In this Sweet Potato Chess Pie Recipe, roasted sweet potato is mixed with a deliciously rich custard and poured into a homemade pie crust and baked to perfection.
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My big mama’s sweet potato pie is a highlight that truly represents our heritage. It is a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. It never fails to make an appearance on our holiday dessert table. It means a lot to the tradition of our holiday season. Her sweet potato pie is also quite famous. I remember seeing locals drop by her home to get a pie for their own holiday. Nothing is better than my big mama’s sweet potato chess pie, and the whole neighborhood of Winona seemed to agree.
Ingredients
Here are some of the key ingredients that will work:
- Eggs
- Butter
- Sugar
- Cornmeal
- Vinegar
Eggs are truly the stabilizer in this key. It creates the creamy custardy texture that makes this pie so delicious. Coupled with the richness of butter and sugar, you are already starting something super special!
Cornmeal and vinegar are the ingredients that really set chess pie apart. It adds grit and a uniqueness that is absolutely delicious. Finally I add roasted sweet potato along with some flavors like cinnamon and vanilla.
Tip: To roast my sweet potato, I pierce the skin then lightly oil the outsides and add to foil. I bake at a high heat of about 400 F for about an hour. When the sweet potato is completely tender, I mash it and set it aside. It should be very easy to mash at this point.
Tip: The key for these ingredients to work wonderfully is for them to be at ROOM TEMPERATURE. Trust me, I have tried to bake a chess pie with cold eggs or colder butter and the custard didn’t set.
How to Make Sweet Potato Chess Pie
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time and mix together until well incorporated.
- Next add cornmeal, flour, cinnamon, vinegar and vanilla and finally slowly add mashed sweet potatoes into batter and beat until completely smooth.
- If using my pie crust, roll one of the disks out into the pie plate then use a fork to poke holes along the sides and bottom of the pie crust. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, making sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. If you would like, you can brush some egg wash on the outside of the crust as well (just take 1 egg and whisk together with a teaspoon of water).
- Pour batter into prepared pie shell and bake for 45-50 minutes. If you find that your pie crust is browning quickly, add a pie shield or foil around the outside halfway through the bake.
- Cool for at least 4 hours and serve.
How to Serve
Sweet potato chess pie is fantastic on its own but here are a few ways you can serve it:
- Make some homemade whipped cream and serve along with it.
- You can also make a caramel sauce or even a ganache for something decadent to serve with.
- Ice cream! I love a classic vanilla ice cream or even something more fun like this sweet potato ice cream with toasted marshmallows.
- Finally you can add it to a sweet potato trifle.
How to Store
To store sweet potato chess pie, cool it to room temperature, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze the wrapped pie for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying.
Favorite Holiday Pie Recipes
- Buttermilk Pie
- Chess Pie
- Egg Pie
- Black Folks Sweet Potato Pie
- Sweet Potato Cobbler
- Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Chess Pie
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Land O’ Lakes unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups mashed sweet potatoes About 1 ½-2 medium sized sweet potatoes peeled, diced, boiled until tender and mashed
- 1 prepared pie crust in pie pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time and mix together until well incorporated.
- Next add cornmeal, flour, cinnamon, vinegar and vanilla and finally slowly add mashed sweet potatoes into batter and beat until completely smooth.
- If using my pie crust, roll one of the disks out into the pie plate then use a fork to poke holes along the sides and bottom of the pie crust. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, making sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. If you would like, you can brush some egg wash on the outside of the crust as well (just take 1 egg and whisk together with a teaspoon of water).
- Pour batter into prepared pie shell and bake for 45-50 minutes. If you find that your pie crust is browning quickly, add a pie shield or foil around the outside halfway through the bake.
- Cool for at least 4 hours and serve.
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I was skeptical about the addition of cornmeal and vinegar but this pie is delicious and easy to make. I will definitely be making it again.
Elevates sweet potato pie to something that makes folks slap themselves and others!
This is the best sweet potato Pie I have ever made.
If I’m making my own pie crust, do I need to prebake it?
Hi Elizabeth, no need!
Turned out great and I used your pie crust recipe! It was a hit at Thanksgiving. Thank you!
I made the sweet potato chess pie for my 92 year old great-uncle. I was skeptical but my fears were quickly put to rest. He declared it was better than my late aunt’s! Wow! The pie is truly amazing. This is now my go-to sweet potato pie!
Thank you so so much Anna!
Well..Well..Well…I declare.. this was the first time -ever – that I attempted to follow a recipe for a sweet potato pie, and I am truly glad I did. I was skeptical not using any milk/heavy/sweet/condensed cream products – highly skeptical. The cornmeal and flour AND vinegar just sent me over the top with curiosity. But, knowing Jocelyn would never risk her brand, I just knew it had to be special, so I followed the recipe to the letter, and oh-my-my-my-my I baked an awesome -AWESOME potato (chess) pie! The custard texture was something I was trying to achieve for YEARS! It wasn’t runny, clumpy, and because I actually “measured” the spices, the taste was on-spot tasty. Thank You Jocelyn for sharing this with us! NOW…. your lemon bundt cake is next on my agenda. (I opted not to test baking with mini’s…. I will make and bake according to YOUR instructions! Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season. NOTE: a technical problem is preventing me from selecting 5 stars.
I wonder about the corn meal but from your review I will try it
Indeed!
I made this today and it was very good!!!
Hooray I am so so glad you enjoyed it!