Sweet Potato Cobbler

In this classic Sweet Potato Cobbler, caramelized sweet potatoes bathing in brown sugar sit underneath a crisp, buttery pie crust.
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Y’all, Sweet Potato Cobbler recipe is that classic Southern dessert you didn’t even know you needed. Once you try it, trust, you will be hooked for reals. Tender, caramelized sweet potatoes bake up to syrupy perfection in the most addictive rich, buttery, brown sugar sauce. And let’s not forget the super flaky pie crust on top that sets the whole thing off! Get this baby in the oven and let’s get cozy y’all.

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Rectangle baking dish of sweet potato cobbler with a corner slice removed.

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Now y’all know I have plenty of sweet potato recipes on the website. I grew up eating them all the time boos. Whether it was a sweet potato casserole, candied sweet potatoes, or sweet potato biscuits, I could always count on these brightly colored spuds to make an appearance. Now this sweet potato cobbler recipe is in regular rotation.

Warm, buttery, crisp, and beyond cozy, it is such a simple, indulgent dessert that will blow your mind. If you get down on candied yams and love that vibe, it’s time to try it as a dessert and get your whole life.

The Lowdown of This Sweet Potato Cobbler

Closeup of Jocelyn in pink dress smiling

Cuisine Inspiration: Southern comfort remix!

Primary Cooking Method: Baking

Dietary Info: Can be made Vegan or Gluten-Free with some swaps

Key Flavor: Caramelized sweet potatoes topped with Buttery Crust Perfection

Skill Level: Intermediate (if you wanna get fancy with your pie dough decorations)

This ain’t your average cobbler boos. It has soft, syrupy sweet potatoes that perfectly contrast the flaky, buttery crust crunch. That is legit a match made in heaven y’all.

This old fashioned sweet potato cobbler is a major hit at any holiday gathering. It’s unexpected too you don’t serve the same ole same ole desserts every meal. Not to mention that nostalgic flavor and soul really shines through.

This recipe uses all the pantry ingredients you already have. Everything else is pretty standard stuff!

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Sweet Potato Cobbler Recipe

Sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, spices, vanilla and juices in clear and white bowls on white countertop
  • All-Purpose Flour: This is the foundation of our tender crust for this double layer sweet potato cobbler recipe y’all.
  • Granulated Sugar: It perfectly sweetens our flaky dough.
  • Salt: Just a little will balance and enhance the overall sweetness.
  • Unsalted Butter: When you want those legit flaky layers in a pie crust, that butter needs to be very cold. Butter also adds so much richness to our filling.
  • Egg: Just a little egg wash will make that crust bake up beautifully golden brown.
  • Sweet Potatoes: These will give you the best flavor and texture!
  • Light Brown Sugar: We go with this sugar instead of granulated to add some depth with that added molasses which turns into the perfect sweet-sticky caramel-like coating for the sweet potatoes.
  • Cornstarch: You gotta have a little to thicken up that syrup!
  • Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Those warm spices add cozy nuance to the mix.
  • Orange Juice + Zest: Citrus adds such bright flavor to this cobbler!
  • Vanilla: These aromatic vibes pop the flavors so much!

