Oh the glorious sweet potato pie! A southern staple that allows the wonderful sweet potato to reach its full potential. A sweet potato pie is like a slightly sweeter, much more moist and tender version of a pumpkin pie. The flavor is rich and comforting and the texture just melts in your mouth. Sprinkle some spiced candied pecans and a big dollop of brown sugar whipped cream and get ready to enter sweet potato pie heaven (its lovely this time of year).
Let’s get it started…
If you are interested in baking this sweet potato pie in a chocolate tart shell (which is highly recommended!), check out my chocolate tart shell recipe. It is simple and delicious and a great pairing with this sweet potato pie filling. This sweet potato pie will also be great in a standard tart shell or pie crust and if you use a store bough shell, this pie is incredibly simple…
Begin by gathering 8 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar and 2 cups of sweet potato puree.
Now comes the complicated part… put all of the ingredients into your food processor and pulse until smooth. Yep… thats it! As soon as your butter is at room temperature, you can literally whip this sweet potato pie filling up in minutes!
Be sure that all of the sweet potatoes are totally pureed smooth. There will be little flecks of butter throughout the filling that will melt into the filling during the baking process.
Now transfer the filling into your tart shell or pie crust…
Smooth the top of the filing out and place your sweet potato pie onto the center rack of a 350 degree oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
*Note: If the edges of your tart shell or pie crust are getting too dark, cover them with foil for the rest of the bake.
You will know that the pie is done when you shake it a little and the center no longer jiggles. Around the 35 minute mark, this pie seems to be cooked through, but it is not! Keep checking in and giving it a shake and once the center is set, transfer it to a cooling rack.
Allow your sweet potato pie to cool to room temperature and then cover it with foil and transfer it to your refrigerator.
The pie should chill for 2 hours before serving, but it can stay in the refrigerator for longer, if you want to make this further ahead of time.
Once you are ready to serve your sweet potato pie, I suggest sprinkling some spiced candied pecans over the top and then adding a big healthy dollop of brown sugar whipped cream.
This sweet potato pie is simply fantastic. The texture is amazing… tender, moist and smooth and when you add the crunchy pecans and the creamy whipped cream… trust me, it is something that you need in your life.
This sweet potato pie would be perfect for any holiday gathering, family get together, backyard barbecue or dinner party with friends… and everyone will love it.
Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- tart shell (check out my chocolate tart shell!)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups sweet potato, pureed
- whipped cream (optional garnish)
- candied pecans (optional garnish)
Instructions
- *If you would like to make your own chocolate tart shell, check out my recipe!
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Combine 8 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of all spice, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar and 2 cups of sweet potato puree in a food processor
- Pulse until all of the ingredients are combined and smooth
- Pour the filling into your tart shell and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until there is no more jiggle in the center of the pie
- Transfer the tart pan onto a cooling rack and allow the sweet potato pie to come to room temperature
- Cover the tart pan with foil and chill the sweet potato pie in the refrigerator for 2 hours
- Garnish with spiced candied pecans and some brown sugar whipped cream
- Serve chilled or at room temperature
