This pie combines a mashed sweet potato filling laced with nutmeg and whiskey with a flaky crust and crunchy maple pecan topping. My favorite sweet potato pie, ever, and it can be made gluten-free too!
Though I generally don't get excited about holidays, Thanksgiving is one exception...
...because I get to bake PIES. LOTS OF PIES. Thanksgiving is the only day of the year that I am not considered a total freak show when I bake FIVE PIES in one day. That's something to give thanks for.
I won't lie to you: baking five pies is no piece of, um, cake to begin with, but things get even more complicated with my family. There's my raw-foodist mother. My gluten-intolerant sister. My niece with the dairy allergy (when she feels like it). And my half-sister's mom's partner can't have sugar.
So one year, trying to please everyone, I made an (almost) raw pumpkin pie à la Cafe Gratitude (I drew the line at raw pumpkin, though) with a date-pecan crust and nut-milk based filling sweetened with agave. But my cousin complained because she's allergic to... dates.
Despite the abundance of gastronomical particularities, however, I know that each and every picky family member will 'cheat' and at least 'taste' a bit of everything.
For all of you 'dead-food'-eating, butter-loving, sugar-crazed bakers out there who indulge in just about everything (or are willing to cheat) here is a no-holds-barred pie that is now one of my faves.
The filling is comprised of sweet potato, eggs and milk, sweetened judiciously with white and brown sugars. (Pay no attention to the whisky behind the curtain.) I use whole spelt flour in the crust because it creates a tender and lovely crust. Also, I used an all-butter, sourdough pate brisee for the crust, but Martha's pate brisee (from whence I adapted it) is a perfect substitute, lacking sourdough starter. Or use my gluten-free pie crust made with oat and rice flours.
Perhaps because I have never been to the South, the only sweet potato pie I've ever had that I didn't make was at a jazz festival in LA many years ago. Now I make this recipe at least once a year, and it has become one of my and Jay's very favorite desserts.
Or sometimes breakfasts.
Anyway, this time I wanted to mix things up. In the article preceding the recipe, Cook's mentions testing a hybrid pecan-sweet potato pie, which they describe as being well-loved but 'unwieldy.' Inspired by a pumpkin-pecan-praline pie in an issue of Cook's Country, I decided to combine the two. The pecan topping complimented the smooth custard so perfectly that I can't imagine ever going back.
What I appreciate so much about Cook's sweet potato pie is that it really tastes like sweet potato. Unlike traditional molasses- and spice-heavy pies (or so I've heard... from Cook's), here judicious amounts of nutmeg, bourbon, vanilla, and butter enhance, rather than mask, its natural flavor (though the larger amount of bourbon does give it a lovely boozy taste).
I did make a few tweaks to the original recipe in that I deleted the additional egg yolks (only because I dislike have extra egg whites lying around), and decreased the sweetener, adding brown sugar to the mix for its molasses flavor. I don't know whether it was just my imagination, but the filling looked and tasted brighter than ever before.
The crunchy-gooey pecan topping takes this pie over the top, and a dollop of maple-sweetened whipped cream makes an ideal foil.
Another direction to go would be to use coconut milk and dark rum in the pie, and grated panela, palm sugar or muscovado in place of the brown sugar in the topping. In fact, it would be quite reminiscent of the rum-laced mashed sweet potatoes my mom tops with pecans every year for Thanksgiving.
Despite being a raw foodist.
Cheater.
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this sweet potato pie recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
Pecan-Topped Sweet Potato Pie
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust of your choice, parbaked (see headnote for options)
Sweet Potato Filling:
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (3-4 medium) (or 2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 - 3 tablespoons bourbon (optional) (or GF spirit such as dark or gold rum)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup whole milk
Maple Pecan Topping:
- 1 cup pecans
- ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- a few pinches flaky salt, such as Maldon
Maple Whipped Cream (for serving, optional):
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Make and parbake the pie crust as directed.
For the filling:
- Prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Place on a small sheet pan lined with parchment paper and roast in the oven at 400º until collapsing and oozing juices, 40 minutes to 1 hour. (They should be quite tender when squeezed with a pair of tongs.) Let cool until handleable, then peel and scoop out two cups of flesh. Add the butter to the warm flesh and mash smooth with a fork (some fibers and lumps are ok.) Set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350º.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Whisk in the bourbon, vanilla and milk, then whisk the egg mixture into the sweet potato mixture until combined.
- Pour the filling into the warm, par-baked crust (this will reduce the baking time and ensure a crisp bottom crust). Place on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and place the baking sheet in the oven, on the baking stone if using. Bake until the filling is puffed and beginning to crack around the edges and the pie wobbles like jello when shaken (but not in a wet, jiggly way), about 45 minutes.
Pecan Topping:
- Spread the pecans on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and crisp, 12 minutes. Let cool until handleable, then use your fingers to break them into small pieces (this results in more regular pieces and less 'dust' than chopping). Combine the pecans in a medium bowl with the sugar, maple syrup and sea salt.
