Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

4.47 from 15 votes

My Southern sweet potato pecan pie has a smooth, nutmeg spiced filling and a gooey pecan topping baked in a buttery homemade crust. Two holiday faves in one slice boos!

Prep Time1

Cook Time45

Chill Time2

Total Time3 45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Cajun/Creole, south, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 543kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

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

Total time doesn't include the overnight chill in the fridge.

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