This Black folks sweet potato pie recipe will give you a run for your money honey. It’s packed with tender sweet potatoes, all those cozy fall flavors and baking spices plus buttermilk all nestled in a flaky, buttery crust. Trust me, this Black folks sweet potato pie from scratch a whole vibe!
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This Black folks sweet potato pie recipe is inspired by Patty Pinner’s cookbook, “Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories”. I first purchased a copy 10 years ago, and I was instantly connected to the stories and photographs because I saw fragments of myself intertwined in the pages, and we even met and spoke about our histories many years ago when I had the privilege of interviewing her. It has similar notes to my big mama’s sweet potato pie as well.
Making a soul food sweet potato pie is not as difficult as it might seem and I’m here to walk you through the entire recipe boo so don’t fret.
The Lowdown of This Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Soul Food
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Can be made gluten-free by changing crust option
Key Flavor: Sweet potato spice
Skill Level: Intermediate (if you use a homemade pie crust boos)
Bomb Flavor and Texture
The delish Black folks sweet potato pie filling combined with a perfect flaky pie crust makes this irresistible.
Simple Ingredients
We use easy-to-find ingredients you can quickly pick up at the grocery store to keep it super no fuss y’all.
Classic Flavor
Black folks know that having a soul food sweet potato pie on the table for a holiday is just as popular as having traditional Pumpkin Pie.
Ingredients to Make Soul Food Sweet Potato Pie
- Sweet Potatoes: We boil these babies up until the inside is tender enough for our delish filling.
- Butter: There is lots of butter in this African American sweet potato pie recipe so just know that it is definitely special occasion baking boos.
- Sweeteners: We use a combo of sugar and corn syrup that gets those potatoes sweet and adds a little unique depth too.
- Eggs: These help stabilize our pie filling.
- Buttermilk: This is as much of a soul food ingredient as any plus it adds a nice tangy flavor to the filling.
- Spices: The cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla really heighten the flavor of the sweet potatoes.
- Pie crust: The crust is essential when making a homemade pie and I recommend a homemade pie crust rather than store-bought. Patty’s pie crust recipe uses shortening instead of butter and it does result in a very flaky crust so it is definitely worth giving a try. You can also replace some of the shortening with butter or use a butter-flavored shortening if you want the additional flavor. I prefer a butter pie crust!
How to Make Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie
What to Serve with African American Sweet Potato Pie
- Holiday Dessert Table: Serve it up at the end of your holiday meal along with apple pie, almond pound cake, and other holiday dessert faves after you’ve indulged in fried turkey, mashed potatoes, and giblet gravy.
- Add a Scoop of Ice Cream: I love a scoop of vanilla ice cream along with the whipped cream if the slice is warm!
- Drizzle It With Sauce: This homemade caramel sauce makes a decadent addition.
- Thanksgiving Pies: Get your holiday pie on with Sheet Pan Pie with 3 Flavors in 1, Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, Buttermilk Pie, Pie Trifle, and Southern Peach Cobbler!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Room Temperature Ingredients. The ingredients for the soul food sweet potato pie recipe should all be at room temperature!
- Don’t Overcook the Potatoes. A fork should pierce the potatoes easily but they should not fall apart.)
- Don’t Skip the Garnish. A bit of whipped cream takes it to the next level!
- Give it Time to Cool. This pie sets up as it cools so make sure you give it plenty of time to cool down.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Swap the Spices: You can replace it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
- Skip the Pastry Crust: You can use a graham cracker crust instead.
- Add Nuts: These are best added during serving rather than mixed into the pie.
- No Buttermilk? You can make your own by adding 1 1/2 teaspoon vinegar to a half cup of regular milk.
How to Store Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Store your pie in the fridge after it’s fully cooled. I recommend placing it in an airtight pie container or wrapping it well.
How long will African American sweet potato pie last in the fridge?
It will last in the fridge for up to three days.
Can I freeze black folks sweet potato pie from scratch?
Yep boos for sure. Wrap it up well and store it in the freezer for up to three months. Allow the pie to thaw in the fridge overnight when you want to serve it up again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep you can boos! You can make it up to three days in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. It also works to freeze it for up to a month before you are ready to serve.
Both methods work! If you’re boiling, be sure to boil the potatoes with the skin on so they don’t become waterlogged and cause issues with your pie filling. Just fyi, baking slowly does seem to sweeten the flavor of the sweet potato flesh a bit more.
They are both bomb y’all but Black folks overall tend to prefer sweet potato pie as it is a part of African American culture and heritage.
Now you’ve got the ins and outs of how to make this Black folks sweet potato pie recipe that’ll have your taste buds dancing with delight! You create a silky-smooth and spiced filling that’s baked into a flaky crust. You will adore it boos.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Chess Pie
- Sweet Potato Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- Sweet Potato Ice Cream
- Sweet Potato Cobbler
- Double Crusted Sweet Potato Pie
Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup dark corn syrup
- 1 1/4- 1/2 cups granulated sugar can go up and down depending on how sweet you like your pie
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
- Wash the whole sweet potatoes and drain them.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, and cook until the potatoes are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. (A fork should pierce the potatoes easily but they should not fall apart.) When the potatoes are done, drain and cool them.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the pastry for a 9-inch single-crust pie.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and mash them in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
- Add the melted butter, corn syrup, and sugar. Beat on medium speed. Discard the long, stringy fibers that collect around the electric beaters as you beat the filling. In the end, you want a smooth, string-free filling.
- Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
- Pour in the buttermilk. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until the filling is smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream and serve it up.
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I added more spice- cinn, cloves, allspice, vanilla and orange zest oh and a cup of cuban rum(brown)
Sounds wonderful! What amounts did you add?
I am curious as to why you boil the sweet potatoes, instead of baking them . I would think it would concentrate the flavor more .
You can honestly do either however for Patty’s recipe and also my family recipe, we boil them.
How much butter to use for this recipe?
I love this recipe it’s so delicious I made it for thanksgiving and now I’m making a just because sweet potato pie thank you for sharing have a blessed day
Fantastic!!!
I made this for Christmas everybody said it was really really good.
It was very easy to make.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hello! I saw in your previous perfect pie crust recipe, that it did not call for egg but this recipe does. Is it just for this recipe or do you now include egg for all pie crusts? I’m trying the recipe tonight! Thanks so much!!!
Hi Katherine, this recipe is actually from Patty Pinner so she uses egg in her recipe however I do not. You can totally make whichever crust you want to based on your preference.
I’ve been looking for an authentic sweet potato pie to try for Thanksgiving and I think I found it. I tried it this year and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing!!!
I made this pie last night…I love the taste and the smoothness of the filling, the problem I had with the pie filling is once the pie was done…the filling never did get firm, even after I put the pie in the fridge….and suggestions…
What a beautiful pie! I think I could eat pie everyday of the year. I’ve just finished breakfast (and I’m already hungry again!) Thank you for sharing, my friend! I hope you are having a warm end to your week.
Thank you so much! Gosh I adore pie too! It really is one of the most comforting desserts there is! Thanks so much for stopping by!
gorgeous pie! It looks so rich and silky. And I love the color 🙂
Thanks so much! It was definitely rich and silky!
I love sweet potatoes and I immediately fell in love with this recipe. I’m going to try it soon, for sure!
Thanks so much! Let me know how it works out for you!
I absolutely love sweet potato pie!Your recipe varies from my Mama’s but I so have to try this one.Your recipes are always and I mean always on point.The first of your recipes I tryed was the Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake.I fell in love then and there.Keep up the great tasting recipes coming and I will keep on making and eating them while knowing each and everyone will satisfy my taste buds.