Julie Clark
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Homemade Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
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This sweet potato pie recipe uses vanilla pudding for the best ever flavor and texture. Learn how to make the best homemade sweet potato pie recipe from scratch! It’s one of our best potato recipes!
Sweet potatoes were never something I craved…that is until I started baking with them. Sweet potato bread has always been a favorite of mine, but lately I’ve been craving sweet potato pie.
If you’re looking for something a little different than pumpkin pie for the Thanksgiving and holiday season, try this best Sweet Potato Pie recipe.
Is sweet potato pie a dessert or side dish?
Sweet potatoes are often thought of as “healthy”, but when you bake with them, I’m sorry to say that sweet potatoes are not that great for you. Sweet potato pie is a dessert because of the amount of sugar that goes into the recipe.
Sweet potatoes do have many health benefits though (they are a great source of Vitamins A, C and B6) so hey…if you want to eat it as a side dish, go for it!
Do you use yams or sweet potatoes for sweet potato pie?
Yams that are found in US grocery stores are a type of sweet potato. True yams are often not found around the US except in specialty markets. US yams are higher in sugar content and get very soft when they bake.
Sweet potatoes are starchier and are better for cooking and frying because they keep their shape. Yams are great to use for sweet potato pies and other baked goods. You can use either for this recipe.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
- The first thing you need to do when making a pie is prepare the crust. We love homemade crust and you can find all of our tips on making the best pie dough. If you’d like to take a shortcut, buy an unbaked refrigerated crust. We use a 9-inch pie crust.
- Fresh sweet potatoes vs. canned sweet potatoes. You can use either for this recipe. Fresh sweet potatoes (or yams) will obviously mean a pie that tastes just a little bit fresher. If you choose fresh sweet potatoes, peel the potatoes, cut them in chunks, then boil them in water until they are soft. Drain the potatoes and mash until they are creamy. For canned potatoes, be sure to drain all of the liquid off of the potatoes before you mash them.
- We like to use an electric mixer to blend the sweet potatoes and sugar together. This allows the potatoes to get completely mashed so your sweet potato pie is smooth.
- Vanilla pudding and sweetened condensed milk both add to the flavor of this pie. You can use sugar free pudding mix if you’d like!
- How long to bake sweet potato pie? This pie will take about 40-50 minutes to bake. A knife inserted in the center of the pie should come out clean and the pie should seem mostly firm in the center.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream. You can decorate the whole pie with swirls of whipped cream if you’d like.
Recipe Variations
- Love spices? Try adding a dash of freshly grated nutmeg, ginger or cloves. It will change the flavor slightly but tastes so so good!
- Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar if you’d like.
- Need a dairy free dessert? Try using plant butter and sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Can you freeze sweet potato pie?
Yes, you can freeze sweet potato pie. It’s important to allow the pie to defrost slowly in the refrigerator or it may get wet and have moisture on top of the pie.
Another option is to make the pie crust and freeze it, then make the pie filling closer to the day you want to serve it. That will say some of the mess.
How long does sweet potato pie last in the freezer?
Sweet potatoes can be frozen for about 6-8 months. (source)
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
The vanilla pudding in this sweet potato pie recipe makes for the best ever flavor and texture. Learn how to make the best homemade sweet potato pie recipe from scratch!
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup salted butter (very soft so it mixes in easily)
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding (dry mix..do not add milk!)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 unbaked pie crust
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a 9" pie plate with pie crust.
- In a large bowl, blend sweet potatoes and sugar with a hand mixer.
- Add one egg, then beat the mixture.
- Add the second egg and beat again.
- Add softened butter, pudding mix, condensed milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well.
- Pour into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 40-50 minutes.
- Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 352mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 5270IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Other Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Bread
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Puffs
Kitchen Tools Needed to Make Pie
- Pastry Cutter: I use this tool all the time. It cuts butter into flour perfectly for streusels, crusts and other pastries.
- Pastry Mat: This silicone mat keeps your cupboard clean and makes rolling out pastries so easy.
