Jump to the Recipe
Just like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie is one of those desserts that’s synonymous with fall and the end-of-year holiday season.
While pie can sometimes be a rich dessert that’s a bit much post-feast, a small slice is definitely a great way to end a meal, especially when you’re surrounded with family and friends. It’s always an ideal dessert to serve for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and having a pie recipe ready to go is always helpful!
In Argentina where I live, the sweet potatoes are yellow on the inside instead of orange, like the varieties commonly available in the United States.
They are slightly less sweet than the orange-fleshed version, but that’s not a problem at all. The only difference is in the color of the pie filling – instead of being orange, it’s more like a caramelized golden brown.
This recipe is extremely simple to make. It may take a bit of extra time to make the dough from scratch than if you were to use a store-bought piecrust, but the results of the homemade version will be totally worth the effort.
Trust me.
With a creamy, rich sweet potato filling, and a buttery, flaky crust, this pie is sure to impress your guests!
Is your mouth watering yet? Let’s head right over to the recipe!
The Recipe
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 servings | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 85 minutes |
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Rich, decadent sweet potato pie with a flaky, buttery crust and a creamy filling. This is the perfect dessert to serve your guests this holiday season!
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- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon iced water + more as needed
- 1 cup whipped cream (optional)
- Boil the sweet potato whole in its skin for 40 minutes, or until fork tender.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the crust. Combine flour and cubed butter in a large bowl, and use a pastry cutter (if you have one) or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until you get a crumbly, sand-like mixture.
- Add the egg yolks and the iced water to the flour mixture, and mix well until a dough starts to form. Shape the dough into a round disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, then let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, place them in a bowl of cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Then use a spoon to help you remove the skin.
- Cut the sweet potato into small cubes, and then combine it with the butter, sugar, cream, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla in the bowl of your electric blender or food processor. Pulse for 10 to 15 seconds, until you get a smooth mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour a medium pie pan.
- When the dough is chilled, sprinkle flour onto a piece of parchment paper and place the dough on top. Flour your rolling pin, and roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.
- Gently press the dough into your prepared pie pan, and flute the edge to form a decorative crust. Pour the sweet potato filling into the pie crust.
- Place the pie pan on a baking sheet, and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middles comes out clean.
- Let the pie cool fully on a wire rack before slicing and serving with whipped cream.
Nutritional Information*
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prepare the Mise en Place
First, get your ingredients ready.
Wash the sweet potatoes well, and measure out the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, eggs, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and vanilla.
For the crust, measure out the flour, butter, egg yolks, and iced water.
Step 2 – Boil
Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil with a lid on for about 40 minutes, or until fork tender.
Step 3 – Prepare the Crust
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, start to prepare the crust. Combine the flour and butter in a large bowl, and use a pastry cutter or two knives (like I did) to cut the butter into the flour until you get a sand-like, crumbly mixture.
Add the egg yolks and iced water, and mix well until a dough begins to form. If the dough is too dry, add ice water a teaspoon at a time, until you are able to shape the dough into a ball.
Flatten the dough into a round disc, and wrap it with plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4 – Prepare the Filling
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, place them in a large bowl of cold water to cool. You may need to change the water a couple of times.
When they’re cool enough to handle, move to a cutting board and use a spoon to remove the skin.
Cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes, and place in a food processor or blender with the butter, sugar, cream, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pulse for 10 to 15 seconds, scraping down the sides as necessary, until you get a smooth filling.
Step 5 – Preheat and Roll Out
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease and flour a medium pie pan.
By now, the dough should have finished chilling. Sprinkle flour on a piece of parchment paper and place the dough on top, rolling it out with a floured rolling pin until it is ¼-inch thick.
Gently press the dough into the prepared pie pan, and form the edge of the crust into a ridge that goes a bit higher than the edge of the pan.
Create a decorative edge by pressing the tines of a fork into it, or pressing between two fingers of one hand and the thumb of the other, to form a fluted edge. If you have any leftover dough, it’s also fun to make decorative shapes to place on top of the pie filling.
Pour the filling into the crust. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet, and set it on the middle rack of the oven.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Note that towards the end of the baking time, the pie filling will puff up like a soufflé. This is normal! It will sink down again when the pie is cool.
Serve and Tuck In!
Let the pie cool fully on a wire rack before slicing and serving it with whipped cream. The whipped cream is completely optional, but it gives the pie a nice finishing touch. Plus, it makes the pie look so much prettier!
I even recommend serving it with ice cream! A big scoopful of our cinnamon honey ice cream would be the perfect addition on top.
How else do you like to eat pie? What other types do you love to bring to holiday gatherings? Let us know in the comments below.
And make sure you peruse all of Foodal’s best pie recipes!
For more sweet potato sweets, try these:
Photos by Felicia Lim, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Felicia Lim
Felicia Lim is a Singaporean who moved to Argentina for love. Based in Buenos Aires, also known as “the Paris of South America,” she fills her days with freelance writing, recipe development, and food photography – three passions that give her endless joy. When she isn’t typing away at her computer, cooking in the kitchen, or shooting in her balcony-studio, you can probably find her curled up on the couch, lost in the pages of a good book.
Loooove me some sweet potato pie! And this looks like one of the best of ’em! Need to bring this to the Thankgiving table!
Hi Karly! Thanks for dropping by!! This sweet potato pie was definitely delicious! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! You could also make this pie for Christmas 🙂