How to Bake Sweet Potato Pie

A smooth, lightly spiced custard made from roasted sweet potatoes, baked in a flaky single crust.

Makes

One 9-inch pie, 8 slices

Active time

About 40 minutes

Bake

55 to 65 minutes

Cool

At least 2 hours

Sweet potato pie is a baked custard pie: roasted sweet potatoes are mashed smooth, mixed with eggs, milk, butter and warm spices, and baked in a single crust. It is a close cousin of pumpkin pie, but the flavor is richer and more caramel-like, and the filling is a little denser. Sweet potatoes also have more fiber than canned pumpkin, so the key to a silky slice is roasting them until very soft and pressing the mash through a sieve.

Roasting instead of boiling keeps the potatoes from absorbing water, which concentrates the flavor and keeps the filling from turning loose.

Ingredients

For the single crust

• 1 1/4 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling

• 2 pounds (900 g) sweet potatoes, about 3 medium
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Roast the sweet potatoes. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork, set them on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast 50 to 60 minutes until very soft and leaking syrup. Let them cool until easy to handle.
2. Make and chill the dough. Mix the flour and salt, work in the butter until it is in pea-sized pieces, then stir in just enough ice water for the dough to hold together. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Shape the crust. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, ease it into a 9-inch pie plate, trim to 1 inch past the edge, fold under and crimp. Freeze the shell for 15 minutes.
4. Partly blind-bake. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the shell with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake 15 minutes. Remove the weights and paper and bake 5 minutes more, until the bottom looks dry. Leave the oven on.
5. Mash the filling base. Peel the cooled potatoes and measure out 2 cups (about 450 g) of flesh. Mash with the melted butter until smooth, then press the mixture through a fine sieve or potato ricer to remove any fibrous strings.
6. Mix the custard. Whisk in the brown sugar, flour, spices and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, then the evaporated milk and vanilla, whisking just until smooth. Avoid beating in extra air.
7. Fill the crust. Set the warm crust on a baking sheet. Pour in the filling and smooth the top. If the edge is already dark, cover it with a ring of foil or a crust shield.
8. Bake. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 55 to 65 minutes. The edges should be set and the center should jiggle slightly like gelatin. A thermometer in the center reads about 175°F (80°C).
9. Cool completely. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. The filling finishes setting as it cools, so slicing early gives a soft, messy piece.
10. Serve. Serve at room temperature or chilled, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Common problems

• Stringy filling: sweet potato fibers were left in the mash. Press it through a sieve or ricer before adding the other ingredients.
• Cracked top: the pie was overbaked or cooled too quickly. Pull it while the center still jiggles and let it cool at room temperature.
• Runny or weepy filling: the potatoes were boiled, or the pie was cut before it cooled fully. Roast them and wait the full 2 hours.
• Soggy bottom crust: the shell was not pre-baked. Bake it until the bottom looks dry, and fill it while it is still warm.

Sweet potato pie keeps at room temperature for up to 2 hours after baking, and then should be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days. Egg-and-milk custard pies should not sit out longer than that. For more on why a cold, lightly mixed dough bakes up flaky, see Why Cold Butter Makes a Flaky Pie Crust.