This Southern Sweet Potato Pie is the perfect fall and Thanksgiving dessert to make and share with family and friends. Easy to make with simple ingredients, it’s the perfect make ahead sweet treat!
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
A true Southern sweet potato pie is one of my favorite fall desserts. The filling is silky smooth and when it’s topped with some whipped cream I’m in heaven!
It’s one of my preferred Holiday pie and lucky for me, my kids love it too. So I always end up making this pie most often around the Holidays.
This is a great pie to serve up for Thanksgiving along with my Simple Pumpkin Cake!
How To Make Southern Sweet Potato Pie
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mash cooked sweet potatoes in a bowl. I like to either bake my sweet potatoes in the air fryer or microwave them for 8-10 minutes. I never boil them.
- Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Pour in prepared pie crust. You can see my crust broke a little, lol. It was still mighty good though.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until pie is set in the middle.
Can you make it ahead of time?
Yes! This is the perfect make ahead dessert. In fact you want to let the pie sit for at least an hour before serving it. Once the pie has cooled to room temperature, cover it loosely with plastic wrap of foil and it will keep well for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze it?
If you are super organized and planning ahead, then you can freeze the pie. It’s best to freeze the pie before you bake it or it can become soggy once thawed.
Place the filling in the crust and then wrap securely in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Defrost the pie in the fridge overnight before baking. The pie will keep well frozen for up to 3 months.
What’s the difference between pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie?
The flavors in both of these traditional Thanksgiving pies are similar, but sweet potato pie is less dense and more light an airy. It’s sweeter and more creamy and I find it much richer in flavor.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Sweet potato pie is best when it has cooled, so wait to serve it.
- The best sweet potato pie is made at least a day ahead and chilled. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Don’t boil the sweet potatoes or they will take on too much liquid and the filling will be soggy.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Chess Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Old-Fashioned Pinto Bean Pie
- Watergate Salad
- Sweet Potato Pudding
- Blueberry Biscuits
- Homemade Chocolate Pudding
- Air Fryer Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
If you’re looking for more delicious sweet potato recipes, try my candied sweet potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes recipes.
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make this sweet potato pie from start to finish.
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 9- inch pie crust store-bought or homemade
- 1.5 lbs sweet potato about 2 medium sweet potatoes
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes:
- Air fryer – 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes.
- Oven – 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes.
- Microwave – prick potatoes all over, microwave for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mash sweet potatoes in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth and combined. Pour in prepared pie pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until pie is set in the middle. Remove and allow to cool for at least 1 hour.
Video
Notes
- Prepare pie crust according to your recipe or package directions.
- Sweet Potato Pie is best when it has cooled, so wait to serve it.
- The best sweet potato pie is made at least a day ahead and chilled. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Don’t boil the sweet potatoes or they will take on too much liquid and the filling will be soggy.
Carolyn Calhoun
Saturday 12th of February 2022
I use the blender for my pies, and that gets rid of any strings, and makes a smoother filling.I add a tablespoon of flour and a tsp of lemon and rum flavoring. Try it.
Sandra Dee
Thursday 9th of December 2021
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RECIPE...THANK YOU FOR NOT ADDING PURE CANE SUGAR. BROWN SUGAR IS PERFECT! I MADE TWO PIES. ONE W/THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST AND ONE W/REGULAR DEEP DISH CRUST. THEY BOTH WERE AWESOME! THANK YOU SO MUCH😉
Tanya
Thursday 9th of December 2021
Thank you Sandra Dee :)
Elaine W.
Tuesday 30th of November 2021
How did you get ride of the strings in the sweet potatoes ?
Michelle Hall
Friday 24th of December 2021
@Tanya, I was taught from my husband’s grandmother that if you use the med to small sweet potatoes you won’t have the string.
Tanya
Friday 3rd of December 2021
Hi Elaine, I honestly didn't have any strings to get rid of. The number of strings depends on the growing conditions, therefore not all sweet potatoes are stringy and I haven't had a stringy sweet potato in years. However, stringy potatoes do exist and if you happen to get a stringy sweet potato, you can try cutting off the excess strings before mashing. Most strings are closer to the peel. You could also try blending the sweet potato mixture, but if you don't get rid of the strings before doing that, the strings will just get caught in your blender blades.
Anthon C Thomas
Monday 29th of November 2021
Is there a difference in texture if I decided to use whole milk or 2% milk instead of evaporated milk? Will the taste be the same or diffrent
Tanya
Tuesday 30th of November 2021
Hi Anthon, the evaporated milk in the recipe serves as a thickener. A better sub would be condensed milk or even heavy cream, although the taste will change a little.
Rhonda
Wednesday 24th of November 2021
I made this pie, smells wonderful. It’s for Thanksgiving and it was hairy not to cut it. Let you know how it turned out
Tanya
Thursday 25th of November 2021
Sounds good Rhonda! It's even better when you make it the day before. I hope you love it as much as we do. Happy Thanksgiving!