September 23, 2019

Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Name: Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 50 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 1 pie
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb sweet potatoes; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup whole milk; 2 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon salt; a pinch of ground cloves; 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (homemade or store bought); whip cream (or cool whip); marshmallow fluff

This creamy homemade Sweet Potato Pie Recipe is an ultimate Southern classic made with baked sweet potatoes, butter, milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg!

If you love this Sweet Potato Pie, I recommend you check out these other top rated fall desserts: Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, Best Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Pie Crisp, and Caramel Apple Dump Cake.

Sweet Potato Pie sliced with marshmallow icing.

My Favorite Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

I precisely remember the first time I had a bite of Sweet Potato Pie and falling immediately in love. It’s similar to pumpkin pie, but with a softer flavor. Since that first bite, I have been on the hunt for my version of a perfect Sweet Potato Pie Recipe and I have finally got it just right.

My Sweet Potato Pie recipe is sweet, creamy and perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. It’s in a basic pie crust and uses baked sweet potatoes to keep it extra moist and easy to make. I am excited to share this recipe and all my tips and tricks on how to make the best sweet potato pie!

A slice of Sweet Potato Pie recipe on a white plate.

Boiled or Baked Sweet Potatoes?

I highly recommend you bake your sweet potatoes for this sweet potato pie recipe. When you boil your sweet potatoes in water on the stove top, once you mash the sweet potatoes, they are actually much drier when compared to a baked sweet potato. When you bake a sweet potato, the moisture inside the potato stays inside.

Another bonus to baking your sweet potatoes — you won’t dirty a big pot boiling them or have to watch them on the stove top as they boil. You just need foil and a baking sheet to bake the sweet potatoes in the oven! It’s easy hands off prep time that you don’t have to worry about.

If you do decide to boil your sweet potatoes, you may need to add a little extra butter and milk to your pie mixture. Otherwise, the finished pie may turn out very dry.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Pie Recipe in bowls.

Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients

There are a few key ingredients to ensure this Sweet Potato Pie recipe turns out perfect:

Sweet potatoes
Unsalted butter, room temperature
Granulated sugar
Grown sugar
Whole milk or evaporated milk (do not use a milk with lower fat content)
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Nutmeg, freshly grated is great if you have it
Cloves
Salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (homemade or store bought)

In place of the homemade combination of spices, you can also use a little pumpkin pie spice instead. I recommend doing 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Slice of sweet potato pie with marshmallow on top.

Sweet Potato Pie Toppings

You absolutely do not need any toppings for this particular sweet potato pie recipe, it is perfect as is! However, I have a few suggestions of possible fun toppings you can add:

Whip Cream
Marshmallow Fluff (as seen in the photos)
Ice Cream
Cool Whip

I personally like mine best topped with a dollop of Marshmallow Fluff and then if I am feeling fancy I hit it with a cooking blow torch (affiliate link). Second best topping option, is a dollop of homemade whip cream. It’s the most classic topping for a sweet potato pie and always delicious.

And lastly, if you are looking for a sweet potato pie with a crunchy nut topping, check out this version for Sweet Potato Pie with Walnut Topping.

Slices of the best Sweet Potato Pie recipe on a cutting board.

Can I make Sweet Potato Pie ahead of time?

Yes! This Sweet Potato Pie is delicious served warm, room temperature or chilled. You can’t go wrong, it’s all about personal preference. However, no matter which way you choose to serve it, you can easily bake this Sweet Potato Pie up to 24 hours before and no one will be the wiser!

How do I store it?

Allow sweet potato pie to cool completely on the counter. If you try to put it into the fridge too early, the top can crack and condensation can form and ruin the top of the pie.
Wrap the sweet potato pie tightly with saran wrap (or cling wrap/foil) and place in the fridge.

You can serve the sweet potato pie chilled, reheat a slice for 20 seconds in the microwave to serve it warm or serve it at room temperature.

A slice of sweet potato pie being lifted by a pie cutter.

This Sweet Potato Pie is a Southern classic that absolutely deserves it’s prime spot on your Thanksgiving dessert table! While pumpkin pie may be the king of Thanksgiving, I highly recommend you give this Sweet Potato Pie recipe a try.

If you are looking for more awesome Thanksgiving recipes, make sure and check out these other Southern classics that my family loves:

When you try this recipe, please leave a review/comment below to let me know how it turns out!