Black Folks’ Sweet Potato Pie

FAQs

Recipe Ingredients

• Sweet Potatoes – Two pounds of these from-the-ground tubers will be plenty to fill up your pie. Look for firm sweet potatoes with smooth skin and no blemishes or cracks. 
• Dairy – Butter and evaporated milk help make the sweet potato filling creamy and add richness to the overall flavor. 
• Eggs – This ingredient helps bind the pie filling together to give it the perfect texture.
• Vanilla Extract – Just a couple of teaspoons enhance this recipe’s other warm flavors. 
• Spices – Ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon create a warm spiciness your whole family will rave about.
• Sugar – Brown and white sugar come together to make this pie perfectly sweet.
• Pie Crust – A store-bought pie crust will save you time and tastes excellent, but you can certainly use a homemade pie crust if you prefer!

How to Make Sweet Potato Pie

1. Prepare the Sweet Potatoes – Wash and dry the sweet potatoes using a paper towel. Pierce them with a fork several times. Then, put them on the baking sheet. Bake them for 45 minutes or until very tender, then remove them from the oven and let them cool.
2. The Pie Crust – Next, grease a 9-inch pie pan using a baking spray, add the pie crust and set it aside.
3. Make Puree – When your sweet potatoes are cool to the touch, peel them and discard the skin. Place the sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl, and mash them using a handheld mixer.
4. Add Butter – Next, add the softened butter and continue mixing until thoroughly combined, about one minute. 
5. Add More Stuff – Then, add the eggs and mix to combine. After the eggs, add the white sugar, brown sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Continue mixing until everything is fully incorporated. 
6. Final Stretch – Finally, add the evaporated milk and vanilla, and continue mixing until everything looks smooth and creamy.
7. Assemble the Pie – Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 350℉/177℃ for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned or a skewer inserted in the middle of the pie comes out clean.
8. Cool – Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes.
9. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top.
10. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Don’t skip washing and drying your sweet potatoes before you bake them. Sweet potatoes often have some residual dirt that needs to be removed.
• Another way to tell that your sweet potato pie is cooked to perfection is to check for a slight jiggle right in the middle of the pie. If you see that the outer areas are firm, the center just wiggles a bit, and a knife or skewer comes out moist but clean, your pie is done!
• You can increase the amount of spices in this recipe if you like your pie with some extra fall flavors, but I like it with the noted amounts. With just the right amount of spice, the sweet potato flavor can still shine through beautifully.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

You can make sweet potato pie up to three days in advance. Just let it cool, then store it in a covered container in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. You can also freeze sweet potato pie in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Yay for make-ahead dishes. 

Always store sweet potato pie in the fridge in an airtight container. Since it contains dairy, it will spoil rather quickly if left out. 

More Delectable Sweet Potato Recipes

• Patti LaBelle’s Sweet Potato Pie
• Candied Yams
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Souffle