This Sweet Potato Pie features a buttery, flaky pie crust filled with a creamy, smooth sweet potato filling and topped with clouds of brown sugar whipped cream. Perfect Thanksgiving pie!
My Thanksgiving is never complete without this homemade sweet potato pie. It’s ultra creamy, silky-smooth, and perfectly balanced — not too sweet, just right. I make it with my favorite homemade pie crust, which bakes up buttery, flaky, and golden every time.
Jump to:
♡ What you’ll love about this recipe:
✔️ Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Roasting brings out a naturally sweet, nutty, and caramel-like flavor that makes this pie truly special.
✔️ Rich, Buttery Pie Crust – Made with a super flaky, homemade crust that perfectly complements the creamy filling.
✔️ No Pre-Baking Needed – The crust bakes beautifully alongside with the filling.
✔️ No Evaporated Milk – Simple, wholesome ingredients give the pie a pure, rich flavor.
✔️ Perfect Texture – The filling bakes up silky-smooth and sets just right, giving you clean, neat slices every time.
Key Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Pie crust - As for all pie recipes, I like to use my all butter pie crust recipe. The recipe yields enough dough for one 9-inch pie and is perfect for this brown sugar sweet potato pie recipe.
- Sweet potato - Opt for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes like Beauregard, Garnet, or Jewel, which feature a vibrant orange color and a naturally sweet, smooth texture. I would avoid white-fleshed varieties, known for their drier, starchier, and less lovely texture. If you can find purple yams, consider using them in this delicious ube pie!
- Eggs - Eggs set up the sweet potato filling, giving a rich and luxurious texture.
- Sugars - While most sweet potato pie recipes use only white sugar, I have found that adding brown sugar enhances the caramel notes in the cooked yams and deepens the color and flavor.
- Milk and Butter - This pie recipe calls for a mixture of melted butter and whole milk, which makes it lighter and more fluffy.
- Spices: I love the combination of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
How to make sweet potato pie?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below, and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more creative recipe ideas every Sunday!
Tips for Success
- Mash by Hand: Skip the food processor — just mash the roasted sweet potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. It won’t be completely silky, but that bit of texture adds to the pie’s homemade charm.
- Chill the Crust: Let the shaped pie crust rest in the fridge for a few hours before filling and baking. This helps prevent shrinkage and ensures a beautifully flaky crust.
- Cool Overnight: Allow the baked pie to chill in the refrigerator overnight. It slices cleanly the next day and is perfect for making ahead — especially for Thanksgiving!
Looking for more sweet potato recipes for Thanksgiving dinner? Try my sweet potato souffle, slow cooker mashed sweet potatoes or the sweet potato biscuits recipe! Give this pumpkin pie in graham cracker crust a try!
Frequently asked questions
To prevent cracks in your pie:
1. Avoid overbaking. Remove it when the filling is set and the crust is golden brown in color.
2. Be cautious of overmixing, as excessive mixing can introduce too much air into the filling. Mix the ingredients just until they're combined.
3. Ensure the filling is thoroughly mixed and has a smooth, custard-like consistency to promote even setting and minimize the risk of cracks.
Yes, canned sweet potatoes are a convenient and time-saving option. They are typically pre-cooked, so you won't need to cook them again before filling. Just drain and mash them well to achieve a smooth consistency. However, I prefer to use freshly roasted sweet potatoes for their sweet, deep caramel flavor and texture.
Sweet Potato Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust click link for recipe
Filling
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (900 gms)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Chill the pie crust. Prepare the homemade pie crust according to the recipe instructions or use store-bought crust. Roll it into about 13-inch diameter and transfer to a 9-inch pie dish.Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it’s smooth. For a beautiful edge, as shown in the photo, fold the overhanging dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a nice thick rim around the pie. Use your fingers to flute the edges. Place the pie dish in the fridge until you make the filling.
- Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Wash the sweet potatoes, prick them 4 to 5 times with a fork. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until they are tender when inserted with a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until warm.
- Mash the sweet potatoes. Peel the skin off the roasted sweet potatoes and place them in a food processor. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer to a bowl — you should have about 2 ½ cups of puree. (Alternatively, you can mash the sweet potatoes by hand with a potato masher until very smooth.)
- Make filling. Add all remaining filling ingredients and whisk until very smooth and creamy.
- Fill and bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the prepared filling into the chilled pie crust, spreading it out evenly and smoothing the top. Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the filling is set. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
- Serving. The pie can be served at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Watch how to make it
More Thanksgiving Pie Recipes
- This pecan pie without corn syrup is an easy homemade pie recipe! It’s not-too-sweet brown sugar filling is loaded with toasted pecans — no need to prebake the crust!
- These apple hand pies are the perfect handheld treat — portable, mess-free, and no need to slice a whole apple pie. They're filled with a delicious cinnamon apple filling and wrapped in a flaky homemade pie crust.
- This persimmon galette is an easy version of pie! Rolled pie crust is filled with sweetened Fuyu persimmons, baked until golden and crisp, and finished with a drizzle of honey syrup.
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I love using oat flour! These waffles look right up my alley #breakfastgoals
Maria Doss
Thank you Kelly:)
Jill
How long do you bake this for? 20 mins? An hour? The recipe just says until filling is set.
Maria Doss
Hi Jill, Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350°F. We sincerely apologize for the oversight in omitting that crucial information. The recipe has been updated and corrected - Maria
Josh
This was delicious. Used your pie crust recipe!