This Black folks sweet potato pie recipe will give you all the vibes of those old school pies your grandmama and em used to make. It’s packed with tender sweet potatoes, warm spices and buttermilk that makes it silky smooth. Add that filling to a flaky crust and you won’t want another pie for the holidays.
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This Black folks sweet potato pie recipe is inspired by Patty Pinner’s cookbook, “Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories”.It has similar notes to my big mama’s sweet potato pie as well.
How to Make Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie
Prep the Potatoes
Step 1: Cook the sweet potatoes in a large pot until the potatoes are tender. This will take place 30 to 40 minutes. Then drain, cool, and peel the potatoes.
Step 2: Mash the potatoes in a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Make the Filling
Step 3: Add the melted butter, corn syrup, and sugar to the bowl.
Step 4: Beat on medium speed. Then make sure the mixture is smooth and discard the long, stringy fibers that collect around the electric beaters. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after adding it. Add the buttermilk, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat the mixture until the filling is smooth y’all.
Bake it Up
Step 5: Add the filling to the prepared pie crust.
Step 6: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pie from the oven and cool it completely on a wire rack.
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Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
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.
Notes
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.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- 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.
Recipe Help
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.
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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.