Purple Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
It’s sweet potato pie, ya’ll! Here I go again… the girl from the Midwest trying to pretend that I’m born and raised southern. Remember the southern sweet potato casserole I made a few weeks ago?
Well, I just couldn’t put down the south this time, either.
I received some gorgeous Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes from my friends at Frieda’s produce, along with a box full of goodies like ginger, apples, and some dried fruit. I’ll be creating dishes with them later, but for now, let’s focus on a Thanksgiving pie that will make your guests stand up and pay attention! Yes, you might get some funny looks from Aunt Martha when you put the pie onto the table, but I’m telling you, the creamy texture of these potatoes is something that you just can’t miss, and WOW, what a presentation they make! Look at the gorgeous color!
You can learn all about this amazing vegetable on the Frieda’s website, but let me tell you right away that this is an ALL NATURAL vegetable. There’s nothing genetically modified about it. Just good old fashioned healthy sweet potatoes in a fun color. They even sell an organic variety, too.
Until I made this pie, I had never even tasted sweet potato pie. Honestly, I love sweet potatoes, but the thought of turning them into a custard didn’t really appeal to me. When I got the sweet potatoes, I figured I would make purple sweet potato chips with them, or use the Frieda’s website recipe database to find something similarly delicious to use the potatoes in. Then it happened. It = fate.
I received my email subscription to David’s blog, and guess what his recipe was… Yup, sweet potato pie!
Incidentally, have you been introduced to David and his blog, Spiced? Good gravy, that man can cook…and bake! Anyway, his post was for a classic southern sweet potato pie that looked so flippin’ delicious, I just had to bake one up. Like, immediately. As in an hour after I saw his post. You can’t say I’m not spontaneous, right?
Because David’s originally from the south, I figured that his recipe would be the most authentic and the perfect one to use. Let me tell ya, the recipe does not disappoint. The only difference between my pie and David’s is that his uses regular sweet potatoes and mine are purple. Actually, that’s not true. He made his own pie crust and I used a frozen one from the store, because I had it ready to go in my freezer.
Oh, and because I’m a bit lazy.
I recommend that you do as the smart man did and make your own crust. Use my easy pie crust recipe and you can knock it out in less than 5 minutes.
Purple Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes (I used purple)
- 2.5 ounces (5 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 7.5 ounces (1 cup unpacked ) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 6 ounces (3/4 liquid cup) evaporated milk
- ½ Tablespoon real vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
- whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
- Place sweet potatoes into a large pot of boiling water; cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Turn oven on at 350°F to preheat.
- Drain potatoes and cool slightly, then use a spoon to remove potato from the skins. Use potato masher to mash potatoes in a large bowl until smooth and creamy; set aside. (Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer to mash the potatoes, but be very careful, as mixing too long will cause them to become pasty and sticky.)
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; Add the eggs and mix until well combined. Add the mashed sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer mixture into unbaked pie shell. and place onto center rack of the preheated oven.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. (Tip: Check crust after about 40 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover crust with a thin strip of aluminum foil.)
- Remove pan from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve chilled or at room temperature, using whipped cream as garnish, if desired.
Nutrition
Becca! You are amazing. Thank you SO much for the recipe love!! You know I would have mailed you a pie if you had asked…but on second thought, it’s probably safer that you made one yourself. After all, my mail carrier isn’t the most reliable.
I must admit that I’ve never come across purple sweet potatoes before…what an awesomely unique veggie! I hope you enjoyed your first sweet potato pie! 🙂
Haha! Dave, I seem to recall that I did ask, but like you said, you obviously have the most unethical mail carrier on the planet, so I just couldn’t risk not eating the sweet potato pie goodness. Making one of my own just had to be done 😉
Kudos to you my dear Becca and David for this gorgeous recipe. We love sweet potato pie, and purple is too fun not to share!!
Thanks, Libby! It’s definitely a winner, winner, pie for dinner sort of recipe. I could have created one of my own, but David’s was pretty much spot on perfect. It just needed a tinge of purple 😉
I’ve never seen purple sweet potatoes before but I’m a sweet potato lover so I have to try them. That pie is gorgeous.
Karen, ask the produce manager at your grocery store to order in a batch of the purple sweet potatoes for you. They’re creamier than regular sweet potatoes, but otherwise, they taste exactly the same. The color is just so much fun!
Wow – what a gorgeous and fun version of sweet potato pie – I am so digging that color!
David sure can cook – I have his sweet potato pie on my Christmas list this year.
Thanks, Sweetness! Yeah, that David knows a thing or two about his sweet potato pie recipe. It was really delicious!
We eat with our eyes first…so isn’t it nice that this pie is so lovely! It’s a much more exotic color than its rusty-hued counterparts.
Indeedy, we do, Jess… Thank you so much for your sweet comment about my purple sweet potato pie 🙂
I really would lie to try to make this purple pie. Purple is my favorite color.
Can’t wait until Thanksgiving my nephew sent me this attachment and I opened it and I am loving it I cannot wait for Thanksgiving we’re going to have this on the table with amongst many other dishes we have thanks I let you know??
I hope you and your family enjoy the purple sweet potato pie recipe, Tyisha!
I made this pie this morning and it was a total success. I will definitely make it again.
I’m thrilled to hear that the purple sweet potato pie recipe was a success for you, Kimberly!
How much boiled/mashed sweet potaties would I need? 3 medium sweet potatoes would be, what? 2 cups? Looks delish!
Hi Marcy! Thanks for your comment. You’ll need about 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes to make the pie. I hope you enjoy it!