- When the pie has finished baking, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the pinches of flaky salt. Return to the oven and bake for 10 or 15 more minutes.
- Let the pie cool at least 2 hours, then slice and serve. (For cleaner slices, chill the pie before cutting.)The pie keeps well in the fridge for up to several days, though the crust will be crispest on the day it is baked.
Maple Whipped Cream:
- Whip the cream either in a bowl with a whisk or in a stand mixer fitted with the whip, until it holds soft peaks. Add the maple syrup to taste and the vanilla extract.
amber.randle84 says
OMG!!!!! This looks sooooo GOOD!!! Im gonna try to make this for Thanksgiving. I think my family will love this! Thanks A lot!!!
Andrea says
Thanksgiving is my 50th Birthday. If I am going to celebrate with anything it will be with this pie. Besides, having a shot of bourbon on the side will be just the birthday cheer that I need:-0 I use coconut milk and cream in almost everything that uses milk. I may even use the coconut cream in place of the whipped cream. Thanks for the recipe!
alanna says
Amber and Andrea - you are both so welcome! Thanks for the comments, and please let me know how the pie comes out. Andrea- happy, happy birthday!
Ann Lam says
Jenny says that it looks "freaking amazing." We love your photos!
alanna says
You gals are the sweetest - thank you!
Anonymous says
This pie is the best, everyone loves it!!!
Alanna says
Yay! :)
Chelai says
This pie was really good. My husband liked that it wasn't too sweet. Next time I'll do it justice and not buy the pie crust.
Alanna says
Thanks for the comment - I'm so glad you guys liked it! :)
lani michele says
Hi. I'm making this for book group this week. If I use coconut milk, is it an exact replacement of the whole milk? 2/3 cup? And do you mean coconut milk from a can or the kind you can buy in a box, like the way almond milk is packaged? Thank you!
Alanna says
Hi Lani, I think you could use either type of coconut milk here; canned milk will be richer and would probably be my pick. And yes, same amount (2/3 cup) should be right. Let me know how it goes!
lani michele says
Thank you so much and will do! Going to make two, one with coconut milk and one with whole.
Alanna says
Sweet! Please let me know how they compare!
lani michele says
Pies were a success, whew! Scary trying out new recipes for guests. I loved the coconut milk one b/c I'm crazy about anything coconut, but probably the whole milk one was better in terms of letting the sweet potato flavor shine through. I thought I had bourbon, but I didn't, so I had to do without. Also only made topping for one of the pies, which was a mistake. Thought it would be too sweet, but definitely was not. Thank you!!!
Alanna says
Thank you so much for the great feedback! I'm so glad the pies were successes!
Anonymous says
Your pie looks delicious! I'm planning on making a few pies for Tgiving and want one with a graham cracker crust? Do you think I could use the filling and topping with a graham cracker crust? Also, those fluted edges are to die for. Beautiful!
Alanna says
I bet this would be great with a graham cracker crust... or gingersnaps!! Let me know how it goes. :)
Teri Small says
The topping makes this pie. Awesomeness!!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you like it!
Anonymous says
Do you think this would be a good substitute for a sweet potato casserole? Sans the pie crust, with the pecan topping mixed in, and a browned meringue topping?
Alanna says
That sounds pretty great. You might want to dial down the sugar since the meringue will be sweet. Let me know if you try it!
Ce says
Unfortunately this recipe was not successful for me. The pie baked unevenly and was not sweet. A little disappointed
Nicole says
I've used this recipe for a few years now and it is THE ONLY sweet potato pie recipe I'll ever need. Amazing flavors.
Megan says
Hi Alanna,
Is there one of your GF pie doughs in particular that you think would work well here?
Alanna says
Yes! This is my favorite gluten-free pie crust. Please let me know if you try it!
SL says
Wow wow wow. Just made this today in prep for Friendsgiving and it’s AMAZING. Used store bought crust and had some filling leftover so made mini graham cracker crusted ones too and it’s better than any store, small mom & pop shops, pie speciality places. Thank you so much. This recipe is truly a keeper.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw this makes me so happy! I've made this sweet potato pie lots of times too - it's one of my very favorites. I'm so glad it was a hit! The minis with graham cracker crusts sound amazing too!
Mary Douglass says
I just made this pie for Thanksgiving and loved it! It looks impressive and tastes fantastic. My family usually has a “ho hum” reaction to sweet potato pie, but not this one — the pecan maple topping takes it to a new level! Usually I use a pumpkin pie recipe and just substitute sweet potato, but I liked the combination of nutmeg and vanilla in this one much better. Didn’t use the bourbon and didn’t miss it. The crust (Martha’s Pate Brise) was fiddly and time-consuming with all the chilling, freezing, resting, and blind-baking, but the result was really tasty. I may simplify the crust making next time, but I’m definitely looking forward to making the pie again!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you loved this pie! It's a family favorite here as well. If you try a different crust recipe next time, please let me know how it compares!