Sweet Potato Pie
Follow step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making our favorite Southern Sweet Potato Pie from scratch. We’ll show you everything, from how to make the pie crust, to how to bake the Sweet Potatoes, to how to put it all together. Much easier to make than you might expect, and certain to bring lots of happy smiles and hugs of gratitude from anyone lucky enough to get a slice. Printable recipe included.
…
Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe, made from scratch.
…
My Aunt Bessie, was one of my mothers sisters. Her family lived in another town from us and I didn’t really get to spend a lot of time with them while I was growing up. She had several sons and daughters that were older than I was. One son was near my age however, and about the only memories I have of playing with him was when we had birthday dinners for Grandpa, or maybe at one of the yearly family reunions. Still, being cousins, we acted like we had just seen each other the day before despite that it had probably been a year ago.
This recipe is one that Aunt Bessie contributed to the Family Cookbook that was printed back in 1999 for one of our family reunions. I love church cookbooks and old family type cookbooks that were usually made as some type of fundraiser. I’m always on the lookout for them when I get the chance to visit some Flea Markets, Yard Sales, or the local auctions.
They usually have some interesting recipes, but they always seem to lack very much detail as to how to actually prepare the recipe. That’s when you wish you could call Aunt Bessie up and ask her a question or two. Don’t you wish Heaven had telephones?
I will almost always go to the Family Cookbook first when looking a particular recipe. There aren’t all that many of them, but I always enjoy flipping through the pages and seeing what name goes along with what recipe.
You can certainly find a large variety of recipes for making Sweet Potato Pie. What makes this one any different you might wonder. I like the fact that it’s just pretty straightforward and simple. It doesn’t use eggs, it doesn’t use brown sugar, and it can be made just as easily using a ready made pie crust, or one you’ve made from scratch.
“The Sisters,” learned how to use those ready made crusts in their later years just like everyone else. Still, I think there’s just something truly special about being able to say you made a pie entirely from scratch. We’re using Baked Sweet Potatoes and we’ve made the crust from a recipe we have already posted here on Taste of Southern called the Basic Pie Crust Recipe.
Prepare the dough for the crusts ahead of time, freeze it, and you’ll be ready to make pies about any time you get in the mood. I really think you’ll like the simplicity of this one, and that you’ll enjoy the mild taste that’s not overpowered with lots of spices. I do hope you’ll give it a try and I’ll look forward to reading your Comments in the section below. Ready to give Aunt Bessie’s Sweet Potato Recipe a try? Alright then, Let’s Get Cooking!
…
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe: You’ll need these ingredients.
You’ll find the full step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for our Basic Pie Crust Recipe here.
You’ll find the full step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for Baked Sweet Potatoes here.
…
In a large mixing bowl, add the 2 cups of Sweet Potatoes. It only took 2 baked Sweet Potatoes for this recipe. I just peeled the potatoes, then pressed it into my measuring cup to get the proper amount. Two potatoes worked out perfectly.
…
Grab your potato masher, or something similar, and mash the potatoes. Don’t have a potato masher? Just mash them with a couple of forks, working out any lumps. We’ll work them up some more later when we use the hand mixer.
…
Add the Granulated Sugar.
…
Add the Evaporated Milk. I’ve pretty much gone to using Evaporated Milk in all my baking. I just never seem to have the regular stuff around when I need it. Either I don’t have enough, or I’ve let what I did have go bad. I strongly suggest that you keep several cans of Evaporated Milk in your pantry at all times.
…
Add the Happy Home Pure Vanilla Flavoring Extract. I also suggest that you keep a bottle of this stuff handy at all times. One day, I hope to write up one of my early memories of using Happy Home flavorings. Growing up, the church sold lots of Happy Home products as fundraisers. The Southern Flavoring Company still makes it available for such purposes. Mama always had the Lemon Flavoring and the Vanilla Extract on hand.
They aren’t paying me to endorse their products, but in all fairness, they did send me several sample bottles to test and use. I’ve even been invited to tour the plant next time I’m in the area. So, don’t forget, Evaporated Milk and Happy Home Vanilla Extract. You’ll need it to make some really great snow cream one day. It pays to be prepared.
…
Add the Nutmeg.
…
Add the Ground Cinnamon.
…
Add the melted Butter.
…
Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat the ingredients together.
