Rich, indulgent and made completely from scratch, this caramel sweet potato pie is a twist on a traditional Thanksgiving pie. This easy pie is guaranteed to impress all of your holiday guests!
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 50 minutesminutes
Chill Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Total Time 3 hourshours5 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
For the crust
1 ½cups(195g)all-purpose flour
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
5tablespoons(70g) unsalted butter, cold & cut into pieces
4tablespoons(46g)vegetable shortening, cold & cut into pieces
5tablespoonsice water
For the filling
2pounds(907g)sweet potatoes, about 4 medium
¼cup(57g)unsalted butter, softened
1teaspoonground cinnamon
¼teaspoonsalt
2large eggs, room temperature
1large egg yolk, room temperature
¾cup(240g)caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought, divided
½cup(120ml)whole milk, room temperature
whipped cream, for garnish
caramel sauce, for garnish
Instructions
Make the crust
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk until well mixed.
Using a pastry cutter or two knives cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture just until lentil-sized crumbs form. A few larger bits are perfectly okay.
Drizzle just enough ice water over the flour to moisten it. Toss the mixture together with a fork to combine. You will know you have enough liquid when you can squeeze the mixture and it holds together.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Place it in a 9-inch pie pan gently without stretching it. Trim the edge so there's a 1-inch overhang over the sides of the pie pan. Fold the excess dough under so it sits upon the rim of the pan and flute as desired. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the lower third position (just below center) and heat to 375°F.
Line the pie shell with parchment paper and evenly distribute about 2 cups of metal or ceramic pie weights over the paper. Bake for 15 minutes then carefully remove paper and weights and bake for an additional 9 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden brown. Remove from oven; increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Make the filling
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a fork to poke holes into the sweet potatoes and arrange them on the prepared baking pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until soft inside when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Using a sharp knife, make a slit on the top of the sweet potatoes and peel back the skin. Scoop out the soft insides and transfer them to a large bowl.
Mash the warm sweet potatoes with softened butter, making sure the potatoes are very well mashed and no large clumps are visible. Mix in the cinnamon and salt.
Whisk the eggs and 1/2 cup (160 g) of the caramel sauce together in a medium bowl, followed by the milk. Add egg mixture to sweet potatoes and whisk gently to combine.
Pour the sweet potato mixture into the prebaked pie shell and use an offset spatula to smooth it over. Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup (80 g) caramel sauce over the top and use an offset spatula to smooth it into the filling.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the filling is set around edges but center jiggles slightly when shaken. Cover the edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil if they become too brown during baking.
Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 to 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel.
Notes
Sweet potatoes: For cooking the sweet potatoes, I like to bake mine for 40-50 minutes at 425°F. Let them cool slightly then scoop the pulp out of the skin. You can also peel, cube, and boil the potatoes until tender. Canned sweet potatoes will also work for this recipe. You need roughly 2 pounds of uncooked sweet potatoes to yield enough puree.
Caramel sauce: I prefer using homemade caramel but store-bought will work just fine.
Make Ahead Tip
Baked and cooled pie will keep for up to 4 days covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator.
Baked and cooled pie will keep for up to 1 month wrapped tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and stored in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
The pie crust can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated until ready to use.
The filling can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the pie.