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Sweet Potato Pie

Photo Credit
Guy J. Sagi/ShutterStock
Written By: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors The Almanac Editors and Staff
Yield
8 servings
Category
Pies and Pastries
Vegetables
Course
Desserts
Occasions
Thanksgiving
Sources
Yankee Magazine

Sweet potatoes for dessert? Yes, please! This simple-to-make sweet potato pie recipe will perfectly complement any fall or winter dinner. In the south, where these favorite tubers are grown, the sweet potato pie is a classic and even pumpkin pie takes a back seat. 

For our recipe, you can use a refrigerated store-bought pie crust or make your own with our all-purpose pie crust recipe.

Here are a few tips from our southern pie makers:

  1. When you cook the sweet potatoes, consider baking them instead of boiling or microwaving them to bring out that deep carmelized flavor. This single step really elevates the flavor. 
  2. Prebake the 9-inch piecrust in its pan. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and bake until slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
  3. Don’t be tempted to skip the orange zest which balances out the sugar factor so your pie will have that perfect balance of sweetness.

Ingredients
1-2/3 cups milk
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato
3 eggs
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 9-inch piecrust
whipped cream, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

In a bowl, combine milk, sugar, sweet potato, eggs, orange zest, salt, and ginger. Pour into piecrust.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Filling should be slightly puffy. If crust gets too dark before the pie is done, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.

Allow pie to cool for at least an hour before serving. Top with whipped cream, if using.

About The Author
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Almanac Editors and Staff

Under the guiding hand of its first editor, Robert B. Thomas, the premiere issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac was published in 1792 during George Washington’s first term as president.Today, the Almanac...
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Comments

<span>L. Pross</span> Tue, 11/24/2015 - 14:14
You call this sweet potato pie - but it actually looks like yams in the pictures. Sweet potatoes are white. Am I correct?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 11/25/2015 - 12:54

Here is a great resource from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission showing the difference between sweet potatoes and yams: http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/sweet-potatoes-101/difference-between-yam-and-sweet-potato/

 <span>Charlie Pennick</span> Wed, 11/27/2013 - 06:51
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!
<span>Wayne Perry</span> Tue, 12/28/2010 - 01:55
The first flavor that came thru was the hint of orange. Definetly a tasty way to use sweet potatoes.
<span>Shawn Mccrory</span> Thu, 11/19/2009 - 10:55
This is a really wonderful less sweet alternative to pies. I actually only used 1 cup of sugar and a little more potato (Which I used 1/2 yam and 1/2 sweet pot)and it was PLENTY sweet and texture didn't seem to suffer!
<span>Erika Meyts</span> Mon, 04/16/2018 - 01:33
i 'll give it a try with the old 'batates' still waiting to be processed