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A woman at a potluck once told me my sweet potato pie was the best pumpkin pie she had ever eaten, and I thanked her, and I have not forgiven her. Where I grew up nobody made pumpkin pie at all, because why would you, when you had this. Sweet potato pie is the Southern pie half the country mistakes for pumpkin, and it is a different thing in every way that matters.
It is different in texture: a boiled sweet potato mashes dense and silky, closer to a custard than the wet, grainy puree of a pumpkin. It is different in sweetness: a sweet potato is sweet on its own, so the pie needs less sugar and almost no spice. Pumpkin pie needs a whole cabinet of spices to taste like something. Sweet potato pie needs to be left alone, with a little nutmeg and not much else. And it is different in how it starts, which is the rule people break.
The sweet potatoes are boiled whole, in their skins, until a knife slides in with no push. Not baked, because baking dries them out. Never from a can, because the can tastes like the can. Boiled whole, the flesh stays moist, the skins slip off in your hands while they are hot, and the flesh is mashed with butter until there is not a string left. From there it is one bowl, one crust, and an oven at 350°F until the middle just stops moving.
Why this sweet potato pie works
- Boiled whole in the skins. The skin keeps the water out and the sweetness in, so the flesh comes out moist and easy to mash smooth. Baked potatoes make a drier, heavier filling.
- Peeled and mashed hot, with butter. Hot sweet potatoes give up their skins and strings easily, and the butter melts in as you mash.
- Evaporated milk and only two eggs. Just enough to turn the mash into a custard that sets, without loosening it into a pumpkin-pie texture.
- Nutmeg and a little cinnamon, nothing more. The sweet potato carries the flavor. A light hand with the spice keeps it from tasting like the other pie.
Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch pie, 8 slices. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (900g), about 3 medium, whole and unpeeled, to give 2 cups mashed (about 450g)
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), cut in pieces
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, freshly grated if you have it
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Choose sweet potatoes with deep orange flesh, all about the same size so they finish boiling together. Use a deep 9-inch pie plate; the filling is generous.
How to make sweet potato pie
- Scrub the sweet potatoes but do not peel them. Put them whole into a big pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Lower to a steady simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until a thin knife slides into the thickest one with no push at all. Small potatoes take 40 minutes, big ones closer to 55.
- While they boil, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edge and prick the bottom with a fork. Bake it a little first, 10 minutes, until the surface looks dry and barely colored. Take it out and lower the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Drain the sweet potatoes. As soon as they are cool enough to hold, slip the skins off with your fingers; they come away in sheets. Put the hot flesh in a large bowl with the butter and mash until smooth, pulling out and discarding any strings that wrap around the masher. Keep going until there is not a string or a lump left. Measure 2 cups (about 450g) of mash.
- Beat in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Add the evaporated milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and beat until smooth, thick and pourable. For a perfectly silky pie, push the filling through a sieve.
- Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Set the pie on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set, the top is a shade darker and matte, and the center barely moves when you nudge the plate. A knife pushed in an inch from the edge comes out clean.
- Cool the pie completely on a rack, at least 2 hours. It sets as it cools. Serve at room temperature or cold, plain or with whipped cream.
Tips that make the difference
- Test the potatoes with a knife, not a fork. A fork goes into a potato that is still firm in the middle, and a firm middle means strings.
- Peel and mash them hot. Cold boiled sweet potatoes hold onto their skins and mash grainy.
- Measure the mash. Two cups is right for a 9-inch crust; more and the pie will not set in the time.
- If the crust edge darkens before the filling is done, lay a ring of foil over it for the last 15 minutes.
Variations
- Brown sugar. Use 1/2 cup granulated (100g) and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (100g) for a deeper caramel note.
- Lemon. Beat in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice with the vanilla, the way many old family recipes did.
- Meringue top. Beat 3 egg whites with 6 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks, spread over the cooled pie and brown at 350°F for 12 minutes.
- Two pies. Boil 4 pounds of sweet potatoes (1.8kg) and double everything; the filling divides between two crusts and bakes in the same time.
Storage and make-ahead
The pie keeps, loosely covered, at room temperature for a day, and it is better on the second day when the filling has fully set and the nutmeg has settled in.
After the first day, refrigerate it, covered, for up to 4 more days. Serve slices at room temperature or cold, which many families prefer.
The mashed sweet potatoes can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen in 2 cup portions for 3 months. The baked pie also freezes for 2 months, wrapped tightly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie?
Three things. Texture: sweet potato mashes dense and silky, so the pie is smoother and lighter than one made from wet, grainy pumpkin puree. Sweetness: the sweet potato is sweet by itself, so the pie uses less sugar and much less spice. And the method: the potatoes are boiled whole and mashed fresh, never spooned from a can.
Why boil the sweet potatoes instead of baking them?
Boiling whole in the skins keeps the flesh moist, so the filling is smooth and the pie is light. Baking dries the potato and makes a heavier pie. The skins also slip off boiled potatoes in seconds.
Can I use canned sweet potatoes?
You can make a pie, but not this one. Canned sweet potatoes are packed in syrup, taste faintly of the can and mash wet, so the pie comes out sweeter and looser.
How do I know when the pie is done?
The edges will be set, the top matte rather than shiny, and the center will barely tremble when you nudge the plate. It finishes setting as it cools, so do not bake it until the center is firm or it will crack.
Boil them whole in the skins, peel them hot, mash out every string, and keep the spice to a little nutmeg. Then let somebody call it pumpkin pie and see how you feel.
Southern Sweet Potato Pie (Boiled Whole in the Skins, Not Pumpkin Pie)
Old-fashioned Southern sweet potato pie: sweet potatoes boiled whole in their skins for about 45 minutes, peeled hot and mashed with butter, then beaten with sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and nutmeg and baked in a 9-inch crust at 350°F. Why it is not pumpkin pie, in cups and grams.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), cut in pieces
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, freshly grated if you have it
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Scrub the sweet potatoes but do not peel them. Put them whole into a big pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Lower to a steady simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until a thin knife slides into the thickest one with no push at all. Small potatoes take 40 minutes, big ones closer to 55.
- While they boil, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edge and prick the bottom with a fork. Bake it a little first, 10 minutes, until the surface looks dry and barely colored. Take it out and lower the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Drain the sweet potatoes. As soon as they are cool enough to hold, slip the skins off with your fingers; they come away in sheets. Put the hot flesh in a large bowl with the butter and mash until smooth, pulling out and discarding any strings that wrap around the masher. Keep going until there is not a string or a lump left. Measure 2 cups (about 450g) of mash.
- Beat in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Add the evaporated milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and beat until smooth, thick and pourable. For a perfectly silky pie, push the filling through a sieve.
- Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Set the pie on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set, the top is a shade darker and matte, and the center barely moves when you nudge the plate. A knife pushed in an inch from the edge comes out clean.
- Cool the pie completely on a rack, at least 2 hours. It sets as it cools. Serve at room temperature or cold, plain or with whipped cream.
