Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

A slice of sweet potato pie with marshmallow meringue on a white plate with the entire pie in the background.

5 from 3 votes

Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

This sweet potato pie has a rich and creamy filling, and crispy crust, and is topped with sweet meringue that will have your friends and family asking for seconds.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Holiday dessert, Special Occasion dessert, Thanksgiving dessert

Cuisine: American, American-Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 356kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 Pie crust for 9-inch pan either store bought or homemade

For the filling:

3 large sweet potatoes (enough for 2 cups puree)
4 egg yolks (save the whites for meringue topping)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar lightly packed
¼ cup evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest of one lemon minces

Spread:

¼ cup pineapple preserves (optional)

For the Meringue

4 reserved egg whites
10 oz. marshmallow cream (2½ cups)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400℉.
Prepare the dough, line a pie plate, and blind bake* the crust. (see notes)
Bake sweet potatoes for the filling for 40 minutes, or until very soft. Peel while hot and place potatoes in food processor fitted with steel blade; puree until very smooth.
Measure 2 cups potato puree into medium-size mixing bowl.
Add egg yolks, sugars, milk, lemon juice, vanilla, spices, and lemon zest; whisk just to blend.
Spread optional preserves carefully over bottom of hot prebaked crust.
Pour in filling, smooth the top, and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 325℉; continue baking pie until edges are puffed and a knife inserted 1-inch from the center comes out clean, 20-30 minutes.
Remove pie, but leave oven on.
Beat reserved egg whites with a hand mixer in a clean metal or glass bowl until soft peaks form.
Gradually add marshmallow cream and continue beating until stiff peaks form, 5-7 minutes.
Spread meringue over pie all the way to the edges, "spiking" it to make swirls and swoops in the topping.
Return the pie to the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until topping is golden, rotating it for even browning.
Cool to room temperature before slicing. To cut, dip a sharp knife in hot water and gently slice through the meringue dipping the knife with each slice.
Wrap leftovers loosely in plastic and chill.

Notes

Blind bake the crust first to avoid a soggy, undone base for the pie.

How to blind bake:

Unfold rolled out dough in pie plate. Adjust the dough, without stretching it, to fit inside the plate.
Trim any overhand from the dough. Turn edges under and crimp. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
Line the dough with foil, folding it loosely over the crimped dough edge. Fill the pie with 2-3 cups dry rice or beans.
Bake in a preheated 400℉ for about 20 minutes. You want the crust set but not browned.
Unfold the foil at edges and carefully lift out with the rice or beans.
Return the shell to the oven and bake 5-10 minutes, or until pale golden.
Fill as directed in your recipe.

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