Homemade sweet potato pie with a crimped butter crust in a glass pie dish, one slice cut

Sweet Potato Pie Recipe (Smooth, Spiced & Sliceable)

5 minutes read

Sweet potato pie is a Southern holiday classic: a silky, gently spiced custard made with roasted sweet potatoes, baked in a flaky butter crust. Roasting (instead of boiling) concentrates the natural sugars and keeps the filling from turning watery. This recipe gives exact cup and gram measurements, oven temperatures in °F and °C, doneness cues and fixes for the most common problems.

Recipe at a Glance

Yield: one 9-inch pie, 8 slices
Prep time: 30 minutes (plus 1 hour to chill the dough)
Roasting time: 45–60 minutes for the sweet potatoes
Blind-bake time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 50–60 minutes
Cooling time: at least 3 hours
Oven: 400°F (200°C) for roasting and the crust; 350°F (175°C) for the filled pie
Pan: 9-inch pie plate, standard or deep-dish

Ingredients

All-butter crust (single crust)

1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
½ cup (113 g / 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
3–5 tablespoons (45–75 ml) ice water

Sweet potato filling

1½ lb (680 g) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, about 2 medium (to yield 2 cups / 450 g mashed)
4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (180 ml) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (3 g) ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt

Measuring butter by the stick or tablespoon? Our butter conversion chart lists cups, tablespoons and grams side by side.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Roast the sweet potatoes

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork, set them on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 45–60 minutes, until completely soft and a knife slides through with no resistance (syrupy juices will leak onto the foil). Let them cool until you can handle them, then scoop out the flesh. You need 2 cups (450 g).

2. Make and chill the dough

While the sweet potatoes roast, whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the cold butter until most pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and toss with a fork, adding more 1 tablespoon at a time only until the dough holds together when squeezed. Shape into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. Shape and blind-bake the crust

Roll the dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick, ease it into the pie plate without stretching, trim to a 1-inch overhang, fold under and crimp. Freeze for 20 minutes. With the oven at 400°F (200°C), line the shell with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and bake 5 minutes more, until the bottom looks dry. Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C).

4. Blend the filling

Put the warm sweet potato flesh and melted butter in a food processor or blender and process until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla, spices and salt and pulse just until combined, scraping the sides once. Don’t run the machine longer than needed; too much air makes the top crack. No processor? Beat with a hand mixer, then press the filling through a fine sieve to remove the fibers.

5. Bake

Set the warm crust on a rimmed baking sheet and pour in the filling, smoothing the top. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50–60 minutes, until the edges are set and the center 2 inches still jiggle slightly when you nudge the pan. The center should read 175°F (79°C) on an instant-read thermometer. If the crust edge browns too quickly, cover it with foil strips or a pie shield after 30 minutes.

6. Cool

Cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours. The filling finishes setting as it cools. Serve at room temperature or chilled, with whipped cream.

Sweet Potato Pie vs. Pumpkin Pie

Both are spiced custard pies, but sweet potato pie is naturally sweeter, a little denser and more buttery, and usually lighter on spice so the sweet potato flavor comes through. Pumpkin pie is more earthy and typically uses more cinnamon, ginger and cloves. If you want both on the table, our classic pumpkin pie uses the same crust and blind-baking method.

Troubleshooting

Stringy filling: some sweet potatoes are fibrous. Blend the flesh while warm, or press it through a sieve.
Cracked top: overbaked or overmixed. Pull the pie while the center still jiggles and mix the filling only until smooth.
Watery or loose filling: boiled sweet potatoes hold extra water. Roast them, and measure the mash by weight. Also make sure the pie reaches 175°F (79°C).
Soggy bottom crust: blind-bake until the base looks dry and bake on the lower-middle rack.
Pale, bland filling: use orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (often sold as “yams” in US stores), not white or purple varieties, and don’t skip the salt.

Substitutions and Variations

Evaporated milk: use ¾ cup (180 ml) half-and-half or whole milk, or full-fat canned coconut milk for a dairy-free filling (use vegan butter too).
Canned sweet potatoes: use 2 cups (450 g) drained, plain canned sweet potatoes (not in syrup) and reduce the brown sugar to ½ cup (100 g) if they were packed in light syrup.
Graham crust: press our graham cracker crust into the plate, bake 8 minutes at 350°F (175°C), then fill and bake as directed.
Bourbon: replace the vanilla with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Room temperature: this is an egg custard pie, so refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooling.
Refrigerator: loosely covered, up to 4 days.
Freezer: freeze the cooled pie uncovered until firm, then wrap in plastic wrap and foil and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Make ahead: roast and mash the sweet potatoes up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate them airtight. The baked pie can be made 1–2 days before serving.

Have extra roasted sweet potato? Use it in our sweet potato corn muffins.

FAQs

Should I boil or roast sweet potatoes for pie?

Roast them. Roasting concentrates the flavor and sugars and adds no water, so the filling sets more reliably. Boiling works if you drain the potatoes very well and let them steam dry for a few minutes.

How do I know when sweet potato pie is done?

The edges are set and slightly puffed and the center jiggles slightly as one piece when the pan is nudged. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read about 175°F (79°C).

Do I have to blind-bake the crust?

It isn’t required, but a partly baked crust stays crisper under the wet filling. If you skip it, bake the pie on the lowest rack and add about 5 minutes.

Can I use yams instead of sweet potatoes?

Most “yams” sold in US supermarkets are orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, so they work perfectly. True yams have dry white flesh and are not a good substitute.