With Thanksgiving just six days away, I hope you’re all narrowing down your menus. Don’t worry, there’s still time. If you’ve forgotten to order a turkey, don’t fret–my family hasn’t eaten a traditional Thanksgiving meal in years and we’ve all turned out alright 😉

Traditional or not though, you should add this Silky Smooth Sweet Potato Pie to your menu. It’s so simple and so good that I was honestly a little sad to give the last two slices to my friends David and Francis on Wednesday night. I have had more than my fair share of pie while recipe testing the last few weeks, but I really loved this one, even though I didn’t know if I would.

I remember the first time I heard about Sweet Potato Pie–I recoiled in horror just like I did when my mother first offered me Zucchini Bread. I have always liked sweet potatoes, but as far as I was concerned they were not suitable for dessert. Never mind that every holiday sweet potato dish I’d had up to that point was made with eggs, butter, and more brown sugar than any side dish really should have 🙄 

Thank goodness I grew up. I’d hate to miss out on this smooth, spiced sweet potato masterpiece.

Sweet Potato Pie is super easy to make. Start by making some sweet potato purée. Scrub a couple of whole sweet potatoes and put them in a pot with some cold water.

Boil them until they’re nice and soft. Run them under cold water until you can handle them and then remove their skins and slice them into manageable pieces.

Push them through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits. This will take a few minutes.

Whisk the purée together with some melted butter and 3/4 cup light brown sugar. Oh, and some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. The spices really make the sweet potatoes sing.

Add in three eggs and some vanilla.

And throw some sour cream in for good measure.

Then push it all through the sieve again. This pie is called “silky smooth” for a reason.

Pour the filling into a prepared crust, brush the exposed pie dough with egg wash, and loosely wrap the entire pan in foil (or use a pie protector). This will keep the crust from burning while it bakes.

Bake the pie for thirty minutes with the foil, then for fifteen without. After that, turn off the oven and leave the pie in the oven for another 15 minutes. You might remember this method from last week’s Chocolate Buttermilk Pie.

Let the pie cool a bit. You don’t have to wait until it’s room temperature if you don’t want to–Sweet Potato Pie is good warm, room temp, or cold.

Slice it up. Try not to send a picture of your pie to everyone in your phone contacts.

(I failed pretty hard on that last part.)

You can serve this pie plain, but it’s Thanksgiving, so whipped cream is kind of a must.

Take a bite. Practically weep over how delicious and velvety smooth this pie is. Briefly wonder why you ever judged Sweet Potato Pie in the past…but only briefly. You don’t have time for that–you have pie to eat.

Looking for more pie? Try my Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Apple Pie, or Black Bottom Pear & Almond Pie!

Silky Smooth Sweet Potato Pie
makes one 9-inch pie

1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough, or other good pie crust
16 ounces raw sweet potatoes, whole and unpeeled 
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water

Scrub whole sweet potatoes. Place them in a 4-6 quart pot and cover with cold tap water. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook 45-50 minutes or until a paring knife slices them easily. Place hot sweet potatoes in a colander and run under cold tap water until you can handle them.

On a floured surface, roll out pie dough to a 12″ diameter. Fit into a 9″ pie plate and trim the overhang to 1/2-inch. Crimp the edges and chill the crust while you prepare the filling.

Place an oven rack in the lowest position and ensure that there is at least 6 inches of space above it. Preheat oven to 375F.

Transfer sweet potatoes on a cutting board. Peel off and discard skins. Cut potatoes into a few large pieces.

Place a sieve (or wire mesh colander) over a mixing bowl. Put the sweet potato pieces in the sieve and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to push them through and into the bowl. Set sieve aside.

Add melted butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt to the sweet potato purée and whisk together. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, followed by sour cream.

Place sieve back over a large mixing bowl. Pour in filling and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon push it through.

Remove prepared crust from the refrigerator and place on a sheet pan. Pour filling into crust. Whisk together egg wash ingredients and brush mixture onto exposed crust. Loosely wrap a 4-5 foot piece of aluminum foil around the pie, securing the ends by crumpling them together. Bake pie on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until puffed at the edges (it may look underdone in the center–this is normal). Turn off oven and open door slightly. Let pie remain in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove pie from oven and let cool completely on a rack. Pie may be served slightly warm, room temperature, or cold. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Leftover pie will keep at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to five.