Christmas Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Sweet, delicious, and soothing to the soul, Christmas sweet potato pie has all the ingredients for a perfect holiday celebration!

How do you make the best sweet potato pie?

That’s easy! Simply use this Black folks’ Christmas desserts recipe!

Because if you haven’t experienced a Southern soul food sweet potato pie, you haven’t lived! 

This soul food Christmas sweet potato pie dessert highlights the irresistible flavors of silky sweet potato, seasonal spices, holiday traditions, and warm family memories.

Christmas has always been about food, so what’s better than a Southern sweet potato pie? 

So go ahead. Add this show-stopper to your Southern soul food Christmas deserts menu!

What is sweet potato pie made of?

This pie is perfectly creamy, has a buttery crisp pie crust, and is filled with mashed sweet potato filling, with a hint of vanilla extract and spiced with nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar. 

It’s the perfect Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert, making it a stellar addition to your holiday feast.

What is sweet potato pie?

Sweet potato pie is a traditional Southern-style dessert packed with flavor and traditionally served during the holiday season. 

This Christmas sweet potato pie features a rich base of evaporated milkand fresh sweet potatoes. The pie filling is spruced up with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and butter. 

It’s a Southern dessert recipe favorite for  Thanksgiving and Christmas, packed with flavorful seasonings and spices in the tradition of Black folks’ soul food cooking. 

Is sweet potato pie a Black thing?

Sweet potato pie was made by Black folks back in Africa when they used the native grown vegetable, yams. 

So yes, sweet potato pie is a Black thing – easy enough for anyone to make and everyone to love!

African-Americans today have continued the tradition of sweet potato pie with holiday dinners.

Which is better, pumpkin or sweet potato pie?

If you ask Black folks, there is no debating which one is better. 

The answer is always sweet potato pie – as long as it’s a Christmas sweet potato pie made the Black folks’ soul food way!

What does sweet potato pie taste like?

A Black folks’ sweet potato pie tastes like warm family memories, good times, and a legacy of the best holiday traditions handed down from one African American generation to another. 

Whether it’s the scent of cinnamon-sugar that sings sweet notes of “Home” like Stephanie Mills or Diana Ross in The Wiz. 

Or how the deliciousness of sweet potato pie reminds you of childhood good times gone by. Either way – grab a slice before it’s all gone!

This old-fashioned Black folks’ Southern dessert may be single-handedly responsible for generations of nostalgic memories – especially in the Black community. 

What are sweet potato pies made of?

This Christmas sweet potato pie needs sweet potatoes boiled until soft and peeled before being mixed with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. 

While the potatoes are cooking, a homemade pie crust is rolled out and pressed into a pie pan. 

The sweet potato mixture is poured into the pie crust and baked until golden brown, and the filling is set. The secret to this pie’s taste is the mellow sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the soul food sweet seasonings.

Southern soul food Christmas desserts: Christmas sweet potato pie recipe

Kitchen equipment for Christmas sweet potato pie

• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker (optional)
• Instant Pot Omni Plus oven (optional)
• Instant Pot Ace Plus blender or an electric mixer
• 9-inch deep-dish pie plate

Shop my kitchenware!

Ingredients for Christmas sweet potato pie

• 1 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed (equals about 3 cups when softened and peeled)
• 12 oz. evaporated milk, 1 can
• 1 cup of light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted (or vegan butter)
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Instructions for Christmas sweet potato pie

