Every Thanksgiving I want a slice of sweet potato pie AND pecan pie. That ain’t changing, boos, so I made… a sweet potato pecan pie mashup, and it’s so dang good! I fill my homemade pie crust with a sweet potato filling, bake it, then add pecan pie filling on top. This sweet potato pecan pie is legit the best of both worlds.
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Southern Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Ingredients
- Pie crust: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, unsalted butter, and cold water. Keep the butter and water VERY cold for a flaky crust. If using a deep pie dish, double just the crust ingredients. You can also brush the edge with egg wash for some extra color. I love a good ol homemade pie crust for this pie, but ain’t no shame in using store-bought.
- Sweet potatoes: Start with pretty sweet potatoes, y’all! The ones in the photo above show you what to look for. They gotta be firm, with smooth skins and no sprouts. I roast sweet potatoes instead of boiling so the flavor stays fully concentrated. Scrub, dry, and prick them with a fork, then bake at 375°F until completely tender, about an hour. Peel while warm and measure the mashed flesh before mixing.
- Filling wet ingredients: Salted butter, a whole egg, an egg yolk, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk. Bring the eggs and milk to room temp so they blend real smooth. And be careful when shopping boos! It’s easy to grab sweetened condensed milk by mistake, so check the label for evaporated milk.
- Filling dry ingredients: Granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, ground nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. The flour helps the filling set. I like nutmeg on its own here so you can still taste those delish sweet potatoes!
- Pecan topping: Chopped pecans, a beaten egg, granulated sugar, packed light brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Use fresh pecans that smell nutty, not bitter or stale. I like them chopped because they make the pie easier to slice than whole halves.
How to Make Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
These step-by-step photos show how to make a pecan and sweet potato pie, but check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Recipe
1. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt, then cut in the cold butter until you have a mix of small and larger crumbs.
2. Bring the pie dough together
Gradually add cold water just until the dough holds together, then shape it into a ball, cover tightly, and refrigerate.
3. Mix the sweet potatoes with butter and sugar
Whisk the warm mashed sweet potatoes, stopping to remove strings from the beaters, then mix in the butter and sugar until smooth.
4. Add the eggs to the sweet potato filling
Mix in the whole egg and egg yolk until incorporated, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Finish the sweet potato pie filling
Slowly mix in the vanilla and evaporated milk, then add the flour, nutmeg, and salt, and mix until combined.
6. Stir together the pecan topping
Combine the beaten egg, chopped pecans, both sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla in a bowl.
PRO TIP: I like my filling silky smooth, boos! Push it through a fine-mesh strainer to catch any lumps or strings the mixer missed.
7. Roll out the chilled pie dough
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, fit it into your pie plate without stretching, and shape the edge.
8. Prebake the pie crust
Freeze the shaped crust, then line it with parchment, fill with pie weights, and prebake before carefully lifting out the parchment and weights.
9. Bake the sweet potato layer
Pour the filling into the crust and bake on a baking sheet until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle.
10. Add the pecans and finish baking
Let the pie rest briefly, gently spoon on the topping, and bake again until set with a slight jiggle in the center, then cool and refrigerate overnight before serving with whipped cream or homemade vanilla ice cream.
PRO TIP: Loosely tent the pie with foil if the pecans are getting dark before the filling is done.
Full Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Recipe
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
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Ingredients
For the Pie Crust (Double if using a deep pie plate!)
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter cut in cubes
- 1/4-1/3 cup very cold water
For the Sweet Potato Filling
- 2 small to medium sized baked sweet potatoes you need about 1½ cups mashed sweet potato
- 6 tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 tbsp evaporated milk
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp nutmeg
- pinch salt
For the Pecan Pie Topping
- 1 large egg room temperature and beaten
- 1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Crust
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
- Next, add the cold butter cubes to the flour and, using your pastry cutter or hands, 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 a ¼ cup and add more water if needed. 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, round into a ball and place into a clean bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 45-55 minutes.
For the Sweet Potato Pie Filling
- Peel the baked sweet potatoes and measure 1 ½ cups of mashed flesh. While warm, place the potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or use a hand mixer and large bowl. Turn the mixer on medium low for about 20 seconds then stop and remove the whisk and rinse the fibrous strings from the whisk. Repeat this two or three times, each time rinsing the strings from the whisk. We want this pie to be unbelievably smooth!
