Description
A classic Southern sweet potato pie featuring smooth, spiced sweet potato filling baked in a flaky pie crust. This easy homemade dessert is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any time you want a taste of comfort and tradition.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 (1 pound) sweet potato
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk (whole milk works best)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Crust:
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (homemade or store-bought—no judgment here!)
Instructions
Throw your sweet potato in a pot of boiling water. Don’t peel it first. Just wash it and toss it in. Boil for 40-45 minutes until a fork goes through like it’s not even there. Then run cold water over it so you can touch it and peel the skin off. It comes off easy when it’s cooked right.
Put it in a bowl and mash it. Get every single lump out. Put the butter in while everything’s hot so it melts without you having to work for it.
Pro tip: I bought a food processor after I borrowed one from my neighbor Lisa. She moved three years ago and I still miss having her next door. Anyway, 30 seconds in the food processor and you’re done. So much easier.
Add your sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla. Mix it until you can’t see separate ingredients anymore. Should be orange-ish gold and smooth.
Pour it in the pie crust. Smooth the top if you want it to look nice for photos. It’ll be really full. Don’t panic. I’ve never had one overflow and I’ve made this at least fifty times.
Put it in the oven at 350°F. Set a timer for 55 minutes. When you stick a knife in the middle and nothing wet comes out on the knife, it’s done. It puffs up in the oven and looks really cool through the glass door.
Leave it on the counter for three hours minimum. Do not cut it before that. I don’t care how good it smells. I made that mistake at my first Thanksgiving hosting and served everyone soup in a crust.
Notes
- Prevent a soggy bottom: Brush your unbaked crust with a beaten egg white before adding the filling. This creates a moisture barrier!
- Smooth operator: If you don’t have a food processor, push the mashed sweet potato through a fine-mesh sieve for ultra-smooth results
- Even baking: Place your pie on the middle rack and rotate it halfway through baking for even browning
- The jiggle test: The pie is done when the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle (about a 2-inch circle in the middle). It will continue cooking as it cools
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American