1. Grease a 9-inch pie pan and set it aside.
2. See my recipe HERE for homemade almond flour pie crust, or you can use a store-bought pie crust, dough, or pie shell that may or may not come with its own pie pan.
3. Pro tip: Use an Instant Pot pressure cooker to soften and peel the sweet potatoes quickly and almost effortlessly! 
4. Open the Instant Pot lid and fill the stainless-steel inner pot with water to the ½ mark.
5. Add the scrubbed sweet potatoes to the pot of water.
6. Close the Instant Pot lid (ensure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 12 minutes to loosen the potato skin.
7. When cooking is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 12 minutes.
8. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
9. Pour the water and sweet potatoes into a colander in the sink to drain the hot water from the potatoes.
10. Once the sweet potatoes are cool to the touch, peel and discard the skin.
11. Gather 3 cups of sweet potato flesh.
12. Add to either the Instant Pot Ace blender or an electric mixer the sweet potato flesh, evaporated milk, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.
13. Pulse or mix until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
14. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie crust.
15. Bake the sweet potato pie at 350 degrees F: in a conventional oven for 28-30 minutes, in the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven for 24-26 minutes, or until the pie is puffed and firm in the center.
16. Allow the sweet potato pie to cool for at least 2-4 hours before garnishing or slicing.
17. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top. 
18. Serve this Christmas sweet potato pie recipe warm, and enjoy!

Pro tips: 

• Depending on how deep-dish your pie pan is, you’ll probably have leftover sweet potato mix. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Or you can pour it into a Ziplock bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
• You could also make mini-Black folks sweet potato pies with any leftover pie filling.
• And don’t forget to use any leftover pie dough for the easiest Southern dessert ever – pie crust cookies!

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

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

You want something that compliments this Christmas dessert! 

So if you’re looking for classic soul food recipes to serve with your sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving or Christmas, then look no further than these delicious ideas:

• Soul food candied yams
• Soul food collard greens
• Soul food Christmas ham
• Black folks’ chicken and dressing
• Black folks’ homemade cornbread
• Soul food baked macaroni and cheese
• Traditional Christmas eggnog

Christmas sweet potato pie FAQs

What spices can you use in sweet potato pie?

What are the ingredients in sweet potato pie?

Here are three spices that belong in a delicious soul food sweet potato pie. 

• Ground cinnamon is a versatile spice for savory and sweet dishes for an extra burst of flavor while adding more color. 

Cinnamon is an excellent addition to everything from an apple pie to pumpkin bread and even sweet potato pies! 

Cinnamon helps brighten up even the darkest desserts because it adds lightness to them while giving off its unique taste.

• Ground nutmeg is often used as a pumpkin pie spice. And it goes exceptionally well with sweet potato pies, too! This spice gives the dish a wonderful flavor and provides warmth to your palate. 

I think about how good my grandmother’s Christmas dinner tasted every year! 

Ground nutmeg has that same type of taste without being overwhelming or spicy at all. You need this, for sure, if you are planning on making this Christmas specialty!

• Ground cloves are that secret ingredient that gives your finished sweet potato recipes a beautiful aroma, a spicy kick, and the perfect sweetness without going overboard with sugar. 

 Ground cloves have an aromatic sweet aroma and taste. You’ll love how much more flavorful your ciders, toddies, brines, and sweet treats become once cloves are added!

When combined, these spices create an excellent balance. The sweet aroma of cloves alone should be included in any soul food Thanksgiving menu or Christmas dinner!

How many sweet potatoes will you need?

1 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes to equal 3 cups when peeled and softened.

What is the best baking dish to use?

A 9-inch deep dish pie plate is best for baking a Christmas sweet potato pie recipe.

It holds the pie filling better because the sides are high, so the mixture doesn’t spill over the edges.

How do you prepare the sweet potatoes to be mashed?

Should you roast or boil sweet potatoes for pie? 

The easiest method for making mashed potatoes is to start with an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker to soften and peel the sweet potatoes. Quickly and almost effortlessly, this method prepares them for mashing.

If you do not prepare the pie crust from scratch, can you use a frozen one?

Yes, you can use frozen prepared pie crust or store-bought pie dough.

How long should sweet potato pie cook?

• Bake Christmas sweet potato pie at 350 degrees F. 
• In a conventional oven for 28-30 minutes, or until the pie is puffed and firm in the center. 
• In the Instant Pot Omni Plus oven for 24-26 minutes, or until it’s puffed and firm in the center. 
• Remember that cooking appliance times and oven temperatures will vary.

