Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet Potato Pie is a staple in the South. This is the land of sweet potatoes after all! Some say you shouldn’t mess with the classics, and I usually agree. But I have been tinkering with my sweet potato pie recipe for many years, and I think I finally achieved sweet potato perfection! This recipe for Southern Sweet Potato Pie features a smooth, creamy pie filling, a buttery and flaky pie crust, plus a rich cream cheese whipped cream that’s light on the sweetness. Top it off with some delicious and fun candied pecans for a delightful crunchy garnish, and you’ve got a one-way ticket to Pie Heaven!
Here in the South, sweet potatoes grow just about anywhere. Right around November, we harvest the potatoes and allow them to cure for about ten days in a cool place. This curing process is when all the magic happens! The starches in the potatoes develop into sugars, making them ultra sweet.
This recipe is absolutely a favorite for our family! I’ve worked to perfect it through the years. I wanted a pie that had the perfect amount of sweetness without overwhelming the flavor of the sweet potatoes. I’m using my signature pie crust recipe here, for a buttery and flaky crust that provides the perfect base for a delicious pie. And instead of meringue or ordinary whipped cream, I’ve made this luscious cream cheese whipped cream that adds richness but is light on the sweetness, allowing the flavor of the sweet potatoes to shine!
To top it off (literally), I’m adding candied pecans. When you’ve got all of these components together, plus my signature homemade pie crust, the result is the perfect pie! Oh, and here’s a little secret—it’s healthy too!
I use two types of Alaga Syrup (one of my sponsors) in this recipe, the Original Cane and the Alaga Light Syrup. I love using Alaga because it lends such a rich, classic flavor to the pie filling and the cream cheese whipped topping. Having Alaga as one of my sponsors helps me create these recipes from scratch using bona fide, local Southern ingredients, so thank you Alaga!!
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Pie Filling with Fresh Sweet Potatoes
- 3 cups sweet potatoes (1 1/2 pounds) cooled and mashed
- 1/4 cup butter slightly melted but not hot
- 1/2 cup Alaga Original Cane Syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground cloves
Stacy Lyn's Signature Homemade Pie Crust
- 3 cups all-purpouse flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) very cold
- 1/3 cup Crisco vegetable shortening very cold
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water plus more if dough is too thick
- 1/4 cup whipping cream for brushing on edges of the crust
Luscious Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- 8 ounce cream cheese (1 whole package) softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Light Alaga Syrup
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Candied Nuts
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Alaga Original Cane Syrup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar light or dark
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Sweet Potato Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large pot, boil whole sweet potatoes with the skins for about 45 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces through the potato. Remove potatoes to a colander and run cold water over the potatoes. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the sweet potatoes and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk butter, syrup, brown sugar, and eggs until well blended. Add the sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. I like to use a hand-mixer or electric mixer with the whisk attachment to make sure it is as puréed as possible for a smoother pie. Pour into prepared crust (recipe below).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow the pie to completely cool. Once the pie is cool, slice and plate. Serve with a dollop of luscious cream cheese whipped cream and sprinkle with candied nuts (recipe below).
Stacy Lyn's Signature Homemade Pie Crust
- In a large bowl, add flour and salt. Cut in butter and Crisco with a pastry blender until the flour mixture resembles small peas. Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time, continuing to blend with the pastry blender. Bring mixture together with your hands and shape into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- If you are using a processor, place flour and salt into food processor fittd with a steel blade and pulse to mix. Dice butter. Add diced butter and cold shortening to the processor. Add ice water to the mixture down the feed tub with machine still running. Pulse machine until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- When you are ready to make the pie, cut the dough in half. Roll one piece of the dough on a floured surface into a 14-inch circle. Fold the dough in half over a rolling pin and place crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Form the remaining dough into a disc and freeze for later use (lasts up to 3 months frozen).
- Brush the edges of the crust with whipped cream (recipe below).
Luscious Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
- In a large bowl (or heavy duty electric mixer with whisk attachment), mix all ingredients until soft peaks form. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.
Candied Nuts
- Place a piece of parchment paper near the stove. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add pecans, syrup, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- With a wooden spoon, stir continuously for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the nuts are completely coated. Once they are coated and the nuts have soaked up the liquid mixture, remove the nuts to the parchment paper and spread them apart to cool.
- Allow the nuts to completely cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
– Happy Thanksgiving from Stacy Lyn!
Here are more of my top holiday recipes.
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