…
Crank the speed up just a bit and whip the potato mixture until it’s sort of fluffy.
…
Go ahead and turn the oven on to 400º, and let it be warming up.
…
You could certainly use a ready made pie crust to make this pie. Or, even some of that ready made crust dough that’s so readily available these days. But, for true made-from-scratch pie, why not make up some of your own pie crust dough and keep it on hand. I will make up about 3 or 4 of these at a time and freeze them for later.
You’ll find our step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making a Basic Pie Crust right here on Taste of Southern. The recipe makes enough dough for one crust but can easily be doubled. Once you’ve worked it together, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer until you need it. That way, you can always say, “YES, I made it all myself.” It’s a good feeling. You can do it.
…
Roll out the dough a bit larger than your baking dish. You’ll want some dough hanging over the edge and of course, you’ll need enough so it can drape down inside the pie plate itself.
BE SURE to spread a layer of butter around the inside of your pie plate before adding the dough. I didn’t get a picture of that step but wanted to be sure to remind you to do it.
…
I like to roll out the dough, then slip my scraper up under it to be sure it’s not sticking to the board anywhere. Then, I gently roll it around the rolling pin itself so I can easily transfer it over to the pie plate.
…
Just unroll the dough across the top of your pie plate and let the dough settle down into the dish on it’s own as much as possible. You don’t want to stretch the dough as you work it into the edges of the plate. It will pull back as it starts baking, so work it gently.
…
Let it settle down into the dish and then gently press it in around the bottom edges. You should have some dough overlapping the top edge and it should be centered into the plate before you start doing this.
…
Use a sharp knife, or kitchen shears, and trim off any large amounts of dough that overhang around the edge. You’d like for it to be as even as possible, all the way around, with about 1/2 to 1 inch of overhang.
…
I take the excess and fold it back in towards the center of the plate. This forms a bit of a lip all around the edge. Any tears can be patched with pieces of excess dough that you just trimmed away.
…
As your pie-making skills improve, you can get into all that fancy edge decorating stuff. But, for starters, let’s just do like mama always did. She took a fork and lightly pressed it into the top edge of the dough all around the rim. You might need to dip the fork into flour if the dough is still a bit tacky-sticky. To me, this is how a pie is SUPPOSE to look. I’m still a big part old fashioned that way.
Once the pie crust is ready, you might want to stick it back into the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to let the dough chill and rest some more. Don’t worry about covering it, it’ll be perfectly fine.
…
Spoon the pie filling into the crust. This filling is a bit thick as you can see. I could have added a bit more milk to thin it down some, but opted to not do it, and just stick to Aunt Bessie’s recipe.
…
Using a spoon, work from the center out and gently spread the filling out to the edges of the dough.
…
Here we are, almost ready for the oven.
…
I strongly suggest you place the pie on a baking sheet. That way, if by any chance it begins to bubble over, it drops into the pan and not on the bottom of the oven floor. It’s much easier to clean up any mess this way. Just saying.
…
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION: You should place the pie on the bottom rack in your oven to bake it. We’re going to START baking at 400º, and let it bake for TEN MINUTES. After that, we’ll REDUCE the heat down to 350º, and let it bake on out until done. Set a timer so you don’t forget it.
…
Watch the edges of the crust as the pie bakes. You’ve turned the heat down to 350º hopefully and you don’t want the pie edges to burn. After about 15 minutes, if needed, cut some strips of aluminum foil about 2 inches wide, and gently wrap them around the edges of the crust, and then let it bake on out until done. This should prevent the edges from burning.
…
You DID remember to turn the heat down… right?
…
Test the pie by inserting a toothpick into the center as it’s about finished baking. If you pull the toothpick out and it’s moist, or has crumbs clinging to it, bake the pie a little longer. On the other hand, if the toothpick pulls out clean, the pie is ready and should be removed from the oven.
Place the baked pie on a wire rack, or folded towel and let it cool. It will slice much easier if you can let it sit for a couple of hours to firm up. If you want to serve the slices warm, slice the pie and place each slice on a dish. Then, pop each dish into the microwave for a few seconds to warm it back up. Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and… ENJOY!
…
Sweet Potato Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 Slices 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for making our favorite Southern Sweet Potato Pie from scratch. We’ll show you everything, from how to make the pie crust, to how to bake the Sweet Potatoes, to how to put it all together. Much easier to make than you might expect and certain to bring lots of happy smiles and hugs of gratitude from anyone lucky enough to get a slice. Printable recipe included.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed Sweet Potatoes, after baking.
