Southern Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie (2024)

Published: Aug 23, 2021 · Last Modified: Aug 23, 2024 by Jazzmine Woodard · This post may contain affiliate links · 27 Comments

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My southern bourbon sweet potato pie is a Soul Food family favorite! With a silky smooth, spiced and spiked sweet potato filling and all-butter crust, you'll fall in love at first bite.

I referred to the soulful baking prowess of my dear, late maternal grandmother and the infamous Patti LaBelle when developing this recipe and I think I did them proud. Don't be intimidated by the history behind this recipe because I know that you can make it for your family, too.

And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my southern sweet potato pecan pie, too!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love this Recipe
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Should I roast or boil sweet potatoes for pie?
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie with Bourbon
Pro Tip #1
Pro Tip #2
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie Filling Smooth
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Serve
More Soul Food Favorite Dessert Recipes
Southern-Style Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Made the Old Fashioned Way - If you look forward to Thanksgiving all year, this southern-style bourbon sweet potato pie recipe is for you. It is a staple at our holiday table that I've perfected over the years thanks to two great culinary muses in my life.

Perfect Sweet Potato Flavor - The flavor profile of this pie is creamy, sweet, and earthy with caramelized warming spices and notes of butter, oak, and vanilla.

I inherited my knack for holiday desserts from my grandma and it doesn't stop with this bomb sweet potato pie. Check out my butter pecan pound cake, Georgia peach cobbler, apple pear cranberry crumble pie, and praline sweet potato bread pudding!

What You'll Need for this Recipe

Wondering what does Patti Labelle put in her sweet potato pie? My version is actually how to make Patti Labelle sweet potato pie better! Here's what to add to your grocery list.

Sweet Potatoes, of course! I recommend Jewel or Garnet for their earthy and slightly sweet flavor, bright orange color, and texture that's easy to work with.

Should I roast or boil sweet potatoes for pie?

Short answer, you should roast sweet potatoes for sweet potato pie.

Roasting sweet potatoes deepens their flavor and doesn't mess with their texture the way that boiling does. When you boil sweet potatoes, they get tender but they also get a bit waterlogged, which is not great for pie filling.

Many recipes, including Ms. Patti's original recipe, will instruct you to boil your sweet potatoes. I'm not here to say that's wrong but I am here to say that roasting is my preference.

Bourbon Whiskey I recommend using a good quality bourbon to spike this sweet potato filling. Go for one you would enjoy sipping neat or in your favorite whiskey co*cktail. The alcohol will cook away, leaving only the flavor behind, which is why the quality matters.

Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar for texture and taste. I love the caramelized molasses flavor that brown sugar adds. You can use either light or dark brown sugar interchangeably.

Cinnamon and Nutmeg add dimension of subtle warmth, and it's my opinion that you can't make a good sweet potato pie without them.

Heavy Cream helps make the filling smooth and, well, creamy. Alternatively, you can use half and half or even plain milk in a pinch.

Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!

Substitutions & Variations

Spices - Wondering what spices belong in a sweet potato pie? in addition to nutmeg and cinnamon, you can also mix in cardamom, ginger, and/or clove!

Store-bought Crust - If you are short on time come Turkey Day, you can grab frozen or chilled pie dough from the store and proceed to make the homemade filling.

Canned Yams - On the flip side, you can jazz up a can of candied sweet potatoes or even use leftover homemade yams. Either way, you won't need to roast them and can reduce the amount of sugar by about half.

How to Make Sweet Potato Pie with Bourbon

Crust

Step One:Combine the crust ingredients until a dough forms then shape the dough into a disc (like a hockey puck). Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill. (Photo One)

Pro Tip #1

Be sure to use ice cold butter and water for making the sweet potato pie dough. This helps create pockets of butter throughout the dough that bake into beautiful flaky crust.

Step Two:Roll out the chilled dough and place it over a round pie pan. (Photo Two)

Step Three:Gently press the dough into the pan, cut off the excess around the edges, and shape the edges. Use a fork to prick the bottom. (Photo Three)

Step Four:Par bake the dough for about 15 minutes. (Photo Four)

Pro Tip #2

Par baking, also called blind baking, partially cooks a pie crust before adding the filling so that it doesn't shrink while baking. Add pie weights or dry goods like rice or lentils over parchment paper to help it keep shape.

