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This Sweet Potato Pie has a smooth, creamy filling made with fresh roasted sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and warm spices. You are going to love the crunchy pecan topping! It’s the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving dessert table.
The Best Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Pie
This sweet potato pie recipe actually started with an old cookbook recipe that I kept changing over the years until it was just right. The original didn’t have a pecan topping but I added it because it just makes it so much better (in my honest opinion) and it sets it apart from pumpkin pie. It’s one of my favorite make-ahead pies for Thanksgiving because it tastes best after it has some time to sit in the fridge. I make it a day or two ahead of time and save myself the headache on Thanksgiving Day. Win-win!
🩷 Erica
Key Ingredients
- Pie crust and pecan layer: Use a homemade or store-bought 9-inch pie crust. I recommend using our Perfect Pie Crust recipe. You’ll also need chopped pecans to scatter across the bottom of the crust before adding the filling.
- Sweet potatoes: Choose orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and roast them whole before mashing. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness without adding excess moisture. You can also use canned sweet potatoes. Just make sure they’re unsweetened and very well drained before mashing.
- Sweet potato filling: Softened butter, heavy whipping cream, eggs, light brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Use softened butter rather than melted butter, and lightly beat the eggs before adding them. The filling should be nice and smooth without large chunks of sweet potato.
- Pecan crumble topping: Finely chopped pecans, softened butter, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt. Work everything together until it forms coarse crumbs.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, prick them several times with a fork, and roast on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 45 to 60 minutes, or until completely tender. Cool slightly, remove the skins, and mash or puree until smooth. Measure out 2 cups.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Place the crust into a 9-inch pie plate, crimp the edges, and line with parchment paper and pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the weights, and bake another 5 to 7 minutes until the bottom looks dry and lightly golden.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Beat the sweet potatoes and softened butter together until smooth. Add the heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until combined, then add the lightly beaten eggs and mix just until incorporated.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Pour the sweet potato filling over the pecans and spread evenly. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes
- While the pie is baking, combine the softened butter, finely chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Work everything together with a fork or your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Carefully remove the partially baked pie from the oven and sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top.
- Return the pie to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center has just a slight jiggle. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover the edges loosely with foil. Let the pie cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate within 2 hours of removing it from the oven. Chill until fully set before slicing.
Make it Gluten Free
I’ve made this sweet potato pie using a pre-made gluten-free pecan pie crust, and it was delicious! I actually love how the nutty flavor of the crust goes with the sweet potato filling. Just follow the package directions for preparing the crust.
The filling is naturally gluten-free, but the pecan crumble topping contains all-purpose flour. To make the whole pie gluten-free, you can substitute a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour (like Namaste) in the crumble or leave the topping off altogether.
Recipe Tips
Chill your pie crust: If you’re making a homemade pie crust, refrigerate it in the pie plate for about 30 minutes before blind-baking. This helps prevent the crust from shrinking and keeps those pretty crimped edges in place.
Let the sweet potatoes cool: Make sure your mashed sweet potatoes aren’t piping hot when you add the eggs. You don’t want the eggs to start cooking before the pie even goes into the oven.
For clean slices: Use a sharp knife to cut the chilled pie, wiping the blade clean between slices. This keeps the filling from sticking to the knife and makes serving much easier.
Make Ahead and Storage
This sweet potato pie is perfect for making ahead! You can bake it a day or two before Thanksgiving, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Be sure to refrigerate it within 2 hours of baking. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve chilled or let it sit at room temperature briefly before serving.
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Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Crumble Topping
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 cups roasted and mashed sweet potatoes, about 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pecan Crumble Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- ⅔ cup pecans, finely chopped
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, then prick them several times with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until completely tender.
- Allow the sweet potatoes to cool enough to handle. Remove the skins and puree the flesh in a food processor or mash thoroughly until smooth. Measure out 2 cups and set aside.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Place the pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights, then return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes, until the bottom looks dry and the crust is lightly golden. Allow to cool slightly.
- Spread the ½ cup chopped pecans evenly over the bottom of the crust.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the roasted sweet potatoes and softened butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Add the beaten eggs and mix just until incorporated. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust, spreading evenly over the pecans.
- In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, chopped pecans, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Use a fork or your fingers to work the ingredients together until coarse crumbs form.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the pecan crumble evenly over the partially set filling.
- Return to the oven and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center has just a slight jiggle. If the crust or topping begins browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack briefly. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking and chill until fully set before slicing.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled, with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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