It might be heresy to admit at this time of year, but pumpkin pie isn’t really my thing. I make one every year, but it’s only out of a sense of duty. I’ve used canned pumpkin and I’ve roasted and pureed my own. I’ve spiced it up with ginger and with maple whipped cream and I’ve gone rogue and served pumpkin cheesecake instead. Pumpkin pie’s…okay.
No more, my friends. Farewell, so-so pumpkin desserts. Hello, sweet potato pie.
The proprietress of my local coffee shop also happens to own the pie shop I mentioned the other day, and also happens to have written the Cutie Pies cookbook. So when she talked up her sweet potato pie recipe while making my latte the other day, I listened.
If you’re a sweet-potato-and-marshmallow-traditionalist, you’ll love the original recipe. But I couldn’t help tinkering as I went, and I divided the filling to make two smaller pies, omitting the marshmallows from this version (so it’s less sweet) and swirling a sugared cream cheese and yogurt drizzle on top instead. I liked both versions so much that I had a piece of each. Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?
Note: If you don’t have a deep 9″ pie plate, you will end up with extra filling. Consider baking it into hand pies by scooping a few Tbsp. filling into 6″ pie crust rounds. Brush the edge with egg and press with a fork to crimp and seal. Cut 2 or 3 slits in the top and bake alongside your pie until golden (20-30 minutes).
Sweet Potato Pie with a Cream Cheese Swirl (adapted from Cutie Pies): Peel 4 medium sweet potatoes and cut them into 1″ chunks. Boil until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. While they’re cooking, mash together 1/4 c. softened cream cheese, 1/4 c. greek yogurt, and 1/4 c. powdered sugar. (If the cream cheese is lumpy, I try warming the mixture briefly in the microwave or pushing it through a sieve to break up the lumps–anyone have a better technique?) Set the cream cheese mixture aside and preheat your oven to 375.
Drain sweet potatoes well, then puree in a food processor. In a large bowl, whisk 3 eggs, then beat in 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp. melted butter, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. salt, and a few pinches each of ground cloves and nutmeg (or use your own favorite pumpkin sweet potato pie spices). Add the pureed sweet potatoes and stir to thoroughly combine. Roll out your favorite pie crust and line a deep pie dish, folding and pinching the edge into a fancy shape. Fill with the sweet potato filling. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top and use a toothpick to create a swirl design.
Bake at 375 until the crust is golden and the filling has set.* It can be tricky to tell when the pie is done, but the center should no longer appear wobbly and a knife inserted midway between the crust and the pie’s center should come out moist but clean. This usually takes 50-60 minutes for a pumpkin pie, but since I made smaller pies I didn’t test the baking time for the full-sized sweet potato pie; I’d advise you to start checking it after 40 minutes.
*If the crust starts to darken before the middle is cooked, take a square of aluminum foil big enough to cover the pie and fold it in half. Tear a circle out of the center of the square about the right size to expose the middle of the pie but not the crust. Now you can fold the square over the pie, leaving the center uncovered while preventing the crust from overbaking.
Emmy Cooks 
This looks so delish! i’m not a very good cook but it really makes me want to try.
Now I know why I couldn’t find a pumpkin pie recipe on your site — it was the first place I looked.
I’d never have thought of a sweet potato pie, interesting.
I’ve never made a sweet potato pie though I ate plenty of them when I lived in the South-yum. I love the cream cheese swirl idea too. Perfect timing–Today I’m making my list of what to make for Thanksgiving. Cheers!
I love just about all kinds of pie. Sweet potato and pumpkin are both on that list. I have never made a sweet potato pie, though. And on the to-make list it goes!
Hello Costco for a box of sweet potatoes ;-)
This is a beautiful pie, and I love the idea of the cream cheese swirl. We’re pumpkin pie enthusiasts around here, but I’d love to give this one a try. (I just can’t tell my daughter, the Traditional Pumpkin Pie Enforcer 😊)
I would trade an entire pumpkin pie for one slice of that. It looks gorgeous!
I think pumpkin-y things like this are often named “pumpkin swirl cheesecake” rather than “pumpkin pie with a cream cheese swirl,” but with your recipe it seems like it’s such a good balanced ratio of flavors, that you could go either way with the name. (Did you use all 6 cups of the sweet potato puree? For one pie or both? Ha, you can probably tell that I have very little experience in the pie-baking department…)
Also thanks for the tip on cooking the center while preventing the crust from burning– I’ve never heard of doing that before! : )
The recipe above makes one full-sized pie–I should clarify that after talking about making mini pies in the post above! Thanks for pointing that out. And I had to include “cream cheese” in the name because oh, I’m a sucker for sweet cream cheese in desserts. :)
I’m a sucker for cream cheese, too… in desserts, and otherwise. So I understand. :)
Yum! I am TOTALLY making this next week!
Now you’re talking – Nothing better than sweet potato anything, Especially Pie. This sounds wonderful and I love the pictures!
Coming from the south I’ve eaten many a sweet potato pie. But they never looked this good! Delicious Emmy! Happy Thanksgiving :)
I do love Pumpkin in lots of things but I have always preferred Sweet Potato Pie over Pumpkin. There is nothing like a great one! Do you live in Cap Hill?
Reblogged this on All Favorite Recipes.
I just made this for an early Thanksgiving potluck that is becoming a tradition for us here in Atlanta. I have to admit that I cheated and used pre-made pie crusts and this recipe made 2 of those. . .maybe they’re smaller than a full sized pie dish or maybe our sweet potatoes down here are bigger? In any case, I made a double-batch of the cream-cheese stuff and they are in the oven now–can’t wait to try ’em! Thanks, Em!!! xoxo, r:)
I wish I could come to your potluck! We miss you! Thanks so much for your note–I just did a little research just now and learned how much the volume of my pie plate probably differs from yours (lots!). I’ll add a note to scale back the filling if you don’t have a 9″ deep dish pie plate! And I’ll specify medium sweet potatoes. :)
So pretty!
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Sorry, I LOVE pumpkin pie, just the way it is, but you have me intrigued with a sweet potato pie :)
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