Southern Sweet Potato Pie

4.74 from 83 votes

My grandma's from-scratch Southern sweet potato pie is a soul food classic and the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert. Think candied yams in pie form: buttery homemade crust, roasted sweet potatoes, warm spices, and all the comfort of a kind of pie that’s been passed down on holiday tables for generations.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Cool Time2

Total Time4 10

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: African American

Servings: servings

Calories: 610kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Ingredients

Flaky Butter and Leaf Lard Pie Crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour + more for work surface
1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoon unsalted butter cold and cubed
½ cup leaf-lard or vegetable shortening chilled
½ cup ice water*

Sweet Potato Pie Filling

6 sweet potatoes medium size (about 3.5 cups mashed)
1 stick unsalted butter softened
1 cup light brown sugar packed
2 large eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup evaporated milk 6 ounces
Whipped cream for serving

Instructions

To Make Pie Crust

In a large bowl or food processor, whisk together kosher salt and all-purpose flour. Add the eight tablespoons of butter and the leaf-lard or shortening.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, ½ cup leaf-lard or vegetable shortening
With a pastry cutter or the food processor on 'pulse', cut the fats and flour together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Most of the fat should be the size of sweet peas or beans, and larger sized bits of fat are encouraged.
Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, pour one tablespoon of ice water at a time in and stir with a large rubber spatula or spoon. Stir after each addition of water. Stop adding water when the dough begins to clump together.
½ cup ice water*
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. It should be slightly, slightly tacky and come together easily. Form the dough into a ball, then divide it into two halves. Flatten each half into 1 inch thick discs. Wrap each dough disc tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour (but they can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days).

To Make Sweet Potato Pie Filling

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. (180 degrees C)
Bake the sweet potatoes for 1 hour in the oven on a baking sheet. When done, let cool slightly. Peel the skin off of the potatoes and rice them, with a potato ricer, into a large bowl. Set aside.
6 sweet potatoes
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until creamy and homogenous. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir in evaporated milk, then pour the mixture into the riced sweet potatoes in the large bowl. Whisk together or stir with rubber baking spatula until well incorporated and creamy.
1 stick unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¾ cup evaporated milk

To Assemble Pie

Remove one pie crust disk from the fridge, unwrap it, and place it on a work surface. Roll out the disk from the center outward, lifting crust slightly and rotating it 90 degrees after every few rolls. Lift and dust underside with flour every so often to prevent the pie crust from sticking. Roll dough out to be about 11 to 12 inches, and about ⅛" thick.
Repeat with the other pie crust, then use pie crust cutters to create leaf shapes.
With your rolling pin, roll the flattened pie crust off the work surface to loosely wrap around the pin and carefully it roll out into the pie dish. Trim the edges to ½ inch beyond the lip of your pie dish, then turn the edge under to create the rim. Press the rim against the pan to form an even edge. Use scraps to fill in any tears, thin spots, or holes in the pie crust.
Refrigerate the pie crust for 15 minutes to chill the fats again.
Pour the pie filling into your unbaked pie crust at 350 degrees F. Arrange the pie crust cut outs over the pie filling. Bake the sweet potato pie on the bottom rack of your oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the center of pie is still slightly jiggly and the edges are set. Cool for 2 hours, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Whipped cream

Notes

*If it's winter or your home is in a place that is particularly dry, you may need a couple more tablespoons of ice water for the pie crust.

Freezing, Storing, and Rewarming Instructions

Store your southern sweet potato pie by letting it cool to room temperature, then wrapping it up in plastic wrap and keeping in the fridge. It is a custard pie (dairy and eggs) and therefore needs to be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
This pie can be baked a few days ahead of Thanksgiving or any other holiday or special occasion and just warm it up in a low oven.
You also can freeze your baked pie by wrapping it in many layers of both plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and it'll stay good for 3 months.
To thaw: Leave the pie on the counter to defrost.
To warm up: Bake at 200 degrees F until warm, about 15 minutes.

Tips for the Best Sweet Potato Pie

Keep that pie crust cold! After rolling out the crust, chill it for a few minutes. Anytime it’s been handled or sat out, pop it back in the fridge; cold butter and lard are the secret to a flaky, crisp crust.

For clean, smooth pie slices, use a sharp knife and carefully wipe it down with a damp towel or paper towel dipped in hot water. Make sure to cut through the entire crust a couple of times before lifting with a cake lifter, otherwise you'll be missing some pieces.

Nutrition