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ stick Butter, melted
- ½ cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 level teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 level teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 prepared pie crust.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Generously butter the bottom and sides of your pie plate.
- Line the bottom of your pie dish with pastry dough.
- Fold and form the edges of the crust as desired. Place in refrigerator until ready to fill.
- In a Medium size mixing bowl add the sweet potatoes.
- Mash well with a potato masher to remove any chunks and lumps.
- Add granulated sugar
- Add evaporated milk
- Add vanilla extract
- Add nutmeg
- Add ground cinnamon
- Add melted butter
- Using a hand mixer on low speed, beat all ingredients together until fully incorporated, adding a little more milk if needed. Mixture should be creamy but not soupy.
- Pour the mixture into the pie shell filling it right up to the top edge. Do not overfill.
- Bake on bottom rack in oven for 10 minutes at 400ºF.
REDUCE HEAT to 350ºF
- Bake 25-30 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out dry.
- If crust edges begin to brown or burn, cover with strips of aluminum foil until the pie is fully baked.
- Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and let cool.
- Serve warm and Enjoy!
Notes
You can certainly use a ready made pie crust for this recipe. You’ll just love it even more if you make your own from scratch. We’ve got a full step-by-step on how to make your own crusts right here on Taste of Southern.
Keywords: Sweet Potato Pie Recipe, made from scratch, homemade pie crust, sweet potatoes, southern recipes
…
Your Comments: Be honest, can you tell the difference between a Sweet Potato Pie and a Pumpkin Pie? Sometimes it’s really hard for me to distinguish which is which without some type of clue. Perhaps its just me, but I doubt it. Otherwise, why did I overhear two ladies sitting at the table next to me in a restaurant yesterday trying to figure out what they were eating?
I do hope you’ll try our recipe and that you’ll be willing to come back and let me know how it turns out for you. Your results and your comments could encourage someone else to try the recipe. And, if you have any favorite Sweet Potato Pie memories, I hope you’ll tell me about them. Just know that all comments are moderated. That just means that I read each and every one of them before they are approved for our family friendly website here on the Internet. I also try to respond to as many comments as possible, so check back in a day or two for my reply. I’d love to hear from you.
Sign Up For The FREE Newsletter: While you’re here, be sure to sign up for our FREE Newsletter. I send out reminders to let you know when we’ve posted a new recipe, or anytime anything else of importance is going on around here. It’s just an easy way for you to remember to check back on our newest cooking adventures. It’s FREE, as I mentioned, and you can sign up in the box below. You’ll also find a sign up box in the top right hand corner of each page. Should you ever decided you’re not interested any longer, it’s even easier to have your name removed from our list. I just don’t know why you’d want to do that though. So, I’ll look forward to seeing your name on our list… real soon.
Be Blessed!!!
Steve
..
Category: Desserts
I’m going to make sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving, and I’m excited to see the wonderful reviews of this recipe! I was going to make one with eggs, but found out that I should make an egg-less one just in case a friend who doesn’t eat eggs comes by to get a slice of pie.
There is no pumpkin Spice in Sweet Potato pie.
Are there any cloves in the spice mixture for Pumpkin Pie? There aren’t any in Sweet potato Pie.
Hi Aaron, I’m a bit confused. I’m not sure if you’re making a statement that pumpkin spice is never included in Sweet Potato Pie, or are you asking if it IS ever included. I don’t include it in either my Sweet Potato or my Pumpkin Pie. But, that’s the nice thing about cooking, you can add ingredients you like and leave out the ones you don’t care for. Well, most of the time anyway. Smile. Thank you for your visit today. I do appreciate you stopping by and I hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Delicious and I doubled the recipe. Brought back memories of pies my grandmother made without eggs. Thanks for the recipe with pictures!
Hi Linda, It’s my pleasure to share the recipes and the photos. I’m glad we could bring back some good memories for you. Thank you for trying the recipe and thank you for your visit today. I do hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Thanks for the eggless recipe. Trying to recapture my mom’s pie. Can’t remember if she used eggs or not. This will help!
Try many before…but this one is the closest to my mother. Thank you so much and even my own spin to make it my own.
