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When it comes to soul food Thanksgiving desserts, you can bet that the menu starts with a classic Southern black folks’ sweet potato pie recipe. But have you heard about the contemporary upgrade of this classic Southern treat? We call it purple sweet potato pie, and although it uses purple Stokes sweet potatoes instead of regular sweet potatoes, it’s still made the Southern soul food way!

Black Folks Purple Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

What is a purple sweet potato pie?

A Black folks’ purple sweet potato pie uses the same ingredients and instructions as a traditional soul food sweet potato pie recipe. Although purple, this sweet potato pie recipe is still a delightful Thanksgiving dessert, Christmas dessert, and New Year’s treat. It’s packed with flavorful seasonings and spices in the tradition of Black folks’ soul food cooking.

What is a Black folks' purple sweet potato pie?

The only difference is that a purple sweet potato pie uses purple Stokes sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. So, it’s a stark contrast from the traditional Thanksgiving brown and orange hues.

But this ain’t no humble pie! This pie is bright purple, and its texture is slightly thicker, yet it still tastes like a traditional soul food sweet potato pie recipe. So if you want your dessert this year to stand out from the crowd, then make this recipe!

Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes For Black Folks Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Where to get purple sweet potatoes

Do you have a Whole Foods or a local farmer’s market with unique, fresh produce nearby?

I always buy purple sweet potatoes for my sweet potato pie recipe from Whole Foods. You can also try purchasing them from your local farmer’s market.

Ingredients

Purple sweet potatoes are one of the most beautiful vegetables on the planet. They are truly purple, with purple skin and flesh, and they do not lose their color when mixed with milk, eggs, butter, soul food seasonings, and spices for sweet potato pie. They maintain their stunning purple appearance even when cooked, resulting in a beautiful purple pie filling!

Measurements for the recipe can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Stokes purple sweet potatoes – The color occurs naturally and is not genetically modified to appear purple. You can even cultivate these potatoes in your own backyard garden!
Evaporated milk – Adds a velvety smoothness to the pie.
Light brown sugar – Adds a touch of sweetness with caramel-like flavor.
Vanilla extract – Imparts a warm and comforting balance in the flavor profile.
Ginger – Adds a hint of spiciness and a subtle warm kick.
Nutmeg – Adds a warm, nutty, and earthy balance to the pie’s sweetness.
Cinnamon – Adds a comforting warmth, burst of flavor, and color.
Clove – Contributes to the pie’s overall soulful spiciness.
Salt – A necessary contrast to balance the sweet spice profiles.
Butter – Adds a rich flavor that complements the natural sweet potatoes.
Eggs – The binding agent that ensures the pie filling holds its shape.
Pie crust – Elevates this dish from a sweet potato soufflé to a sweet potato pie with a simple, delicious, flaky crust encasing.

Pro tip: Stokes purple sweet potatoes are similar to Ube purple yams. But not the same as Okinawan Japanese sweet potatoes or regular (not sweet) purple potatoes. So double-check that you’ve picked up the correct potatoes when shopping for this recipe!

How do you make a purple sweet potato pie?

How to make a purple sweet potato pie

A Black folks’ purple sweet potato pie is like a traditional soul food sweet potato pie. This recipe still involves roasting the sweet potatoes to soften them and mixing them with milk, butter, eggs, seasonings, and spices to make the beautiful purple pie filling.

Step-by-step instructions with guided pictures can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Preheat the oven, grease the pie pan, and set it aside.
How do you prepare the purple sweet potatoes to be mashed?
Roast the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet.
Peel and discard the skin once the potatoes are cooked and cooled. The skin and flesh will have softened.
Gather 3 cups of sweet potato flesh.
Combine the potato flesh and the ingredients for the pie filling in a large bowl.
Mix with a hand or stand electric mixer until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
Pour the purple mixture into the pie crust.
Bake the pie.
Allow the pie to cool for 4 hours before topping.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Watch the video to see how to make purple sweet potato pie step-by-step with key moments.

What texture is this pie filling?

It’s not surprising that a purple sweet potato pie tastes the same as an orange sweet potato pie, thanks to soul food spices and silky, smooth evaporated milk. The texture is similar to a regular sweet potato pie, just slightly thicker.

In my humble pie opinion (pun intended), if you were to taste purple sweet potato pie with your eyes closed, you wouldn’t notice the difference because it tastes just like the orange pie you’re used to!

What to serve with a Black folks’ purple sweet potato pie

A simple answer would be whipped cream or ice cream, but that’s not the question.

You want something that compliments it! So if you’re looking for classic soul food recipes to serve with your purple sweet potato pie, then look no further than these delicious ideas:

What do you serve with Black folks purple sweet potato pie?

Black folks Southern turkey recipe, soul food collard greens, soul food candied yams, Black folks cornbread dressing, fresh cranberry sauce, and cranberry sauce cornbread.

Washed down with a glass of holiday eggnog or everyday Southern sweet tea!