Julie Clark
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Sweet Potato Pie with Vanilla Pudding
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This sweet potato pie with vanilla pudding has the best flavor and texture. Learn how to make sweet potato pie recipe from scratch using canned sweet potatoes and fresh.
Sweet potatoes were never something I craved…that is until I started baking with them. Sweet potato loaf has always been a favorite of mine, but lately I’ve been craving old fashioned sweet potato pie.
If you’re looking for something a little different than pumpkin pie for the Thanksgiving desserts and holiday season, try our sweet potato pie with vanilla pudding recipe!
Is sweet potato pie a dessert or side dish?
Sweet potato pie is traditionally served as a dessert, topped with whipped cream or even ice cream.
It should not be confused with sweet potato casserole with pecan topping, which is often served as a side dish, although it tastes like a dessert!
Do you use yams or sweet potatoes for sweet potato pies?
Yams that are found in US grocery stores are a type of sweet potato. True yams are often not found around the US except in specialty markets. US yams are higher in sugar content and get very soft when they bake.
Sweet potatoes are starchier and are better for cooking and frying because they keep their shape. Yams are great to use for southern sweet potato pie and other baked goods, but you can use either for this recipe.
Ingredients Needed
- Pie shell. Make our grandma’s pie crust, whole wheat pie crust or sourdough pie crust. Even an oatmeal pie crust would work.
- The vanilla pudding is what makes our recipe unique. It not only adds flavor to the pie, it ensures that the pie will set up. You don’t want a runny sweet potato pie. Use a small box of instant vanilla pudding mix.
- Use canned sweet potatoes or fresh. For canned sweet potatoes, drain them well, then mash. For fresh sweet potatoes, bake them and then scoop out the soft potato on the inside and mash.
- The eggs and the butter should be at room temperature so that they mix in with the other ingredients well.
✨ For full ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below. ✨
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie with Vanilla Pudding
- Prepare. Heat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Fill a 9″ pie plate with pie crust. Make a homemade crust or use a shortcut and buy a pre-made refrigerated pie crust.
- Start the sweet potato mixture. In a large bowl, blend sweet potatoes and sugar with a hand mixer. Add one egg, then beat the mixture. Add the second egg and beat again.
- Finish the filling. Add softened butter, dry pudding mix, condensed milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well.
- Bake the pie. Pour into the unbaked pie crust, spread the filling even and bake for 40-50 minutes.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream. You can decorate the whole pie with swirls of whipped cream if you’d like.
Recipe Variations
- Love spices? Try adding a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger or ground cloves. It will change the flavor slightly but tastes so so good!
- Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar if you’d like.
- Need a dairy free dessert? Try using plant butter and sweetened condensed coconut milk.
Make Sweet Potato Pie Ahead of Time
Sweet potato pie with vanilla pudding can be made 48 hours in advance of serving. Once the pie has cooled completely, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
Another option is to make the pie crust and freeze it, then make the pie filling closer to the day you want to serve it. That will save some of the mess.
Can you freeze sweet potato pie?
Yes, you can freeze sweet potato pie for up to 2-3 months, but the texture may change slightly. It’s important to let the pie cool completely before packing it to freeze. Allow the pie to defrost slowly in the refrigerator to avoid moisture on top of the pie.
Other ways to use sweet potatoes:
Other Recipes to Love:
Sweet Potato Pie with Vanilla Pudding
Sweet potato pie with vanilla pudding makes for the best ever flavor and texture. Learn how to make homemade pie with canned and fresh sweet potatoes.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked pie shell
- 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
- ½ cup packed brown sugar 105 grams
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup salted butter (very soft so it mixes in easily)
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding 3.4 ounces (dry mix..do not add milk!)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Fill a 9" pie plate with pie crust.1 unbaked pie shell
- In a large bowl, blend sweet potatoes and sugar with a hand mixer. 2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes, ½ cup packed brown sugar
- Add one egg, then beat the mixture. Add the second egg and beat again. 2 large eggs
- Add softened butter, dry pudding mix, condensed milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well. ½ cup salted butter, 1 small box instant vanilla pudding, 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 40-50 minutes.
- Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Fresh sweet potatoes vs. canned sweet potatoes. You can use either for this recipe. Fresh sweet potatoes (or yams) will obviously mean a pie that tastes just a little bit fresher. If you choose fresh sweet potatoes, peel the potatoes, cut them in chunks, then boil them in water until they are soft. Drain the potatoes and mash until they are creamy. For canned potatoes, be sure to drain all of the liquid off of the potatoes before you mash them.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 352mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 5270IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 1.2mg
I made this recipe and my husband and I love it. I used Bruce’s yams in the can but left everything else the same and it came it great. I will be cooking it again. Thank you for sharing!
Delicious pie! This is my second time making it. Thank you for sharing.
Soooo delicious. This is now my go to recipe. Thanks so much.
Holy moly, I just tasted the batter and it is perfect!! I can’t wait til tomorrow ‘s Thanksgiving dessert to try it!!!
Best sweet potato pie I’ve ever had. Wish my Daddy was still alive he loved him some sweet potato pie.
amazing!♥️ Delicious! I misread the recipe and added 1sp of cinnamon instead of 1/4…I also added…1/4 of nutmeg…Perfect recipe! Thank you!
What do i need to bake 8 potatoe pies
Can I use cook and serve vanilla pudding in the sweet potato recipe? Plus how many oz of pudding mix do I use?
Very nice. Verrrry sweet. Next time i will cut back the sugar and maybe use unsweetened condensed milk.
My rose up about an inch so note sure why.
Really good though. Im a terrible cook though but it was great. In australia we dont eat sweet potato as a dessert. Ever.
But this was great.
I found the recipe made more than a 9″ pie shell could accomodate but the flavor was great
Well, I wanted to try a new recipe for Thanksgiving, but i found this to be too sweet. I couldnt taste the sweet potato anymore, just vanilla. For me it was sweet enough with the condensed milk and vanilla extract. The vanilla pudding mix on top of it was too much for me. But thank you for the recipe. I love trying new things. I will say that the texture of the pie was very nice. So thank you for that.
I’m in Paris and finding canned pumpkin is near impossible so I thought for my ‘French Thanksgiving’ I would try a sweet potato pie instead. I’m so glad I did, it is really delicious. I did not add the box of vanilla pudding (you can’t get it in Paris) so after mashing the sweet potatoes, I let them cook down another 10-15 minutes to evaporate the excess water. After it cooled I mixed the remaining ingredients and used a 10 inch tart pan (also a French thing). I had to use an additional cup of mash, leaving all other measurements… Read more »
Absolutely Fabulous Thanks for sharing Recipe is perfect
This pie is amazing!!! I’d only had sweet potato pie once before and it was store bought. I wasn’t crazy about it so I figured I’d try to make one myself. I followed the recipe and added just a punch of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. It was soooo good. I made two of them and ended up eating about half of one by myself… whoops!! Everybody raved about it… I plan on making it again tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe!
My new go to recipe for sweet potato pie. Absolutely delicious.