How To Make Sweet Potato Cobbler

Cubed butter in flour mixture in glass bowl on white countertop
1
Whisk flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl then add cold butter cubes. Use your pastry cutter to cut in butter until crumbs form.
Pie dough cut in two sections inside of a glass bowl
2
Slowly add cold water into the dry ingredients until a ball of dough forms. Knead then cut into 2 sections and round into balls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and pop in the fridge to rest.
Sugar in a large saucepan with other ingredients to make a cobbler syrup
3
After boiling sweet potatoes, add sugar, cornstarch, and spices to a saucepan over medium heat. Next stir in the orange juice, and zest and bring to a boil, stirring the entire time. Remove from the heat and add in vanilla extract and butter.
Cobbler syrup being poured over boiled tender sweet potatoes in a glass bowl
4
Pour over the tender boiled sweet potatoes. Use a spatula to gently mix everything.
Crust added to a baking casserole dish with a sweet potato filling on the side with a rolling pin on the side as well
5
Remove one dough ball from the fridge, add flour to a working surface and place one unwrapped ball of dough on it. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll dough and place on the bottom and up sides of a greased dish. See notes for how to blind-bake if you want a crisper texture here.
Sweet potato filling added on top of pie dough.
6
Pour the sweet potato filling on top of the pie dough and spread them out evenly with a spatula.
Lattice being started on top of a double crusted sweet potato cobbler recipe
7
Roll out remaining dough ball or get creative with how you want to top your cobbler. I like a nice lattice.
Completed lattice topping on a sweet potato cobbler recipe before baking
8
After decorating the top of the cobbler, brush the top of the dough with egg wash then sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon.
Baked sweet potato cobbler just out of the oven
9
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 F or until the crust is beautifully golden brown. Cool down and serve it up boos.

How to Serve Double Layer Sweet Potato Cobbler Recipe

Recipe Substitutions

  • Sweet Potatoes: Swap with the same amount of yams if you don’t have sweet potatoes around.
  • Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Replace all of the spices with one apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice blend for a more no-fuss approach.
  • Orange Juice and Zest: Swap another citrus of your choice in here. Both lemon and lime will work giving a tangy twist.
  • Brown Sugar: If you don’t have any around but you have granulated sugar and molasses, make homemade brown sugar instead.
Rectangle baking dish of sweet potato cobbler with a corner slice removed.

Recipe Variations and Additions

  • Vegan: Swap out the dairy and use vegan butter for a dairy-free version.
  • Gluten-Free: Replace the flour with your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour in the pie dough. Now, please note that the texture can change in your crust so do a little experimentation.
  • Go No-Fuss: If you wanna make this recipe even easier, replace the homemade pie dough with store-bought.
  • Booze it Up: Add a little bourbon to the filling mixture to give some smoky depth.

Expert Tips and Tricks

  • Keep That Butter Cold: In order to get the flakiest crust ever, keep it in the freezer until you are ready to make your pie dough.
  • Don’t Overcook the Sweet Potatoes: Make sure you dice them evenly so they boil evenly but don’t boil too long. You want them to be tender but not turn into mush.
  • Bake the Bottom Crust: If you like a much crisp crust on the bottom, do a quick blind bake so the bottom won’t be soggy. It’s totally a preference thing so do you!

How to Store and Reheat

Store completely cooled leftovers tightly covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. When you want to reheat, add to the oven for the best results.

Preheat the oven to 350 and transfer your what you wanna eat into a lightly greased baking dish (or leave it be if it was already stored in one). Heat for about 5 minutes per serving, or until warmed through.

If reheating frozen sweet potato cobbler, you donโ€™t have to worry about defrosting. Just transfer the cobbler straight from the freezer to a baking dish and heat it right on up.

How long will it last in the refrigerator?

It should be all good in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Can I freeze ?

Absolutely boos. Just transfer the completely cooled cobbler to an airtight container removing all air and freeze for about 3-4 months. Don’t forget to add a label with the date you froze to the packaging.

A slice of double crusted sweet potato cobbler recipe on a small stoneware plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I select the best sweet potatoes for this cobbler?

Make sure your sweet potatoes are firm and heavy for their size. And steer clear of any that have soft spots or blemishes y’all.

How do I know when my sweet potato cobbler is done baking?

Once that filling is super bubbly and that crust is absolutely golden, that baby is done!

Can I make this sweet potato cobbler recipe ahead?

For sure boos. You can make the filling ahead and store in the fridge as well as the crust. However, I don’t recommend assembling until you are ready to bake it up.

Other Cobbler Recipes to Try

Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes

A slice of double crusted sweet potato cobbler recipe on a small stoneware plate.