- Add butter to warm potatoes and mix on medium until butter has absorbed, about 1 minute. Slowly add sugar on medium low and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- If you see more strings at this step, remove them. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until incorporated.
- While the mixer is on low, slowly add vanilla and evaporated milk. Scrape bottom of the bowl to ensure batter is mixed evenly.
- Finally, add the flour, nutmeg, and salt and mix into the batter. Pro tip: If you want to smooth out the filling even more, you can pour it through a strainer so it is super silky before baking.
For the Pecan Pie Topping
- In a large bowl, combine the beaten egg, pecans, both sugars, corn syrup and vanilla.
To Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove dough from the fridge and add a bit of flour to a working surface or clean counter and place dough on it. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll dough out to about 1/4-1/3 inch thickness and place in your pie plate. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the freezer, line with parchment paper and add pie weights so the weights are equally distributed around the pie. 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). Bake for 6-8 minutes or until a pale golden color.
- Remove the crust from the oven and carefully lift out the parchment and pie weights. Set aside.
- Slowly pour sweet potato filling into the crust and place the pie on a baking sheet on the bottom rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake another 15-25 minutes or until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle.
- Check the pie around that 15 minute mark. If the center of the pie is still very loose and fluid like, let it bake a little longer. If it’s all good, remove from the oven, let rest for 5-10 minutes then gently spoon the pecan topping over it.
- Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. If you notice the pie crust getting a little too brown, add foil over the top to prevent too much browning.
- Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Video
Notes
How to Store
- Fridge: This pie has eggs, so keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s a great Thanksgiving pie recipe to make the day before, since it needs to chill overnight anyway.
- Freezer: Wrap the chilled pie or individual slices in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: Warm slices in a 350°F oven for 5-15 minutes, loosely covered with foil. I prefer the oven because the microwave softens the crust.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Give the dough a quarter turn as you roll. If it starts sticking to the counter, lift it gently and dust a lil flour underneath.
- Don’t skimp on the pie weights. Fill the lined crust up the sides so the dough stays put while baking.
- Let the sweet potato layer set before topping. The surface needs enough structure to hold the pecans. If it still sloshes when you move the pan, it needs more baking.
- Keep your knife clean. Wipe between slices so the sticky topping doesn’t mess up the filling. I want y’all showing off those pretty layers!
Recipe Help
Yep boos! Use plain puree with no added sugar or spices. If it looks watery, cook it down in a saucepan first, then let it cool to warm before measuring and mixing.
The sweet potato layer probably needed more baking. It should have set edges and just a slight jiggle in the center. Let it rest before gently spooning the topping evenly over it. Don’t dump it all in one spot!
If it’s still warm, let it chill overnight before slicing. If it’s runny even when cold, it was likely underbaked or the sweet potatoes had too much moisture. Always try to roast the potatoes instead of boiling them, and check that the first layer is set before adding the pecans.
It likely baked too long boo. Pull it out when the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. It’ll finish firming up as it cools. A dollop of whipped cream can cover that crack, though!
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I finally found a good gluten free, rice free pie crust recipe, so this pie will be first on my list! Sweet potato pie and pecan pie, two of my most favorite things. Thank you!
Can store bought pie dough be used
Absolutely am going to try this for Thanksgiving.
Hi, Jocelyn! I want to make this, but we are just two people this year. If I make the filling and of course, the pie crust, what do think of making small pies in ramekins? Have you ever made it in something like that?
I love that combination of sweet potato and pecan! Can’t wait to try making this for Thanksgiving!
Yum, looks so delicious. My family loves buying pecan pie when we travel to the south so this recipe I must try.
This pie sounds absolutely PERFECT! Love the crust, the filling, and the pretty pecans on top!
Oh wow! This definitely is quite the epic pie! So many incredible flavors all on one. Such a perfect addition to the holiday table.
This pie is such a great combination of 2 flavors that my family loves. I had to try it. I will definitely be making it again.
Drooling one of the best pie combo. Fantastic. Pinned to try this soon