Sweet potato pie is a southern dish that is a favorite in many African American households. It originated in the 16th century when the Europeans introduced pumpkin pie to West Africa. It then became a traditional African cuisine, although the culture adapted it using sweet potatoes and yams that were native to Africa.
The dessert finally came to America via the slaves.
Today, sweet potato pie is commonplace at many tables on Thanksgiving Day. Some even consider it the centerpiece as opposed to the turkey.
The dessert can be made in a variety of ways. The recipe featured here is somewhat basic, but we have also provided a link to other sweet potato pie recipes, including a Pecan Streusel Sweet Potato Pie, a Cream Cheese Sweet Potato Pie, a Gourmet Sweet Potato Pie, and more.
Although it is standard to flavor sweet potato pies with cinnamon and nutmeg, some chefs get more adventurous adding a bit of bourbon, orange juice or orange zest.
Another nice thing about sweet potato pie is that it is a fairly healthy dessert. It is lower in calories than most other desserts and features the health benefits of sweet potato, which is known for being rich in Vitamin A and beta carotene as well as Vitamin C. All of these work together to reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease.
You can also further lower the calorie content by using egg whites instead of whole eggs and sugar substitutes in lieu of sugar.
This recipe for sweet potato pie is comfort food at its best. Made with delicious sweet potatoes, butter, and spices, the heavenly aroma of old-fashioned home cooking will fill your house as this pie bakes.
It can be served plain or with a dollop of whipped cream and is a must have for a holiday meal or any time you want to serve good home cooking!
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (recipe here)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat until blended then add egg yolks and beat.
3. Stir in sweet potatoes, vanilla, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites. When foamy, slowly add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff. Fold into the sweet potato mixture.
5. Place in pie crust, bake about 40 minutes until firm. Serve with whipped cream.
*How to pick a good sweet potato: Sweet potatoes don't keep as well as white potatoes, so purchase within a week or two of needing them. Never refrigerate them raw. Look for firm, unblemished sweet potatoes with no soft spots or bruises.
Tips for Baking a Great Sweet Potato Pie
If you're going to be serving this sweet potato pie at a gathering or similar event, you'll want it to be as good as it can be. Check out these tips to help you make the perfect sweet potato pie:
Make a “practice pie” first. By making a sweet potato pie for yourself and your family first, you'll be able to try out our recipe and learn how to make it. You'll get any mistakes out of the way on a pie that you won't be using to impress anyone. This will give you more confidence once you get to making the pie that will actually be served to those outside of your household.
Keep track of temperature. A pie that doesn't cook hot enough or that cooks too hot won't turn out right. If you follow our instructions carefully, your pie should turn out just fine. However, it doesn't hurt to check the temperature of your pie before taking it out of the oven. You'll want it to be at an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, or 91 degrees Celsius.
Don't cut corners. It can be tempting to cut corners when you're low on time or you just want to get your pie finished. We don't recommend this! Cutting corners will turn into mistakes, and mistakes make for a bad pie. Take your time and follow each step in this recipe as it's written. Once you've made the pie a couple of times, then you can start making substitutions or omissions if you want.
Don't worry too much! Worrying is a normal part of making something for someone else. However, it's important that you don't worry too much. All you can do is your best; if your sweet potato pie doesn't turn out perfect, then learn from whatever mistakes you made and go on. There's no use beating yourself up over it or feeling especially embarrassed.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©msheldrake/Shutterstock.com.