Sweet Potato Cobbler

In this classic Sweet Potato Cobbler, caramelized sweet potatoes bathing in brown sugar sit underneath a crisp, buttery pie crust.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter VERY COLD, cut in cubes 3 sticks
  • ยฝ-โ…” cup cold water
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
  • Ground cinnamon for garnish

For the Potatoes

  • 3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and diced into small cubes OR sliced (about 5 large sweet potatoes)
  • 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1- 1 1/4 cup fresh orange juice warmed until hot, if you want more syrup, go up to 1 1/4 cup of orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter

Instructions

For the Crust

  • In a medium sized bowl, add flour, sugar and salt and whisk together to combine.
  • Next add your butter cubes to flour and using your pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until various sized crumbs appear.
  • Slowly add the cold water into the flour until a ball of dough forms. Start with ยฝ cup and add more water if you need it. Knead the dough quickly to bring it together. Don’t worry if there is any flour left in the bowl.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl, cut into 2 sections and round into balls. Cover each ball tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 35-45 minutes to rest.

For the Sweet Potatoes

  • Add potatoes to a large pot with water and boil until just tender, not mushy though. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature. The sweet potato boiling was about 8 minutes starting in cold water bringing up to a boil.
  • Next add sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Next stir in the hot orange juice and orange zest and stir together then bring to a boil, stirring the entire time. Remove from the heat and add in vanilla extract and the butter.
  • Pour the mixture over the potatoes.

To Assemble

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch sized baking dish.
  • Remove dough from the fridge and add a bit of flour to a working surface or clean counter and place dough on it. Unwrap one ball of dough. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll dough out to about โ…“ inch thickness and place on the bottom and up sides of the greased dish. SEE NOTES BELOW IF YOU WANT TO BLIND BAKE THE BOTTOM CRUST.
  • Add the sweet potatoes on top of the crust.
  • Roll out the final dough ball and decorate the top of the sweet potato cobbler how you see fit with the dough.
  • Brush the top of the dough with egg wash then sprinkle lightly with ground cinnamon.
  • Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden brown. Cool down and serve.

Notes

To Blind Bake: If you want to have a crispy bottom crust, do a quick pre-bake.ย  Once you have rolled it out into your baking pan.ย  Stab holes in the bottom with a fork for ventilation.ย  The line the bottom of the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.ย  Bake for 10 minutes at 350ยฐF.

How to Store and Reheat

Store completely cooled leftovers tightly covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. When you want to reheat, add to the oven for the best results.
Preheat the oven to 350 and transfer your what you wanna eat into a lightly greased baking dish (or leave it be if it was already stored in one). Heat for about 5 minutes per serving, or until warmed through.
If reheating frozen sweet potato cobbler, you donโ€™t have to worry about defrosting. Just transfer the cobbler straight from the freezer to a baking dish and heat it right on up.

How long will it last in the refrigerator?

It should be all good in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Can I freeze ?

Absolutely boos.ย Just transfer the completely cooled cobbler to an airtight container removing all air and freeze for about 3-4 months. Don’t forget to add a label with the date you froze to the packaging.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 1025mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1104IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
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Filed Under:  Crisps, Cobblers, Dumplings and Tarts, Dessert and Baking, Fall Recipes, Holidays, Oven, Seasonal Recipes, Thanksgiving

Comments

  1. OH, my! I haven’t had sweet potato cobbler in YEARS! This looks delicious! I don’t care for orange and sweet potato. Is there something I could substitute for the orange juice?

  2. What about using store bought pie crust for some one who’s not too goo in the kitchen? Asking for a child of mine… Lol

  3. love all things sweet potatoes but haven’t ever seen a cobbler, great use of one of my favorite ingredients, so thank you

  4. This cobbler looks so good! It’s definitely a nice twist to the traditional sweet potato pie. Can’t wait to try this out!

5 from 5 votes

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