Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Pie + VIDEO

Thanksgiving Desserts

Ever since I tried sweet potato pie for the first time, I was hooked. I smiled and said “mmmm yam pie!” Ever since, I’ve been on a mission to find a great sweet potato pie recipe to add to my Thanksgiving desserts.

It’s called the cousin to pumpkin pie and is a delicacy in the southern states. I can understand why.

This is a great follow up dessert to from-scratch green bean casserole and moist slow cooker turkey breast with gravy. Are you drooling yet? 

It’s denser and richer than pumpkin pie and it’s simply delicious! I used yams in this recipe.

I’ll show you how easy it is to make. This pie isn’t labor intensive especially, if you use a store bought pie crust.

But, I do include a homemade pie crust just in case you have the time.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a commission. 

Serve this pie topped with whipped cream! I made homemade whipped cream with the rest of my heavy cream used in this recipe. You can find my recipe for homemade whipped cream below. 

Just add a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar and whip the cream with your mixer until fluffy. It’s so good and easy!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

You may use 1 and 1/2 tbls of pumpkin pie spice in the recipe instead of the dry seasonings listed in the recipe card. It’ll be faster and have almost the same taste. I have my own pumpkin pie spice substitute recipe. 

Can I use yams instead of sweet potatoes?

I made this recipe with yams instead of sweet potatoes. Why? The grocery store only had white sweet potatoes so I chose to use yams or I wouldn’t have the rich orange color. Yes, sweet potatoes and yams are different. I’ve had sweet potato pie made with yams before and it was awesome.

So, don’t fret if you can find orange sweet potatoes. Use yams instead. By the way, you can use canned yams too. Just drain them and mash them.

I used one large yam to make this pie. It weighed about a pound. I cut it into three pieces and boiled it, covered for about 45 minutes. The center must be very tender because you’ll mash it to make the pie filling.

Some sweet potato pie recipes are made with evaporated milk or condensed milk but, I liked the flavor of the heavy cream in this pie. It gives it a fresh, creamy taste.

This pie might be the one way you get your kids to eat vegetables. LOL!

See the homemade whipped cream recipe below.

Can you freeze sweet potato pie filling?

Yes! Pull it out to thaw in your refrigerator and then fill in a pie shell and bake as directed in this recipe. You may also freeze the whole pie after it’s been baked and cooled.

How long will a sweet potato pie last in the freezer?

It’ll last months but, for best quality freshness, store up to six months is an air tight container or freezer bags.

How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream

Make your own whipped cream to top this yummy pie.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions:

Using a mixer, mix the whipped cream and sugar together until fluffy- about a minute or two. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Serve this delicious pie with whipped cream! Make this delicious Sweet Potato Pie for your holiday dinner. It’s a yummy addition to your feast and a nice change up from same the old pumpkin pie.

See more of our Thanksgiving recipes!

You may also like:

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

Caramel Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Amish Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Recipe

I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on December 22, 2021.

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4.64 from 11 votes

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Pie

This recipe for sweet potato pie from scratch is made with dark brown sugar, heavy cream, pumpkin pie spices and a homemade pie crust. This pie is rich and flavorful. It's a wonderful holiday dessert, especially for Thanksgiving.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword sweet potato pie

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

time to chill pastry dough and yams 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Calories 549cal

Author Joanne Schweitzer

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whipped cream optional topping for serving pie

Homemade Pie Crust

• 1 cup flour
• 6 tbsp vegetable shortening
• 4-8 tsp ice cold water

Pie filling

• 1 lb yams or orange sweet potatoes
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed or light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs

Dry Seasonings for Pie Filling

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger

Instructions

Pie filling

• First, cut yams in 1/3 pieces with peel on and boil until yams are very soft when poked with a fork. It will take about 45 min to boil covered. Do not peel them until they cool completely. Meanwhile, make pie crust.
• Then, peel off the skin and discard. Mash yams with a fork.
  
• Next, preheat oven to 350F.
• Then, in a large mixing bowl, add all of the pie filling ingredients and dry seasonings and mix until well combined.
• If using a store-bought pie crust, read the instructions first to see if the pie shell needs to be pre-baked. If not, pour in the unbaked pie crust and bake for one hour.
  
• Last, let the pie cool completely before serving. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Homemade pie crust

• In a mixing bowl, add flour and shortening. Combine well with a pastry cutter or a fork.
• Add two teaspoons of ice cold water and combine. Continue to add the water until you can form a ball. Do not handle too much or the pie crust will become tough.
  
• Put plastic wrap around the dough and refrigerate for 30 min.
• After the pastry dough is chilled, roll out dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Ensure dough will cover pie plate and cut to fit. Put dough in pie plate and set aside until ready to fill.
  

Video

Notes

NOTE: Nutrition label is an estimate and may vary. 

Let pie cool completely before serving. Refrigerate pie after serving. This pie can be frozen up to six months for best quality but, will be safe beyond that. Store in air tight container or freezer bags.

How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 8 oz heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions: 

Using a mixer, mix the whipped cream and sugar together until fluffy- about a minute or two. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 549cal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 559mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 955IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg

This recipe was adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction Sweet Potato Pie.