Grandma's sweet potato pie recipe is a classic fall dessert! (2024)

This sweet potato pie turned out absolutely perfect! It was full of flavor and had a great consistency. I’ll definitely be making this every Thanksgiving holiday!

— Sarah

When Thanksgiving rolls around, there’s a couple of classic desserts that must be on the menu! I always serve my pumpkin dessert squares,pumpkin cupcakes, andirresistible sweet potato pies. Believe it or not, I actually prefer it to a traditional pumpkin pie!

Put this and a pumpkin pie head-to-head in a taste test and this sweet potato pie comes out the winner every time! It’s lusciously creamy, perfectly sweet and full of warm, cozy spices. This treat is sure to impress and earn you rave reviews from family and friends!

Why we love this recipe

• So easy! This simple recipe uses 9 basic ingredients, plus spices and is very quick to whip up.
• The textures are so luxurious. You will adore the creamy filling paired with the soft, flaky bite of the crust.
• Perfect for Thanksgiving. With warm spices and sweet potato puree, it’s the epitome of Fall flavors. This one will be the crowd favorite!
• Make ahead. Prepare this in advance and free up precious oven and counter space on Thanksgiving! Make the pie up to one day before serving and store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Ingredients needed

This sweet potato pie recipe includes some secret ingredients that really make it special! Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Sweet potatoes. This recipe uses almost 2 cups mashed sweet potato (2 medium sweet potatoes). If you decided to use canned sweet potato, use that same amount and be sure to drain any liquid from the can.
• Butter. Use unsalted butter, so you control the salt
• Brown sugar. You can use light or dark, but we typically use dark because it has an extra rich flavor.
• Evaporated milk. Adds more of a creamy consistency than regular whole milk.
• Eggs. You’ll need 2 eggs to give the filling the perfect texture.
• Flour. A small amount of flour acts as a thickening agent in the filling.
• Vanilla. One teaspoon vanilla extract is a must for a boost of flavor!
• Lemon extract. Sounds a little strange for a fall-flavored pie, but a small amount actuallyenhances the flavors of the sweet potato.
• Spices. The perfect blend of warm spices give this pie that cozy, fall flavor. We use cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
• Salt. Really brings out the sweet potato flavor!

Foolproof oil pie crust recipe

For this pie recipe, use any favorite pie dough recipe or store-bought pie dough. We love an oil pie crust thatcomes from a VERY old Pillsbury cookbook. It’s the pie crust my grandma most often used and now my mom uses. It’s made withoil, instead of butter or shortening, yet it is the flakiest pie crust ever. My husband actually mentioned that he liked it better than most pie crusts because it is soft and flaky, not as hard as a normal pie crust. It is so tender that it almost just melts in your mouth when you eat it.

My favorite thing about using an all-oil pie crust is how super simple it is to make.It’s only 5 ingredients, you don’t need a food processor or pastry cutter, and there is no chilling required. You just mix the ingredients and pat the dough into the pie plate. In less than 5 minutes, it’s ready to be filled and baked.

How to make this recipe

Sweet potato pie is made very similarly to a pumpkin pie and is one of the easiest pie recipes! Here’s the simple method:

For full, printable recipe, see the recipe card.

1. Roast sweet potatoes. Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and bake them for about an hour at 400ºF. Once they’re cooked and cooled enough to handle, the peel comes off very easily.
2. Make the crust. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, you can prepare the very simple homemade crust recipe. You do NOT need to par-bake the crust before adding the filling.
3. Combine filling ingredients. Use anelectric mixer (hand or stand mixer) to beat together all filling ingredients until smooth. Pour and spread the sweet potato pie filling into the unbaked pie crust in a pie pan.
4. Bake. Place in the oven and bake for about one hour and until a knife comes out clean. Allow the pie to cool at least one to two hours on wire rack before serving.