How do you keep your pie crust edges from burning?

Unlike some pie recipes, there is no need to preheat your empty unbaked pie crust for this Christmas sweet potato pie recipe. Doing this can cause your pie crust edges to burn.

How do you know when your sweet potato pie is done?

So how do you know when the filling is cooked? A good indicator of when this pie recipe is done is when you can see the center of the pie filling puffing in the oven.

Also, the center of a sweet potato pie should be firm and not runny or jiggly when you remove the pie from the oven.

Why is your sweet potato pie runny?

If your sweet potato pie turns out runny after baking – don’t fret! 

Instead, put it back in the oven for five-minute intervals until the filling is puffed and firm in the center.

How can you thicken your sweet potato pie filling?

While many recipes call for adding flour for thickening, you don’t want to do this for a soul food Christmas sweet potato pie filling. 

Doing this could compromise the unique Southern soul food flavors.

To avoid needing to thicken the pie filling, ensure your sweet potato mixture has some texture and is not just a thin, runny purée.

Do you put eggs in sweet potato pie?

Yes, 2 large eggs are required for this recipe.

Can you make sweet potato pie ahead of time?

If you’re making a Christmas sweet potato pie, it’s a good idea to make your dessert masterpiece ahead of time. (Assuming, of course, that you have the refrigerator space!)

You can make the pie filling and pour it into your pie crust a day later to bake.

Remember to wrap it tightly and keep it in the fridge because this recipe calls for eggs.

Does this recipe make two pies or one?

Depending on how deep of a dish your pie pan is, you’ll probably have leftover sweet potato mix to make another. 

Or you could make mini Christmas sweet potato pies with any leftover pie filling!

Can you use canned sweet potatoes?

Nothing beats fresh sweet potatoes for this incredible Christmas sweet potato pie recipe. But you could use canned sweet potato or canned yams in a pinch.

Can you use purple sweet potatoes in place of regular sweet potatoes?

When it comes to soul food Christmas desserts, you can bet that the menu starts with a classic Southern Black folks sweet potato pie.

But have you heard about the contemporary upgrade of this classic Southern treat? 

Purple sweet potato pie is what they call it – and it’s still made the Southern soul food way!

Are there any acceptable ingredient substitutes for a Christmas sweet potato pie recipe?

While I’ve found unsweetened evaporated milk to be the smoothest and the perfect flavor additive for this recipe. As with sweet potato casserole, sweetened condensed milk can substitute. Likewise, heavy cream. 

Also, light brown sugar or dark brown sugar is best for this pie recipe. But granulated sugar can also work in a pinch.

Should you refrigerate sweet potato pie?

Yes. After all, this recipe calls for eggs.

How long can you leave sweet potato pie in the fridge?

Florida rap artist, Plies tried to tell us when he broke down the rules of eating holiday leftovers, LOL!

So Christmas sweet potato pie should not remain in the fridge beyond 3-5 days.

Can you reheat sweet potato pie?

This sweet potato pie recipe can be quickly rewarmed in the oven. Or by the slice in the microwave. 

 

Can you freeze sweet potato pie?

How do you store Christmas sweet potato pie? You can freeze whole sweet potato pies or leftover pie for up to three months. 

First, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, sealed tight in an airtight container.

Do you eat sweet potato pie hot or cold?

There’s nothing like a slice of warm sweet potato pie. Although, on Christmas Day, the pie is often served at room temperature if it’s not warmed up by the slice.

How do you cut sweet potato pie?

Let the pie cool and set for a few hours up to a whole day before slicing.

Did you enjoy this Christmas sweet potato pie recipe?

Have you had it?

Would you make it? 

Comment below and lemme know. 

Then subscribe HERE for all the soul food!

Like this post? Pin the below picture to your “Soul Food Recipes” Pinterest Board!