★★★★★
I make this at least three to four times a year. It’s a no fail recipe. Perfection
★★★★★
Hi Sonia, Thank you for your comments. Hopefully it will encourage someone else to try the recipe. Hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving, and get to enjoy some Sweet Potato Pie. Smile. I always appreciate your visits and your support. I hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I’ve never made a bad tasting sweet potato pie. all by itself it makes the pie and with a little brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon it’s the best tasting pie I ever tasted hands down. Its naturally sweet. a question .how do you remove the strings?
Hi Karen, Thank you for your comments. I like to use the Beauregard variety of sweet potato whenever I can find them. I think they tend to be less stringy. If you seem to encounter a lot of strings in your potatoes, you could run the baked potatoes through a food processor for a moment or two to cut the strings up really fine. That should help the overall texture for you. Some varieties just tend to be more stringy than others. I hope this helps. Thank you again for stopping by today, I do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Mama use to make white sweet potato pies they do have a little diffrent taste than reg sweet potatoes.I may try this one with white sweet potatoes.
Hi Alan, I don’t think I’ve ever tried the white sweet potatoes, nor the purple one’s. Smile. There are lots of different varieties, and colors, as you are well aware. I just prefer the regular one’s the most, I guess. Don’t hold that against me please. Thank you for your visit. I do hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Amazing. I followed the ingredient proportions exactly, baked the pie as directed for the longest time specified. I doubled the filling for a deeper pie dish, and made the crust with the linked recipe. This made it slightly unset, so I baked it 10 min at 350F the next morning (crust foiled), and it set perfectly. A little wet, but definitely set. The pie could use a heavier hand of nutmeg, and I think I’ll use half brown sugar next time, just for more complex flavors in the pie. It is delicious the way it is, though. Personally, I’ve made many different pie crusts, from Italian style crustada to a traditional butter only fat content, and I LOVE what the shortening does to the crust. This is my new go to crust recipe. To anyone making this: keep the dough in the fridge overnight. If you want a crust that holds well when you roll it out, this is hardly optional. Thanks for a great recipe
★★★★★
Hi Austin, Thank you for trying our recipes. I’m glad they turned out well for you. Perhaps your comments will encourage someone else to give them a try. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your results with us. Keep up the good work. I do appreciate your visit today. The door is always open for you, so please stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I made this pie for Thanksgiving and let me tell you I could not wait for it to cool in order for me to eat it. Everyone loved it and what I loved is that there’s no eggs in the pie. I will be using this recipe again.
Hi Mrs. Lewis, I’m glad you tried our Sweet Potato Pie, and very happy to hear that you liked it. Thank you for sharing your results. Hopefully it will encourage someone else to try it as well. Sounds like you had a good Thanksgiving. I appreciate you taking the time to write and I do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
This sweet potato pie is amazing! I just started it. Made 6 for the senior citizens dinner on November 10, 2018. November 11, 2018 making 3 more for my brother to take back to work in Sumter, South Carolina. One thing I like in my pies is powdered ginger. So just wanted you to know that I will be using this recipe from now on. It’s the best!
Hi Brenda, Wow, you’ve been busy. That’s a lot of pies. Smile. I’m happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe and thank you for sharing it with your family and friends. How lucky is your brother? Smile. I do appreciate you trying the Sweet Potato Pie, and I hope you’ll visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I see this recipe does not use eggs. Is this correct?
Hi Yolande, That’s right, NO eggs in our recipe for Sweet Potato Pie. I might have just had a slice on this Thanksgiving Day. I hope you made one as well. Thank you for your visit. Be sure to visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Steve, have you ever used part brown sugar in the recipe. I remember my mom using both (I think). I also remember her using an egg in hers. She never wrote the recipe down so will give your a try. Sounds great. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Paula, I’ve never tried it with part brown sugar, but don’t see why it wouldn’t be tasty. I hope you’ll let me know how it turns out if you try it that way. It’s my pleasure to share the recipes. I hope you’ll try some others as well. Thank you for your visit today and be sure to stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. This looks a little “stiff” to make a tender fluffy pie. I would add one whipped large egg (whipping in with the milk works best), more butter, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar or Karo syrup, and 1/2 cup white sugar to make this recipe really fly.
