Easy Old-Fashioned Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

My oh my, Sweet Potato Pie! Easy Old-Fashioned Southern Sweet Potato Pie tastes like a cool crisp Fall day, warm pungent spices, and Thanksgiving all wrapped up in one delicious and decadent bite. And, it’s the perfect Thanksgiving dessert!

Chances are if you are not from the South, you might not have ever had sweet potato pie before. With this recipe, however, I hope to change that. Considered “soul food” by many, this pie has long played second fiddle to its more popular cousin pumpkin pie. But one bite of this easy to make pie will make a believer out of you.

Oh, and when I say easy, I mean easy! Once you bake the sweet potatoes and add the filling with sweetened condensed milk, this old-fashioned pie only takes minutes to prepare! Usually, when I know I will be making a pie, I serve baked sweet potatoes the night before for dinner. Then I throw a few more potatoes in the oven which I use for the pie.

Sweet Potato Pie vs Pumpkin Pie

Sweet potatoes have a flavor all its own, and although many people say that sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie taste the same, nothing could be further from the truth. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so the pie doesn’t require as much sugar. Also, the texture of sweet potato pie is lighter, and the taste isn’t quite as strong as pumpkin pie.

According to my friend Martha Coppins, who enjoys a slice of sweet potato pie for breakfast every once in a while, “people who don’t think they would like sweet potato pie, but like pumpkin pie, will like this recipe”!

The Origin of Sweet Potato Pie:

The origin of Sweet Potato Pie is a little murky, but as early as the 16th century, Spanish explorers found sweet potatoes growing in what is now Louisiana. During Colonial times, the nutritious sweet potato was considered a staple of the American diet.

Sweet Potato Nutritional Value

Speaking of nutritious, sweet potatoes are considered one of the world’s healthiest foods and are an excellent source of vitamin A.  They are also a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B6.

More sweet potato recipes:

If you like sweet potatoes as much as we do, be sure to check out these other scrumptious sweet potato recipes on my blog: 

Easy Southern Sweet Potato Bread with Pecans

Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Bourbon

Easy Southern Sweet Potato Hash

Southern Candied Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

Terry’s Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

Easy Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Healthy Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Cranberry Aioli

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

You might also want to check out my roundup post: 35 Best and Easiest Sweet Potato Recipes for Thanksgiving.

More old-fashioned Southern-style dessert recipes:

Dot’s Ultimate Southern Pecan Pie,

Southern Peaches and Cream Pie,

Minnie Lee Croley’s Sour Cream Pound Cake.

You also might want to check out my two Thanksgiving dessert roundup posts: 50 Best Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes – You Need to Make Now, and 40 Best Desserts for Thanksgiving – Recipes and Menu Ideas. 

Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients:

The ingredients include sweet potatoes, butter, sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, vanilla extract, kosher salt, and a 9-inch deep-dish unbaked pie crust.

How to make Sweet Potato Pie:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mash the sweet potatoes using a potato masher until they are smooth. 

Use an electric mixer and beat the mashed sweet potato and butter in a medium-size bowl until the mixture is smooth.

Add the sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract and mix well.

Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the pie has set.

Cool and serve. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Sharon’s Expert Tips:

To cook the potatoes in the microwave, prick sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave for five minutes. Turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very soft when squeezed. Allow to cool for a few minutes and scoop out and mash the flesh.

If you prefer to cook your sweet potatoes in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the sweet potatoes for 60 minutes or until they are very soft and you can easily squeeze them.

You can also boil your potatoes. To boil them, peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Place in boiling water and cook for about 15-20 minutes. They are done when it’s very easy to pierce them with a fork. Drain and mash them. 

You can substitute canned sweet potatoes in this recipe. Be sure to drain and rinse them and mash well before adding to the batter. You will need two cups of mashed sweet potatoes.  

For convenience, I used a frozen pre-made pie crust in this recipe. Please feel free to make your own using your favorite pie crust recipe, or try this fool-proof pie crust recipe from the Pudge Factor. 

★ If you make Easy Old-Fashioned Southern Sweet Pie, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

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4.37 from 22 votes

Easy Old-Fashioned Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Easy Old-Fashioned Southern Sweet Potato pie tastes like a cool crisp Fall day, warm pungent spices, and Thanksgiving dinner all wrapped up in one delicious and decadent bite.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword comfort food, thanksgiving dessert recipes, sweet potato pie recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 256kcal

Author Sharon Rigsby

Ingredients

• 1 lb sweet potatoes baked and peeled, about 2 cups mashed
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp orange peel zested
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 unbaked pie shell 9-inch deep-dish
• whipped cream optional for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Use an electric mixer and beat the mashed sweet potatoes and butter in a medium-size bowl until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the pie has set.
• Cool and serve. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Notes

Sharon's Expert Tips:

To cook the potatoes in the microwave, prick sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave for five minutes. Turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very soft when squeezed. Allow to cool for a few minutes and scoop out and mash the flesh.

If you prefer to cook your sweet potatoes in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the sweet potatoes for 60 minutes or until they are very soft and you can easily squeeze them.

You can also boil your potatoes. To boil them, peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Place in boiling water and cook for about 15-20 minutes. They are done when it's very easy to pierce them with a fork. Drain and mash them. 

You can substitute canned sweet potatoes in this recipe. Be sure to drain and rinse them and mash well before adding to the batter. You will need two cups of mashed sweet potatoes.  

For convenience, I used a frozen pre-made pie crust in this recipe. Please feel free to make your own using your favorite pie crust recipe, or try this fool-proof pie crust recipe from the Pudge Factor. 

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 485mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 4700IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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