This sweet potato pie recipe has been a family favorite at Thanksgiving for over 30 years. Creamy, perfectly sweet, and just so darn good!

The Sweet Potato Pie of My Childhood

My grandma has been making this sweet potato pie recipe since I can remember. At Thanksgiving, she makes two extra pies—one that will be eaten beforehand because the children (and big children) just can’t resist, and one that will be enjoyed in the days that follow for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s the perfect kind of Grandma recipe—one that started in an old cookbook but has been tweaked so much over the years that it’s entirely her own. I love this pie and am so happy to share it with you.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

For the filling:

• Sweet potato: You will need orange sweet potatoes for this recipe. I recommend the Beauregard and Covington varieties, which are particularly rich and sweet in flavor.
• Vanilla: I like to use liquid vanilla. If you want your pie to have a strong vanilla taste, you may add a touch more than what is called for. You can also use vanilla grains instead of extract; the seeds from approximately 1/3 of a vanilla pod are equivalent to the 1 tsp of extract I typically use in this recipe.
• Eggs: You’ll need two whole eggs for the best structure and texture.
• Sugar: This recipe uses white sugar. You can also use cane sugar, if you’re looking for a less processed option. This pie has less sugar than your average sweet potato pie recipe, so I wouldn’t recommend reducing further.
• Butter: I use unsalted butter for this recipe.
• Salt: A dash of salt brings out the flavor of the sweet potatoes and balances the richness of the pie.
• Milk: I recommend using full fat milk for the creamiest result. For a dairy free alternative, you can try using a sugar free barista blend oat milk or cashew milk.

For the crust:

• You can use traditional American pie crust or an easy, flaky French-style crust (my personal preference), made with salted butter, flour, egg yolk, and cold water. Homemade crust really brings this recipe to the next level.

How to Make My Grandma’s Sweet Potato Pie (Plus Tips and Tricks)

Prepare the crust

If you’re using my homemade French-style crust, you need to prepare it a few hours in advance, or even the night before. It takes at least three hours (mostly chill time). You can prepare the filling during this time.

• Make the dough: I highly recommend weighing your ingredients and using very cold, salted butter.
  (I do not have a Robot tool and have never used one to make dough, but you could definitely use that here!)
  • Combine the flour and butter:
    Option 1 – in a food processor (my preferred method): Cut the butter into a few large cubes. Add to the food processor, along with the flour. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few small pea-sized bits of butter remaining.
    Option 2 – by hand: Cut the butter into cubes around the size of your thumb nail. Add to a large bowl, along with the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Working quickly keeps the butter from melting, which is key for a flaky crust.
  • Add the liquid ingredients and form a ball:
    Stir in the egg yolk, then gradually add the cold water using a fork or rubber spatula, just until the dough forms large clumps. Then use your hands to press it into a smooth ball. Avoid overworking it, or it will become tough.
    Tip: Rub a little bit of neutral oil on your hands to prevent the dough from sticking to you.
• Chill: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Chilling keeps the butter firm and the gluten relaxed, making the dough easier to handle, less likely to tear, and extra flaky.
• Roll out: Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes. This softens it slightly so it won’t crack when rolling. You may need to wait longer, if the dough is still hard. Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to about 2 mm thick—roughly the thickness of a nickel.
• Transfer to pan: Remove the top parchment sheet, flip the dough into a 10-inch (25 cm) pie or tart pan so it rests directly in the pan, then peel off the remaining parchment. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the edges with a rolling pin, and use any excess dough to reinforce rims or patch gaps.
  Tip: If your parchment paper is sticking to the dough when you try to remove it, place it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. This will make it easier to handle.
• Chill again: Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This second chill helps the crust hold its shape and prevents shrinking while baking.
• Par-bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C (conventional) or 325°F / 160°C (fan). Poke the crust all over with a fork, cover with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden. Par-baking ensures a fully cooked, crisp crust.
  Tip: If you don’t have pie weights, you can also use dried beans or place a smaller cake tin on top. You must use some form of weight to prevent the crust from bubbling up, shrinking, or sliding down the sides of the pan. It’s better to skip the prebake (your crust will be less crispy) than to prebake without weights.

Boil the sweet potatoes

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook fully submerged until they are fork-tender, usually about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Don’t remove them too early, or you’ll end up with a lumpy pie—and trust me, that’s frustrating! Add more water to the pot if too much evaporates.

While the potatoes cook, take out the milk, eggs, and butter so they come to room temperature.

Prepare the filling

Pull off the skin of the sweet potatoes with a fork, being careful not to burn yourself. Mash them with a fork or a potato masher until no lumps remain.

Stir in the sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined. Then, add the milk and stir until smooth.

Add the filling to the par-baked crust, leaving a thin amount of crust visible. You can either smooth out the top of the filling or leave some roughness, depending on your preferred texture and appearance.

Bake until golden

Bake in the middle of your oven for 30–45 minutes, or until the top is golden with a few dark spots. If the crust starts browning too quickly, cover the edges with aluminum foil. That said, I’ve found that my homemade crust holds up well and doesn’t burn.

Cool, rest, and serve

Let the pie cool completely. Then cover it with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge. For the best flavor, refrigerate for at least 24 hours—I know it’s hard to wait, but trust me, it’s worth it!

Serve at room temperature or warm; you can reheat the pie in the oven or the microwave.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @jessicahomekitchen on Instagram.