This is the first time I’ve tried baking a sweet potato pie, although I do bake a lot of other pies. Went on line and perused all recipes with at least 4-1/2 stars and selected this one. Well, I baked and peeled my sweet potatoes, mixed the rest together and poured into my pie crust. According to the recipe I baked 10 minutes at 400, then reduced heat to 350 and baked it 30 minutes. Tested the center with a knife blade – baked 10 more minutes – repeated this procedure for I don’t really know how long – repeatedly – maybe baked for 1-1/2 hours. The center was still not solid but the crust was rather destroyed. I’m really disappointed because I baked this as a thank you for a friend. Guess I’ll find a recipe with eggs next time.
Hi Marilyn, I’m truly sorry to hear that your pie did not turn out as expected. I know what it’s like to try a recipe and have it not turn out right. Been there – done that. I wish I could tell you right up front what happened, but you know that I can’t. I would first ask if you placed the pie on the bottom rack in your oven as the directions called for? Secondly, have you ever placed a thermometer in your oven to see if it’s baking at the temps it says it is? My oven is about 20F degrees hotter than the dial says it should be, so I have to always remember to adjust for that when baking. You can purchase a decent oven thermometer at one of the larger box stores, and it’s well worth checking your temps ever so often. It really sounds like your oven may not be getting as hot as needed if it took so long to bake your pie. One and a half hours is a long time. Thirdly, was it really “soupy” when you poured the filling into the shell? I’d double check the amount of milk that was added. We’ve had a good number of folks say they have tried the recipe, and have been pleased with the results. Again, I’m sorry to hear you were not. I do hope you will not be discouraged with your pie baking. I give you a lot of credit for at least trying to make a sweet potato pie for the first time. We all have cooking adventures that go wrong, you just have to realize you’ve gained some experience and try, try again as the saying goes. I hope you can find a recipe that you will be pleased with. Thank you for sharing your results with us. I do appreciate you taking the time to write. I appreciate your visit and invite you to stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Thank you! This is the third year in a row I’ve made this recipe. I can’t eat gluten or eggs and this recipe is perfect. All I need to do is make a gluten free crust. Plus sweet potato pie is far superior to pumpkin. How could you not tell the difference? One is fantastic…one is gross. I always make two: one with dark orange and one with organic purple sweet potatoes. The orange one always has better flavor but who can resist a rich purple pie!
Hi Jeanne, I’ve seen the purple sweet potatoes, but have yet to try them. They just don’t look “right” to me. Smile. Guess I need to try them one day soon though. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Mr. Steve,
I want to say thank you so much for your recipe! I found it online last Thanksgiving and my wife loves it! I never made one before and yours is the one I went for. I forgot to print it so I kept searching just now until I found your recipe. I enjoy it and love the taste. Enjoy your Holidays and thank you again for sharing and making it so easy to follow along.
This recipe is amazing! I will use this forever! I love it is eggless since we have egg allergies in the home. The taste is perfect. I found the perfect recipe! Thank you!
This was my first time making a pie. It was so simple and it taste great!! It was a hit. To think, I came across this recipe because I realized I did not have any eggs so I Googled sweet potatoe pie without eggs. Thank you, I found my sweet potatoe pie recipe.
I tried this recipe on Thanksgiving and my family loved it, but I only made two and they went fast. My mom passed 17yrs ago, and I hadn’t had a homemade sweet potatoe pie since then. The taste of this pie instantly reminded me of her,I made four this time for our Holiday gathering. I’m hoping to attempt a homemade crust the next time I make one, I’ve only used the ready-made crust thus far, and it has turned out great. But I’m certain the homemade will be much better.
This is the best tasting pie, I will never purchase another store made sweet potatoe pie again! Thank you for sharing this recipe, and many Blessings to you and your family.
I use his recipe all of the time!!It is so good!!! It also goes quickly! ThankYou!!!
Hi Steve, thanks for this great recipe! I’m allergic to eggs and that limits my dessert options. Sweet Potato Pie has always been my favorite and I’m using your recipe from now on. This Thanksgiving I made one pie with regular sweet potatoes and one with purple sweet potatoes. It came out the most beautiful shade of purple! Next time I’ll try making my own crust. Keep on being inspiring. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! I moved from Chicago to California a couple years ago. On Thanksgiving, back in the midwest it is tradition to have Sweet Potato Pie with your meal, but apparently not so much here on the west coast. Pumpkin pie just doesn’t cut it for me. So hey, I decided to take matters into my own hands!