- Cute Pie Plate: Because if you’re taking the time to make pie, serve it up in style!
- Pie Crust Decorator Wheel: Makes beautiful edges to your pie!
- Pastry Guide: Makes perfectly round crust, every time.
Other Pie Recipes
Frozen Pumpkin Pie Key Lime PIe Fresh Strawberry Pie Fresh Peach Pie Oatmeal Pie Butternut Squash Pie Cranberry Apple Pie Mini Apple Pies Apple Butter Pie Blueberry PIe Chocolate Chip Pie Peanut Butter Pie Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Pie Coconut Cream Pie Pumpkin Eggnog Pie Custard Pie Pecan Pie Banana Cream Pie Traditional Apple Pie Homemade Pumpkin Pie Amish Pineapple Pie Sour Cherry Pie Frozen Pumpkin Pie Upside Down Apple Dumpling Pie Mixed Berry Pie Baked Raspberry Pie Quakertown PIe Maple Nut Pie
Well, I wanted to try a new recipe for Thanksgiving, but i found this to be too sweet. I couldnt taste the sweet potato anymore, just vanilla. For me it was sweet enough with the condensed milk and vanilla extract. The vanilla pudding mix on top of it was too much for me. But thank you for the recipe. I love trying new things. I will say that the texture of the pie was very nice. So thank you for that.
I’m in Paris and finding canned pumpkin is near impossible so I thought for my ‘French Thanksgiving’ I would try a sweet potato pie instead. I’m so glad I did, it is really delicious. I did not add the box of vanilla pudding (you can’t get it in Paris) so after mashing the sweet potatoes, I let them cook down another 10-15 minutes to evaporate the excess water. After it cooled I mixed the remaining ingredients and used a 10 inch tart pan (also a French thing). I had to use an additional cup of mash, leaving all other measurements… Read more »
Absolutely Fabulous Thanks for sharing Recipe is perfect
Maybe i made a mistake but this gave me a lot more liquid than my pie needed. I think i overfilled it and it’s taking much longer to not be so jiggly. 🙁 with the pudding mix, would you say the expectation should still be that a knife comes out clean?
I made this recipe and my husband and I love it. I used Bruce’s yams in the can but left everything else the same and it came it great. I will be cooking it again. Thank you for sharing!
Best sweet potato pie I’ve ever had. Wish my Daddy was still alive he loved him some sweet potato pie.
Very nice. Verrrry sweet. Next time i will cut back the sugar and maybe use unsweetened condensed milk.
My rose up about an inch so note sure why.
Really good though. Im a terrible cook though but it was great. In australia we dont eat sweet potato as a dessert. Ever.
But this was great.
I found the recipe made more than a 9″ pie shell could accomodate but the flavor was great
This pie is amazing!!! I’d only had sweet potato pie once before and it was store bought. I wasn’t crazy about it so I figured I’d try to make one myself. I followed the recipe and added just a punch of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. It was soooo good. I made two of them and ended up eating about half of one by myself… whoops!! Everybody raved about it… I plan on making it again tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe!
I NEED HELP PLEASE..I accidently premade the van. Pudding mix and I don’t have any possible way to get another box…would it be possible to use the premade pudding into the pie please I don’t know what to do
This recipe looks really yummy can i have measurements for 3 pies i want to make 3 instead of 1
Hey so I’m in Germany and I’m pretty sure what I can get as Vanilla Pudding mix here is largely different from what you have in the US. Could you explain what it is supposed to do in the Pie and if I could just substitute the right amount of cornstarch and aditional Vanilla Flavour? Or am I missing something essential here?
Thanks for the help Jessica
This sweet potato pie is the best one ever!!
This the best sweet potato pie that I have ever tasted and made! It was easy to prepare. I have never really been a fan of sweetened condensed milk but I decided to to take chance. I am so pleased with the outcome. I add more cinnamon than suggested and I added some nutmeg. This will be my go to recipe from now on!
Making this for Christmas. Can I set it up tonight (Christmas Eve) and bake it tomorrow?