This Stunning 8-Ingredient Purple Sweet Potato Pie is as delicious as it is beautiful – with floral notes of purple sweet potato, lemon and cardamom. A delicate cream cheese pie crust nicely compliments this variation on a traditional sweet potato pie.
Although I love the warm spice notes of ginger, cinnamon and orange zest found in pumpkin pie, or a Perfect Salted Mixed Nut Pie – two staples at our house during the holidays – this Stunning 8-Ingredient Sweet Potato Pie has definitely earned a spot in this year’s dessert rotation.
Jump to RecipeStunning 8-Ingredient Purple Sweet Potato Pie – playful and pretty
I love purple sweet potatoes. They have a rich, vibrant color, creamy texture and subtle fruit notes. While the Okinawan sweet potatoes are a year-round crop, the Stokes Purple variety are typically available from September through June. They are my favorite in terms of color and texture, which is perfect when I’m looking to incorporate purple sweet potatoes into a holiday menu. Although chain grocery stores may not consistently carry them, you can usually find either variety at your local specialty Asian or Latin markets.
Their vibrant color and unique flavor are worth the hunt. Whenever I find them in stores, I like to pick up a couple extra to cook and freeze for future use – just as you would any other sweet potatoes.
The Spruce Eats has a great guide on all things related to Purple Sweet Potatoes. If you’re interested in learning more about this fun and tasty tuber, check out the link.
Tips to prevent your pie from cracking or shrinking
Because this Stunning 8-Ingredient Purple Sweet Potato Pie filling is thin, it’s hard to believe it will ever set up during the baking and cooling process. But don’t be tempted to over-bake your pie. Trust the process.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but remove the pie from the oven when it is no longer wet to the touch in the center – not completely stiff. The pie will still have a slight jiggle to it, but it will firm up as it cools.
An over-baked sweet potato pie will sink and shrink away from the crust. The filling may even crack on top and the texture may curdle. These are all signs that your pie has been over-baked.
Another reason sweet potato pies may shrink or crack is that they are not cooled properly. It’s important to allow the pie to cool down at room temperature. This allows the baking process to gently finish, and the pie to develop its signature creamy texture. So, don’t be tempted to place it in the refrigerator to cool faster. Let time work its magic. Once the pie is completely cooled, you can store it in the refrigerator.
These baking techniques not only apply to this purple sweet potato pie recipe, they also hold true for orange sweet potato and pumpkin pies as well.
Tips for a perfectly baked pie crust
I have a tried and true method for pie baking. When it comes to the crust, nobody wants a soggy bottom. With most pie crusts, I will first bake the pie at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes before reducing the heat to 350 degrees to finish baking. This technique works well for most other pie doughs, but because this one is so heavy on the butter and cream cheese, it’s too delicate. A slight adjustment to the baking process is needed. Otherwise, the higher temperature would cause the fat to run out of the dough too quickly and the crust to burn.
For this purple sweet potato pie recipe, I call for heating both the oven and a baking tray or stone to 425 degrees Fahrenheit before dropping the temperature down to 350 degrees. This ensures the bottom of the crust is cooked completely – giving it the extra boost it needs to ensure it bakes up on the bottom. By immediately reducing the heat to 350 degrees, the temperature remains gentle enough to ensure the pie doesn’t over-bake or crack.
As far as crimping goes, there’s not great mystery to obtaining a pretty, decorative crust. Check out this short video on how to Pinch Your Way to a Perfect Pie Crust every time. It’s so easy! All you do is pinch. Check it out!
Stunning 8-Ingredient Purple Sweet Potato Pie
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings30
minutes50
minutesStunning color, floral and lemon notes – this alternative to a traditional sweet potato pie is a real keeper.
Ingredients
- For the crust
2 2/3 cup A.P. Flour
1/2 tsp. plus an additional 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 sticks plus an addition 3/4 stick of unsalted butter, cold
8 oz. cream cheese, cold
- For the pie filling
1 1/2 cups peeled, cooked and cooled, mashed purple sweet potatoes
1 cup white granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (see notes below)
12 ounces Evaporated milk
Directions
- For the crust
- Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into 1/4 inch cubes. Place in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl or food processor, blend the flour, salt and lemon zest briefly to get rid of any lumps.
- Add the butter and cream cheese to the flour mixture and blend on low until the dough just comes together.
- Divide dough into two equal disks. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and place in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 4 hours. The dough can be prepared up to two days in advance.
- Rolling out the pie crust on baking day
- Generously dust your work area with A.P. Flour
- Roll out one disk of dough to a little less than 1/4 inch thickness, making sure to check the bottom of the dough. Dust with additional flour to prevent sticking.
- Using a 9″ pie pan, trim the dough so you have 1/2 inch overlap all around the pie tin. Fold and tuck the ends of the circle under and crimp your crust as shown in the video link provided above.
- If you desire a shiny crust, brush the top of the crust with egg wash and place the unbaked pie shell back in the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to bake. This step is optional and can be done one day ahead.
- Preparing the pie filling
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the purple sweet potato, sugar, lemon juice and zest, salt and cardamom.
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking into the sweet potato mixture.
- Whisk in the evaporated milk.
- Baking the pie
- Place a baking stone or sheet pan in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. while the stone or pan is in the oven. You want the surface hot before you add the pie to the oven to bake.
- Once the oven is heated, immediately drop the temperature down to 350 degrees F.
- Working quickly, place the prepared pie crust on the stone or sheet pan and pour the sweet potato pie mixture into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes. The pie is ready when the center is just set. Remove from heat, transfer to a wire rack to cool until it reaches room temperature.
- Once cooled, store in the refrigerator.
- Garnish with whipped cream, and fresh lemon zest as pictured.
Notes
- What can I do with the second round of pie dough? Double your pie filling recipe to make two sweet potato pies. Or, you can make a nice ginger citrus pumpkin pie or salted mixed nut pie with this dough for a little variety.
- This dough also freezes well for up to month, so you can save it for a future pie.
- This recipe calls for 1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom. The strength of the spice depends greatly on its freshness. If you are using fresh, ground cardamom, stick with 1/4 tsp. If your cardamom has been sitting in your cupboard for a while, you may choose to use a little more. Start with 1/4 tsp. Do a quick taste after mixing and add more if a stronger flavor is desired.
- In a hurry? I like the way this cream cheese pie crust pairs with this pie, but you can use a premade, frozen pie crust with this recipe, too. Stick to the tips for baking a perfect bottom and you’re good to go!
