plastic bag or airtight contianer to ensure it doesn’t dry out. I wrote a post and made a video on making the best all butter pie crust! Check it out for all the tips and tricks.
Make the Sweet Potato Pie Filling
Once the sweet potatoes are cooled to room temperature, remove the and put the flesh and the heavy cream in a high-powered blender or food processor. Discard the skins. Then, blend/process until smooth. Once the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla, brown sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves ginger and eggs into the blender with the sweet potato/cream mixture. Blend 15-30 seconds until mixture is smooth.
Assemble
Once the dough is chilled and the filling is ready, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Then, roll the pie crust dough into a 12” circle on a lightly floured surfae (you may need to let it rest for a few minutes to soften enough to roll it). Next, transfer the dough to 9” round pie plate and crimp the edges. Then, pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and cover the crust with a pastry shield. Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few crumbs (not wet). It may be a bit wobbly still, but it will firm-up as it cools. If the outer crust isn’t browning, remove the pie crust shield in the last 10 minutes of baking.
Cool/Chill the Sweet Potato Pie
Once the pie is baked, allow it to cool on a wire rack for 4 hours – 2 at room temperature and 2 in the refrigerator (be patient, this is important). Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve. Note. I often make this sweet potato pie recipe the day before we plan on eating it and chill it overnight.
Serve
Serve this sweet potato pie in slices with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. I prefer to serve it slightly chilled, or room temperature.
Store
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
To freeze
This sweet potato pie freezes well in one of two ways: If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
