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Sweet Potato Pie

This Southern Sweet Potato Pie is topped with a toffee pecan streusel that sets it apart from the rest. The combination adds a decadent praline layer to the crunchy crumb topping. Serve a big slice with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream for a bonafide treat.

A Southern Classic Sweet Potato Pie

Easy Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Are you looking for a good Southern Sweet Potato Pie recipe? Well, look no further. Sweet potato pie is especially beloved in the South and has adorned Southern dessert tables for decades. While it’s not only limited to the holidays, it does provide a tasty option for those who may prefer an alternative to pumpkin pie. Often we think of sweet potatoes as synonymous with Fall. They’re certainly available year-round, but at their peak in flavor from October through December. Sweet potatoes come in a rainbow of colors red, white, purple and the most common color, orange. They’re good for you and an excellent source of many essential vitamins that our bodies need. While I don’t claim sweet potato pie is health food, it does take the edge off the dessert guilt a little, doesn’t it? Any excuse will do. How to make homemade Sweet Potato Pie: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Prepare Pie Shell – Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spritz a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. Press the pie crust firmly into the pie pan. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Place onto a baking sheet and into the oven to bake for 7 minutes. Set aside.
  • Filling – In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and salt . Mix until fully combined.
  • Transfer to Pie Shell – Pour custard into crust. Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Topping – Mix together vanilla wafer crumbs, granulated sugar and cinnamon.
  • Butter- Cut butter into the mixture using a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Top the Pie – After baking the pie for 30 minutes sprinkle the pecan-crunch streusel over the top of the custard.
  • Return to the Oven – Continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes until the custard is set when gently shaken and the pecan-crunch streusel is golden. Cover the edge of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning, if needed.
  • Cool – Cool the pie to room temperature then chill completely before cutting. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, if desired.
A Southern Classic Sweet Potato Pie

How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Sweet Potato Pie: One 9-inch deep dish pie shell, pureed sweet potatoes, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, large eggs, pecans, English toffee bits, crushed vanilla wafers, cold butter, vanilla extract, salt, pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon. You’ll also need whipped cream for serving.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: A large mixing bowl, a whisk,  measuring cups and spoons, a deep dish pie dish, a pastry blender and a smaller mixing bowl to make the streusel topping.
  • How do you make the filling for Southern Sweet Potato Pie? You can use canned sweet potatoes pureed in a food processor for the filling of this pie or make your own from scratch.
  • If you’d like to make your own sweet potato puree for the filling, it’s very simple to do. By baking the sweet potatoes and preparing it in advance you’ll save time. To make your own: Bake sweet potatoes with the skin intact in a 375°F oven for around an hour or until tender. Allow them to cool a bit, then using a tablespoon you can easily scoop out the flesh. Puree the flesh in a stand blender or using a hand mixer and cool. See also the Cook’s note in the recipe card for instructions.
  • What’s in pumpkin pie spice? Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of varying amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove and allspice. It’s commonly used in fall baking and it works beautifully in this recipe bringing seasonal flavor to this sweet potato pie.  You may opt to use all cinnamon in it’s place, if desired.
  • Can you top Southern Sweet Potato Pie with a meringue? Yes, you could omit the streusel topping and use a meringue instead. To make it you you’ll need 2-3 large egg whites plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter and 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Beat together using a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Frost the top of the pie with the meringue then brown it for a few minutes in the oven under the broiler.
  • Store leftover Sweet Potato Pie chilled in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
A Southern Classic Sweet Potato Pie

More Southern Sweet Potato Recipes to Make

Sweet Potatoes can be transformed into a myriad of different recipes from breads, cakes, pies, biscuits, casseroles, cornbread and more. Checkout these recipes for more ways to make sweet potatoes:

A Southern Classic Sweet Potato Pie

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Sweet Potato Pie

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Chill time2 hours
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: southern-sweet-potato-pie, sweet-potato-pie-recipe
Servings: 8 pieces
Calories: 488kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust or frozen deep dish
  • 2 cups pureed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Topping:
  • 1/3 cup crushed vanilla wafer crumbs
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 Tbsp cold butter cubed
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup English toffee bits (Bits-o-Brickle)
  • 2 cups fresh whipped cream for serving optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spritz a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. Press the pie crust firmly into the pie pan. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Place onto a baking sheet and into the oven to bake for 7 minutes. Set aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sweet potato puree, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and salt . Mix until fully combined.
  • Pour custard into crust. Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, mix together vanilla wafer crumbs, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Cut butter into the mixture using a pastry blender or two forks until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix-in the chopped pecans and English toffee bits by hand.
  • After baking for 30 minutes, sprinkle the pecan-crunch streusel over the top of the custard. Continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes until the custard is set when gently shaken and the pecan-crunch streusel is golden. Cover the edge of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning, if needed.
  • Cool the pie to room temperature then chill completely before cutting. Overnight is ideal. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

  • Pumpkin pie spice contains varying amounts of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. It brings seasonal flavor to this sweet potato pie. You can use all cinnamon, if desired. 
If you’d like to make your own sweet potato puree for the filling:
  • Bake sweet potatoes with the skin intact in a 375°F oven for around an hour or until fork tender.
  • Allow them to cool a bit, then slice and using a tablespoon scoop out the flesh.
  • Puree the flesh in a stand blender or using a hand mixer and cool then proceed with the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 302mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 5470IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

25 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I had a friend in the south whose mother made this with a Graham cracker crust and used the same in the crumble. That was years ago! I am going to give your version a try! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Hello, i used pure vanilla extract and it turned the poatoe like how pumpkin pie looks like. I was wondering if when baked,will it get back the orange color as before. I haven’t baked it as yet to find out. Thank you.

  3. 5 stars
    Just found your recipe. My brother likes sweet potato pie, so I made this for tonight’s family dinner. He absolutely loved it. My cousin don’t eat sweets snacked on it and said she could stop eating it. Thank you. It made a great end to our night.

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. I forgot the nilla wafers so I improvised with ritz crackers and the sweet/salty crumble was perfect! We ate this pie for 3 days breakfast lunch and dinner.
    Delicious – definitely a keeper.
    Happy Holidays.

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