It’s impossible not to fall in love with soul food, especially if it’s as crunchy and light as this black folks’ sweet potato pie recipe. A traditional Southern dish, this delight holds a special place among the many potato pie recipes out there; it’s been passed down for generations amongst the community. If you are from the South, there is a really good chance that your best memories from the holidays include this orange and crispy dessert. A very popular choice for family gatherings, you might’ve also come across it at your local church. This recipe can be counted as a legacy of the African-American community.
Black folks’ sweet potato pie recipe is a delicious combination of eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. Not only are the ingredients fairly accessible, cheap, and mostly kitchen staples, but the recipe is easy to make, with little preparation time.
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds of sweet potatoes
- 1 cup light, brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp. minced ginger
- ½ tbsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tbsp. cinnamon
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pie crust, 9 inches
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet.
3. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes.
4. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, and bake them for 45-60 minutes.
5. After the potatoes are baked, peel them, and mash them, one by one.
6. In a bowl, combine the potatoes and eggs. Follow up by adding brown sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
7. Mix well.
8. Follow by adding the evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
9. Grease a large enough pan (9-inch) with baking spray, and then lay down the pie crust.
10. Now, put the mixture on top of the pie crust, and then put it into the oven.
11. Bake for an hour.
12. Optional — Top your pie with cream.
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Best Tips
1. Pierce the potatoes
Just before placing the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, we recommend piercing the potatoes with a fork or knife. This will allow the mixture to blend with the potatoes, resulting in a much more delicious pie.
2. Brown butter
If you are feeling a tad spicy, you can also opt for brown butter. Preparing brown butter is easy. All you need to do is to melt the butter in a pan, on medium heat, and stir. The key point is that butter tends to burn quickly, so keep your eye on the pan. When the butter turns brown, remove from the heat and set aside to use later.
3. To bake or to boil
We strongly recommend baking sweet potatoes. If you bake the potatoes, they will be caramelized (or the sugar in the potatoes, more specifically) and you will end up with a much more flavorful dish. If you opt for boiling them, however, the water in them will disturb the texture of your pie.
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Black Folks’ Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of sweet potatoes
- 1 cup brown sugar light
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp. minced ginger
- ½ tbsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tbsp. cinnamon
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ½ tbsp. sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pie crust 9 inches
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet.
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, and bake them for 45-60 minutes.
- After the potatoes are baked, peel them, and mash them, one by one.
- In a bowl, combine the potatoes and eggs. Follow up by adding brown sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
- Mix well.
- Follow by adding the evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Grease a large enough pan (9-inch) with baking spray, and then lay down the pie crust.
- Now, put the mixture on top of the pie crust, and then put it into the oven.
- Bake for an hour.
- Optional — Top your pie with cream.
Aryan Khan says
Sweet potato pie is a classic dessert that is enjoyed by many people, and adding condensed milk to the recipe can give the pie a creamy, rich texture and a slightly sweet, caramel-like flavor.