I was surprised at how close your recipe tasted to my mom’s recipe growing up. I loved the simplicity which is what drew me to it (especially since I am a novice pie maker — this was literally my first). I undercooked it a bit because I did not have a toothpick to test it with. I actually had to ride with it in my backpack while biking to my friend’s for dinner and it barely looked like a pie anymore, but it tasted great. Oh well, more for me 🙂 Might make another one just to have it.
JJ
Hello! For multiple pies at once can you double or triple the ingredients? Or will you need to mix them all up separately?
Hi A, You should be okay with doubling the recipe. I’d not try to triple it as it might make it a bit difficult to handle. Best of luck with your pie, and thank you for your visit. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Didn’t realize this pie recipe omitted eggs until afterwards, OMG amazing. Very old school flavor like my Nan’s.
Hi Steve, my grandma Lilian used to make her sweet potato pie from scratch and they looked like your picture. So I figured why not give this a try. I’m happy it had no egg, I don’t recall her using any. I’m vegetarian and lactose sensitive. Since its the holiday season, there’s some soy, almond and coconut nog hanging out in the natural grocers. I used some and it taste just add good. Only thing I had to cook it 15 min longer, til the tooth pick came out dry. Could that be cause we live in the mile high city eg;high altitude? What are your thoughts. Thanks! Also sweet potato’s vs yams, or both? Does it really matter?
Hello Steve!…I just tryed your Sweetpotato pie recipe, I made 2 of them. I taste the filling before I put it in the pieshell, it was great! Looking forward that the pies turns out great as well 🙂 Thank You for the easy steps,and pictures. If my pies turns out delicious, I promise you, I will use your recipe for the rest of my life!….I will let you know how the pies taste.Have A Blessed Thanksgiving Steve!
THANK YOU!! I was raised off of a similar recipe that used NO EGGS. Someone questioned me on Youtube awhile back that my version of sweet potato pie wouldn’t do by excluding eggs and I told them well that’s how we made our pies!
I’m so glad I found your recipe after searching Google and even gladder I have confirmation that Sweet Potatao Pies can be made without eggs!!
My neice went to the farmers market and bought some sweet potatoes. I baked her a,pie. And this,receipe was great. She loved it. I’m making another,pie now. Thanks
Hi Steve. I was looking for a simple recipe for sweet potato pie and ran across this one. As I was reading this I thought is was cool that you had an Aunt Bessie because my grandmother was Bessie. After some conversations with my mother I realized that Bessie is one in the same. My mother Connie is your cousin. Small world. And believe it or not, I’m cooking this pie on the day she passed away 13 years ago. I’ve got chills. By the way my pie turned out perfect. Maybe Grandma was watching over me.
Hi Sonia, Small world indeed. How cool is that?
Of course, if you were attending some of our Cousins Reunions, you might would have met me already. (Hint-Hint) Smile.
I’m really thankful that you found Taste of Southern, and that you decided to make the Sweet Potato Pie. “Grandma” did good, didn’t she? And, how interesting that you made it on this particular day. I suspect she WAS watching over you for sure.
You might also like to check out our recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes for even more about the cousins.
Thank you for trying our recipe, I appreciate your visits, and hope you’ll stop by for another visit with us… real soon. Be Blessed Cousin!!! -Steve
I wanted to comment on your Sweet Potato Pie recipe. The ingredients sound like what Mama used, but she put everything into an old, blackened round pan with no crust and baked it and called it Sweet Potato Pudding. It was nice and firm, and sliced like a pie. Have you ever heard of this? We grew up in N.C. My sister’s memory was she boiled the potatoes first. My memory was she baked them first. (I think I’m right). We have not been able to duplicate hers, so im going to try your recipe. I don’t think she used eggs either. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Happy New Years to everyone. I love this site and I use it regularly. Is there a difference in taste or texture if the potatoes are boiled versus baked? Thank you.
Shirley there is a difference between boiled and baked sweet potatoes. Having made pies with boiled and baked…baked wins hands down. Boiled is quicker though. Baking them intensifies the sweetness and flavor! Boiling them makes them a little watery.
Hi my mom used eggs,baking powder,and flour but I have not found a recipe with these ingredient and the exact measurements. She did not write anything down! The pies are excellent!
