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–+ servings

My Grandma's Sweet Potato Pie

This sweet potato pie delivers the smooth, nostalgic flavor families pass down through generations. Baking the potatoes intensifies flavor, the food processor ensures a silky finish, and evaporated milk gives the filling the structure it needs.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs brought to room temperature
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ cup evaporated milk
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 frozen pie shells

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Bake the sweet potatoes in a 425-degree oven for 40-55 min
  2. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees
  3. Remove frozen pie shells from the oven and set them out on the counter to lightly thaw.
  4. Allow potatoes to cool for 20 mins - the skin will pull away from the potato and begin to shrivel
  5. Once you can handle peeling the skin off and removing any super dark spots, place into a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
  6. Next, add room temperature butter, evaporated milk, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.
  7. Blend until smooth.
  8. Scrape down the sides and make sure no lumps are present, then taste it before adding the eggs (Just making sure everything is balanced).
  9. Add eggs blend until smooth
  10. Evenly distribute between the two pie pans
  11. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil for the first 40 mins of baking
  12. After 20 mins of baking, rotate the pans in the oven (I place my pan on a cookie sheet to make this easy)
  13. Remove the foil and allow to continue baking until golden brown 10-13 min
  14. Remove and let set - it will still be a little jiggle to the top

Notes

Disclaimer: My grandmothers original recipe did not include cinnamon and called for 3 shakes of nutmeg. After several years of testing out measurements to replicate the pie from my childhood, I landed on these measurements. Cinnamon is completely optional.
Baking time is dependent upon on your oven and the size of the potatoes so check them for softness starting at 30 mins in.
For other cooking options, check out our sweet potato puree post for stove top instructions
For many years, I made my pie filling in a mixer until I did it in a food processor and it completely changed my method. It’s creamy, silky and smooth, no lumps, no strings.
Please don’t try this using anything other than canned evaporated milk-specifically Carnation

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