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Easy Sweet Potato Pie
This easy sweet potato pie uses real sweet potatoes cooked in the microwave, so there's no long roast before you start the filling.
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This easy sweet potato pie recipe uses fresh sweet potatoes and still comes together in a little over an hour, start to finish.
Most sweet potato pie recipes ask you to roast the potatoes first, which adds anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours before you've even started on the filling. This always deters me from baking a sweet potato pie, so after making it the traditional way multiple times, I created a recipe that skips that step entirely.
The potatoes cook in the microwave in about eight to ten minutes, and they come out soft enough to scoop straight from the skin, then mash.
If you've only ever had pumpkin pie, this one will feel familiar but sweeter, with a lighter, more custardy texture and a gentler hand on the spices.
Easy Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make this sweet potato pie recipe:
- 2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 deep dish pie shell, 9-inch and uncooked
- 1 cup Cool Whip (optional garnish)
I'll admit I expected to pay for that shortcut somewhere. The first time I made it this way, I was braced for a filling that tasted flat or turned out watery. It didn't. The pie set up beautifully, and the sweet potato flavor came through just as clearly as it does with the long roast.
Ingredient Notes
Evaporated milk is what gives the filling its richness without thinning it out. It isn't the same as sweetened condensed milk, so make sure you grab the right can at the grocery store.
This pie uses two sugars instead of just one. The granulated sugar handles the sweetness, and the brown sugar brings a little moisture and a caramel depth behind it, so I wouldn't suggest replacing either one.
Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon together. The blend does the heavy lifting and the extra cinnamon rounds it out.
A deep dish shell is critical if you want to use all the filling. A standard pie crust won't quite hold the filling this recipe makes.
How Many Sweet Potatoes You'll Need
Two medium sweet potatoes give you about 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes. I do recommend measuring so the filling has the right consistency and texture. If you're worried about not having enough, cook an extra sweet potato to be sure.
Another way to go about making sure you have enough is to weigh your potatoes. A little over 1 pound of sweet potatoes should do the trick.
Any extra mash keeps well in the fridge for a few days.
Which Sweet Potatoes to Use
Standard orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are what I used to create this recipe. In most grocery stores they're labeled either sweet potatoes or yams, and they're the same thing.
Color is the part that surprises people. Depending on the variety you pick up and how much butter and sugar go in, a finished sweet potato pie can range anywhere from deep amber to a soft golden tan. Both are right. A paler filling isn't a sign that anything went wrong.
The Fastest Way to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Pie
The microwave gets sweet potatoes tender in about eight to ten minutes, which is the biggest time saver in this recipe.
Wash and dry two whole sweet potatoes, then poke each one several times with a fork. Set them on a microwave-safe plate and cook for five minutes. Flip and cook another three to five minutes, until a fork slides in easily. Once they're cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins and mash it well. The skins don't go into the pie.
Why You Shouldn't Boil Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes absorb water as they boil, and that moisture goes straight into your filling. It thins the sweet potato flavor, turns the texture grainy, and can leave the middle loose no matter how long you bake.
Roasting is the traditional fix and it works well, but it adds 45 minutes to two hours. The microwave gets you to the same place because it cooks the potatoes without adding water at all.
How to Make Easy Sweet Potato Pie
FIRST STEP: Cook and mash the sweet potatoes using the microwave method above, then set them aside.
SECOND STEP: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
THIRD STEP: In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the sweet potato, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Beat just until everything comes together.
FOURTH STEP: Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust. If your crust came in a foil tin, it's best to set the foil tin inside a glass pie plate first for a little extra stability.
FIFTH STEP: Set the pie on a baking sheet in case of spills and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the middle no longer jiggles.
SIXTH STEP: Let the pie cool completely before adding the topping.
How to Get a Smooth Sweet Potato Pie Filling
Sweet potatoes have fibrous strings running through them, and those strings are usually why a filling turns out less silky than expected.
A potato masher breaks the flesh down well and gives you the slightly rustic texture a lot of people associate with a classic sweet potato pie. If you'd rather have it completely smooth, a food processor will puree the strings away entirely. Either one works, so it comes down to the texture you're after.
Whichever you use, it's best to stop mixing as soon as the filling comes together. Extra air beaten into the batter can cause the surface to crack as the pie cools.
How to Tell When Sweet Potato Pie Is Done
The pie is ready when the center no longer jiggles, which usually happens between 50 and 55 minutes.
Give the pan a gentle nudge and watch the middle. A little movement across the whole surface is fine, since the filling keeps setting as it cools. What you don't want is a loose, wobbly spot in the center, which means it needs a few more minutes.
Two things that look like problems but aren't:
- The pie sinks slightly as it cools. That's normal for a custard filling, and it doesn't affect the texture.
- The edges of the crust brown before the filling sets. This is pretty typical, and if you're worried the crust might burn, just tent a few strips of foil over the edges (don't tuck it down tight).
How to Serve Sweet Potato Pie
Serve it chilled or at room temperature, with the topping added just before it goes to the table.
A slice is good on its own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside turns it into a proper dessert. If you're serving it after a big holiday meal, cutting slightly smaller slices tends to go over better than full ones.
On a Thanksgiving dessert table, it sits nicely next to pumpkin pie rather than replacing it, since the two are different enough that people happily take a little of each.
More Thanksgiving Desserts
Sweet Potato Pie vs Pumpkin Pie
Sweet potato pie is sweeter and lighter, with a custardy filling that tastes mostly like the sweet potatoes themselves.
Pumpkin pie is denser, less sweet, and leans much harder on cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to carry the flavor. Sweet potato pie uses a simpler spice palette because the filling already brings plenty of its own.
How to Store Sweet Potato Pie
Cover the cooled pie tightly with plastic wrap or store it in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep for three to four days.
Make It Ahead
This pie is a good one to bake a day or two before you need it. Let it cool completely, wrap it, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Hold off on the topping until just before it goes on the table.
Freezing
A baked pie freezes well for up to a month, wrapped in plastic and then foil. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Pie Recipes ⭐ Pecan Cheesecake Pie | Blueberry Pie | Chocolate Chip Pie
Easy Sweet Potato Pie
This easy sweet potato pie uses real sweet potatoes cooked in the microwave, so there's no long roast before you start the filling.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 deep dish pie shell (9-inch, uncooked)
- 1 cup Cool Whip (or whipped cream (optional garnish))
DIRECTIONS
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, then poke each one several times with a fork. Place them on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 5 minutes. Turn them over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Let them cool, then scoop the flesh from the skins and mash it well. Discard the skins.
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Using a hand mixer, beat the mashed sweet potato with the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Stop as soon as the mixture comes together.
- Pour the filling into the uncooked pie shell.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles.
- Cool the pie completely, then top with Cool Whip and serve.
Notes
- A food processor gives a completely smooth filling, while a potato masher leaves a slightly more rustic texture. Both work well.
- A foil pie tin is steadier if you set it inside a glass pie plate before filling it.
- Tent foil over the crust edges if they brown before the filling sets.
Nutrition
Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 4996IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
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