Hi,
My family and I love some sweet potato pies. I’ve never had a go to recipe though. Mine and my husbands family grew up in North Carolina and while my pies are good, they aren’t the memories of yesteryear good.
This year for Thanksgiving I will try this recipe. After reading it, a light went off and I thought, hmm, I don’t think I ever remember granny putting an egg in her batter, yet I always do. So I’m going to try your recipe, hopefully it will become the go to recipe for our family!
Many thanks!
I’m glad I found this site I live in England but don’t really cook/bake as much as I should but want to try some american recipes and with your pictures added it will help a lot, thank you 🙂
I see that you do not add an egg in this recipe. Do you know why not? My mom always adds an egg to her sweet potato pie. However, she is a southern cook,from Wadesboro NC, and does not have a recipe. I have tried to watch her and duplicate her pie but mine does not measure up. I will try yours recipe and play with the addition of the egg and without. Be Blessed! – Greg
Hi Greg, Thank you for the question. I went back to the family cookbook compiled several years ago and pulled this recipe from that. It was one my Aunt Bessie had submitted, and it didn’t call for eggs. So… no eggs. I don’t recall that Mama used them either, so maybe it’s just a “my family” type of thing. (Smile) The pie turned out great for me, so I see no reason to make any changes with it, but I might be tempted to toss in an egg next time I bake one just to see. Thank you for the suggestion.
I appreciate your comments and do hope you’ll give the recipe a try. I’d be interested to know what you think about it. Thank you for your visit, and be sure to stop by for another visit with us… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve did you try it yet with eggs…Eggs make the pies firmer n not fall apart when u cut it. I once forgot eggs when rushing and just wasn’t the same. I found this page looking for a recipe with condensed milk instead of evaporated because I dont have any and dont want to run to the store lol.
Hi Sabrina, Still haven’t tried this with eggs yet. Thank you for the info though, hopefully I can get around to it before very long. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you’ll visit often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
This recipe reminds me sooo much of my grandmother’s…..the only thing is, she used cake flour in her pies but never eggs. Why do some use flour?!?
Hi Nikkie, I’m happy we could bring back some memories of your Grandmother for you. I suspect most old Southern folks just used regular flour because it was what they had as opposed to keeping special cake flour on hand. Times were tough for many, and they did the best they could with what they had. I don’t recall my own mom ever using cake flour for anything. Thank you for the question, and do visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I loved this recipe and greatly enjoyed the step by step instructions and pictures. My father in law, from Tennessee, always said that a sweet tater pie should not be treated like a pumpkin pie. With his advice I made up a recipe of my own, trying not to puree the death out the sweet tater and also not to add too much milk. I always like the rustic look of the sweet tater pie when it has not been pureed and made as creamy as, say a pumpkin pie would be. I like to see that thicker texture. So, to find your recipe and see that is sticks true to what I’ve been looking for, was exciting. I made your recipe tonight and I was thrilled. It has that down home, simple look… with nothing fancy on the top. My family and I give it a thumbs up.
Steve,
Made this last night with mixed results!
Firstly I am pretty seasoned when it comes to making pizza/pasta dough but have learned pastry is a little trickier! Half my dough made was usable but the rest just crumbled when rolling out, it will be trial and error so will get back on the horse at the w/e!
Anyway the part I could used tasted really good so was chuffed with that, the pie filling itself was very sweet a little too sweet for me so will cut the sugar down to maybe half a cup.
All in all a very tasty dish and I hope other users of this great site give it a try, very pleased I came across this site and can now add southern cuisine to my skills in the kitchen!
Hi Roger, I’m thankful you found Taste of Southern and that you tried our Sweet Potato Pie recipe. You didn’t say if you used the Basic Pie Crust recipe here on Taste of Southern, or one of your own. Sounds like you just didn’t get the dough moist enough to hold together. I’m not a baker by any means, and still have problems with trying to make a pretty crust. I just keep working on it.
I do hope you’ll try it again. You can always use the excuse that you’re just trying out a new crust recipe and make more pies. Pies are good… right?
I had to look up the word “chuffed” to see what it meant. Haven’t heard that word before and wasn’t sure if it meant good or bad. Ha. Anyway, I’m glad you were able to enjoy the recipe and I do hope you’ll stop by for another visit with us… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve