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This Sweet Potato Pie Recipe is rich, silky, and warmly spiced with a creamy filling that slices cleanly once cooled. Roasting the sweet potatoes gives the filling deeper flavor, while browned butter adds a subtle nuttiness that makes every bite taste a little more special.
This Southern Sweet Potato Pie is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinner, or any holiday meal. I use my All Butter Pie Crust when making it completely from scratch, but pre-rolled refrigerated and frozen pie crusts work too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Silky texture: The filling is smooth and creamy with a clean slice once cooled.
- Extra flavor: Browning the butter adds a subtle nutty flavor that works especially well with sweet potatoes and warm spices.
- Flexible: Use fresh sweet potatoes for my preferred flavor or take a shortcut with canned sweet potatoes or unsweetened puree.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Pie crust: I use my All Butter Pie Crust for a flaky homemade crust. You can also use a pre-rolled refrigerated pie crust fitted into a 9-inch pie plate or a 9-inch frozen pie crust that comes prepared in its pan.
- Sweet potatoes: You’ll need about 1¾ cups of cooked sweet potato. Fresh sweet potatoes give this pie the best flavor, but canned sweet potato chunks or unsweetened puree also work.
- Salted butter: Browning it adds a deeper, nutty flavor. You can simply melt it if you want to skip that step.
- Brown sugar & granulated sugar: I use both for balanced sweetness with a little caramel flavor.
- Evaporated milk: Makes the filling creamy without adding extra sweetness.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: Give the filling its classic warm-spice flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and flavor.
- Eggs: Help the filling set as it bakes.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
Use the step photos as your guide. The goal is very tender sweet potatoes, a silky filling, and a pie that’s just set in the center.
Roast the sweet potatoes
Cook the sweet potatoes until they’re completely fork-tender and easy to peel. I prefer the air fryer because it takes about half the total time of roasting them in the oven at 400°F.
Brown the butter
Cook the butter until it turns amber and smells nutty. This adds a deeper flavor to the filling, but you can simply melt it if you want to skip this step.
Blend the filling
Scoop the cooled sweet potato flesh into a food processor or blender, then add the butter, sugars, evaporated milk, spices, and vanilla. Blend only until smooth.
Taste before adding the eggs
Taste the filling and adjust the sweetness or spices if needed. Then add the eggs and blend just long enough to incorporate them.
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Fill the crust
Pour the smooth filling into your prepared pie crust. It should spread easily and look evenly blended without visible pieces of sweet potato.
Bake until just set
The pie is ready when the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. Don’t wait for the middle to become completely firm because it will continue setting as it cools.
Cool completely
Let the pie cool before slicing so the filling has time to set and you get clean slices.
Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Pie
- Cook fresh sweet potatoes until very tender: Undercooked potatoes are harder to blend into a smooth filling.
- Don’t overprocess the filling: Blend until smooth, then stop. Sweet potatoes are starchy, and too much blending can make the filling gummy.
- Don’t overbake the pie: Remove it when the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. It will continue to set as it cools.
Sweet Potato Pie Swaps & Variations
- Canned sweet potatoes or puree: Use well-drained canned sweet potato chunks or unsweetened sweet potato puree when you want to skip cooking fresh potatoes.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use my Pumpkin Pie Spice in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg for a fuller warm-spice blend.
- Graham cracker crust: If you prefer a sweet, crumbly crust instead of pastry, try my Sweet Potato Pie with Graham Cracker Crust. You can also make the Graham Cracker Pie Crust from scratch.
More Sweet Potato & Holiday Recipes
If you’re planning your holiday dessert table, try my Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk or Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust.
For sweet potatoes to serve with dinner, make my Southern Candied Yams or Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows.
Sweet Potato Pie FAQs
Start with completely tender sweet potatoes and avoid overprocessing them. Both make it easier to get a smooth, creamy filling.
No. For this recipe, add the filling directly to the prepared pie crust and bake them together.
The edges should be set while the center still has a slight jiggle. The filling will continue to set as the pie cools.
This recipe uses evaporated milk with brown and granulated sugar, which lets you control the sweetness separately. Sweetened condensed milk already contains added sugar, so it isn’t a direct one-for-one substitute.
Make-Ahead & Storage
- Make ahead: Bake the pie the day before serving and refrigerate it once completely cooled.
- Store: Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Serve leftovers: Enjoy chilled or let a slice sit briefly at room temperature before serving.
- Freeze: For the best creamy texture, I prefer refrigerating this pie rather than freezing it.
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 Pie Crust, prepared in a 9-inch pie plate, all butter pie crust (rolled to 12-inches, ⅛ thick), refrigerated pie crust (pre-rolled and thawed), or 9-inch frozen pie crust (these come prepared in a pan, do not thaw)
- ¾ lb sweet potatoes, about 2 sweet potatoes, or 1 ¾ cup sweet potato puree, 29 oz canned sweet potatoes, drained, these come in chunks with a water, or 15 oz sweet potato puree (unsweetened)
- ¼ cup Butter, salted
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup White Sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare the sweet potatoes: Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Pierce each one 4–6 times with a fork. Place them in the air fryer basket with space between them.
- Roast the sweet potatoes in the air fryer: roast the sweet potatoes in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 26-30 minutes (mine were about 6 oz each so adjust the cook time if yours are larger or smaller). It should be very easy to cut them open and scoop out the flesh once they cool.
- Brown the butter: while the sweet potatoes roast, add the butter to a saucepan and brown. It will turn an amber color in about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. This step adds a slightly nutty and richer flavor to the pie. You can skip this step, but if you do, simply melt the butter and add it to the food processor with the rest of the filling ingredients.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and add them to a food processor: Let the potatoes cool for 10–15 minutes. Split them open and scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender.
- Make the pie filling with the roasted sweet potatoes: Add all other ingredients except the eggs to the food processor. Saving the eggs lets you taste pie filling and adjust it to taste. Blend until incorporated. You can taste the pie filling and adjust it to taste.
- Add the eggs and blend just enough to mix them in.
- Pour the sweet potato pie filling into the prepared crust.
- Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle. You can start checking for doneness around the 45-50 minute mark.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing. Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and sprinkle with extra cinnamon if desired.
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Recipe Notes
- Sweet potatoes: Fresh sweet potatoes give the best flavor, but drained canned sweet potatoes or unsweetened puree also work.
- Butter: Brown it for extra flavor, or simply melt it.
- Don’t overblend: Blend the sweet potato mixture just until smooth to avoid a gummy texture.
- Add eggs last: Taste and adjust the filling before adding the raw eggs.
- Doneness: The edges should be set and the center should still have a slight jiggle. It will finish setting as it cools.
- Crust: Use homemade, pre-rolled refrigerated, or frozen pie crust.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used.
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