Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
This delicious sweet potato pie with the perfect crispy homemade crust and marshmallow merengue is the better holiday dessert.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, totaling about 50 ounces
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Crust:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cups of ice-cold lard
- 1/4 cup ice cold water
For the Marshmallow Merengue:
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 7- ounce jar of marshmallow whip
Instructions
- Add the sweet potatoes to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or a pan and sporadically poke holes on all sides with a fork.
- Bake them in the oven on a middle rack at 375° for 60 to 65 minutes or until tender. Baking over other cooking methods will help them develop a richer flavor and sweeter taste.
- In the meantime, add the flour, sugar, salt, and cold lard to a food processor and pulse on high speed until the mixture resembles a meal.
- Slowly drizzle in the cold water while pulsing until the dough firms up. When pinched with your fingers, it easily holds shape.
- Transfer the dough to a clean surface and form it into a disc. Generously dust it with flour on both sides. Roll out the dough until it is roughly ¼” thick and about 16 to 18 inches in diameter.
- Transfer the dough to a 10” by 2” tart pan with a removable bottom lined with a parchment paper round. Form the dough into the pie tin and trim any access. Chill in the refrigerator until the sweet potatoes are done baking.
- Remove the potatoes and let them cool slightly before peeling them using your hands or a paring knife.
- Add them to a large bowl along with the brown sugar, eggs, butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk, and using a firm whisk, mix until combined.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and level it using a spatula.
- Place the pie on a sheet tray and bake on a middle rack for 60 to 65 minutes at 375° or until it becomes firm on top and in the center. When it's done, It should read 175° F internally.
- While the pie is cooking, add the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar to a standing mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until they’ve reached medium peaks, about 90 to 120 seconds.
- Next, add the marshmallow whip and mix on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks, which takes about an additional minute.
- When the pie is done cooking, add the marshmallow meringue to the top of the pie in any decoration you’d like.
- Bake on a middle rack at 425° for 10 minutes or until the meringue is browned. Serve the pie hot, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
Make-Ahead: You can make this pie up to 3 days ahead for freshness.
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for 5 days. Freeze, covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge until it is soft and ready to heat, which should take less than 24 hours.
How to Reheat: Some folks enjoy eating sweet potato pie warm. If that’s you, add your desired pie slices to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 3 to 5 minutes or until warm.
You can also make the pie crust by hand using a pastry blender.
When cutting the lard into the dry ingredients for the pie crust, it should be very small, like Mediterranean cous cous, and easily integrate into the flour.
If you like a thicker crust, multiply the pie crust recipe by 50%.
Using parchment paper will help keep the pie moist and aid in removing it with ease after being sliced.
When using a regular 9” x 1 ¼” pie tin, use 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes weighing roughly 36 ounces instead of 4 sweet potatoes weighing 50 ounces.
You can also boil the peeled sweet potatoes. Just be sure they are entirely drained before mixing in the filling ingredients.
Mix the filling with electric hand beaters or a stand mixer.
It’s ok if the marshmallow crème is +/- 1 or 2 ounces.
Nutrition
Serving: 16gCalories: 405kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 206mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 3gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 10881IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2mg