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In some areas of the country, especially the South, sweet potatoes make regular appearances at the end of the meal, but to many of us, it’s a surprise to encounter them in dessert form. But they are called sweet potatoes for a reason. They offer a nice nutritional boost in this comforting, pretty, and very simple pie, made even easier by using refrigerated crusts — one of the best inventions ever in my book (or blog).
Sweet potato pie is a perfect dessert to finish off the meal at Thanksgiving. A big dollop of whipped cream would not feel amiss. It is so delicious and warming that you might not be able to resist baking it a few more times throughout the season. Don’t hesitate to make a sweet potato pie in October to finish off a nice cozy meal like Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage or Shepherd’s Pie.
Table of Contents
This Sweet Potato Pie is so comforting and sweet—a fun twist on the more traditional pumpkin pie. Homemade whipped cream makes the pie!
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Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes – Make the perfect base for a smooth, sweet, and earthy pie.
- Refrigerated pie crust – I am very lazy in the pie crust-making department, but I sure do like making pies.
- Eggs – Help to thicken the filling and make it set when it’s in the oven.
- Orange zest – The zest provides so much orange flavor without watering down the filling like orange juice would.
- Sugar – Only ⅔ cup of sugar is needed in this recipe because the sweet potatoes are naturally sweet.
- Cinnamon – Adds a warm, autumnal spiciness to this pie.
- Ground ginger – A small amount of ground ginger goes a long way, as its flavor is very strong.
- Heavy cream – Makes the filling rich and creamy.
- Whipped cream – Homemade whipped cream is very simple to make, and few things delight more than a hefty billow of sweet whipped cream on a pie.
Tips and Variations
- If you want this to be a gluten-free sweet potato pie, all you have to do is use a gluten-free pie crust. The filling is naturally gluten-free.
- Here’s something else (though I can’t officially recommend doing this if you’re not sure that your pie crust is sturdy or you’re not a bit of a risk-taker): I actually baked the pie in a pre-made crust, and then using scissors cut the tin pie pan off the pie and transferred it into a pie pan. I really didn’t even do this to pretend I had made my own crust — if you look at the edges, it’s pretty clear that this is a purchased pie crust. But I do kind of hate serving pies in tin foil pans, much less photographing them in the crappy foil. So, once we had it shot from the birds-eye view, I threw a bit of caution to the wind and moved it. Thankfully it worked. But caveat emptor for sure.
- Feel free to use a homemade crust for this if you are a little ambitious or have extra time on your hands. Make sure to chill the crust before adding the filling and baking for the best results.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
- Bake the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork, and bake the sweet potatoes right on the rack for 1½ hours, until very soft. Leave the oven on.
- Prepare the potatoes: Cool the potatoes until they are just slightly warm, then peel the skins off and puree.
- Prepare the crust: Unroll the prepared pie crust and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges of the crust.
- Make the filling: Whisk together the eggs and orange zest. Whisk in the pureed sweet potatoes, and then add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Slowly whisk in the cream until well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake the pie: Bake the pie for about 1 hour, until the filling is set. Cool the pie completely on a wire rack. The pie will be a bit puffed up when it comes out of the oven, then sink slightly as it cools.
- Serve: You can serve when cool, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve sliced, with whipped cream, if desired.
More Fall Dessert Recipes
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies
Best Apple Streusel Pie
Easy Apple Crisp with Streusel Topping
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Sweet Potato Pie with Whipped Cream
Do you like pumpkin pie? Then you’ll like this.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 1 refrigerated pie crust for a 9-inch pie
- 3 large eggs
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Whipped Cream (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prick the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork, and bake the sweet potatoes right on the rack for 1 ½ hours, until very soft. Leave the oven on. Remove and cool the potatoes until they are just slightly warm, then peel the skins off and puree in a food processor or blender, or pass them through a ricer and place in a large bowl. You should have about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups puree.
- Unroll the prepared pie crust and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Attractively crimp the edges of the crust. (Or if you've purchased a pre-made pie crust already in the pan, skip this step).
- For the filling, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and orange zest. Whisk in the pureed sweet potatoes, and then add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Slowly whisk in the cream until well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake the pie for about 1 hour, until the filling is set. You can test this by inserting a sharp knife near the center; when it comes out clean, the pie is done. Cool the pie completely on a wire rack. The pie will be a bit puffed up when it comes out of the oven, then sink slightly as it cools. You can serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Serve sliced, with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
If you want this to be a gluten-free sweet potato pie, all you have to do is use a gluten-free pie crust. The filling is naturally gluten-free.
Nutrition
Calories: 361.71kcal, Carbohydrates: 45.25g, Protein: 5.34g, Fat: 18.16g, Saturated Fat: 9.12g, Cholesterol: 102.14mg, Sodium: 313.98mg, Potassium: 352.31mg, Fiber: 3.15g, Sugar: 20.29g, Vitamin A: 12592.27IU, Vitamin C: 2.22mg, Calcium: 58.13mg, Iron: 1.39mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Would brown sugar work instead of the white sugar? Whenever I think of sweet potatoes, I think brown sugar and cinnamon. Also, this sound like if you omit the pie crust altogether, the filling could (almost) be a souffle. I’m not a fan of store bought, pre-made pie crusts. Thanks for the recipe and looking forward to trying it!
I have not tried it with brown sugar, which I think might make for a denser filling – if you do try it, please let me know! And YES you could make it without the crust and if would be like a custard-ey souffle.
Is there a substitution like evap milk I can use due to the high price of the heavy cream?
I have never used evaporated milk in this, but if you try it please let me know how it turns out!
Really good, I think it is right on track with the orange zest and it is really good!
Yeah, a sweet potato pie without a stick of butter! Never sure why most recipes have that–you never add butter to pumpkin pie. Thanks!
that’s so interesting – it never occurred to me!
This recipe is the best. I made it according to the recipe and measured 1-1/2 cups of pureed sweet potato. My husband loved it!
so happy to hear!
I searched for the printer icon, was unable to find. Is printing the recipes from your website allowed.
yes, it seems to have fallen off! so sorry…..you can cut and past into a word doc and print while we get this fixed.