Filling

Step Five: Roast the sweet potatoes until fork tender--meaning you can pierce them with a dinner fork. The skin will be wrinkly and easy to pull away. (Photo Five)

Step Six: Peel and puree the sweet potatoes until smooth. (Photo Six)

How to Make Sweet Potato Pie Filling Smooth

For silky smooth pie filling free of any pesky sweet potato strings, use a food processor to break down the sweet potatoes and combine your filling ingredients. You can use a stand mixer or your own elbow grease, if need be, but a food processor is the most efficient and yields the best results.

Step Seven: Mix the sweet potato puree with the other filling ingredients until uniform and smooth. (Photo Seven)

Step Eight: Spread the filling into the crust and baked until crust is golden brown and filling is cooked through. (Photo Eight)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make sweet potato pie ahead of time?

Yes! You can make the whole pie up to two days ahead of time and chill or freeze it until you need it. Alternatively, you can make just the pie dough ahead of time and/or roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time. Either step will be a good start.

To make your pie ahead of time, let it cool fully to room temperature then wrap it up in foil and refrigerate until it's go-time.

How to store?

Store sweet potato pie covered in foil or plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to five days.

Can I freeze sweet potato pie?

To freeze, wrap the cooled pie in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Keeps for up to three months.

I remember planning my first Thanksgiving meal and being so nervous about all the steps to getting everything, including dessert right. Once I perfected the process, I created a guide that has helped so many people around this time of year.

And I know it will help you, too. Download my Holiday Dinner Guide for stress-free holiday dinners every year from now on!

How to Serve

This pie is great served warm or chilled but I prefer mine heated up. Add a dollop of whipped cream or a spoonful of southern praline sauce for extra razzle dazzle. Serve with ice cream if you want to get real decadent.

A good sweet potato pie is typically a given in Black families, whether you're serving Sunday dinner recipes or preparing a traditional Black family Thanksgiving spread. I've got a few more sweet thangs for you below!

More Soul Food Favorite Dessert Recipes

Want more recipes like this one? Try these:

Sweet Potato Pie Cheesecake with Spiced Crust
Bourbon Peach Cobbler in Cast Iron Skillet
The Ultimate Red Velvet Layer Cake with Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Best Southern Sweet Tea Pound Cake

Creating a sweet potato pie from scratch can seem like a daunting task because most of us think about the shoes we fill when doing so--my Grandma Carolyn and Ms. Patti, in this case. Now, there's a little magic and plenty of love poured into these steps but making this bourbon sweet potato pie is really as simple as it appears.

I am over here wishing you a wonderful holiday season filled with all the Thanksgiving pies you can handle and lots of family time. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this soulful sweet potato pie recipe over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

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Southern-Style Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie

Jazzmine Woodard

Sweet potato pie just like your southern Black grandma would make with a healthy dose of bourbon.

4.73 from 59 votes

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Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Soul Food

Servings 8 slices

Calories 446 kcal

Equipment

▢
1 Food Processor or stand mixer or hand mixer
▢
1 9-inch pie pan
▢
1 Rolling Pin
▢
1 silicone spatula or kitchen spoon

Ingredients

For the Bourbon Sweet Potato Filling

▢ 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes roughly 6 inches long and 3 inches thick)
▢ ¼ cup heavy cream
▢ 6 tablespoons butter melted
▢ 2 eggs beaten
▢ 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
▢ ½ cup brown sugar packed
▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the All-Butter Crust

▢ ¾ cups cold butter cut into cubes
▢ 1 ½ cup flour
▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
▢ 1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

How to Make the Pie Crust

Make the pie crust by incorporating sea salt, flour, and butter until a coarse, sandy-looking meal forms. This can be done in a bowl with your hands or in a food processor. Add cold water and continue working or pulsing the mixture until a dough forms. Shape into a disc (like a hockey puck), wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

How to Roast Sweet Potatoes for Pie Filling

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a fork or knife, pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork or knife (this will help them let out steam as they bake) then place directly on oven rack with a sheet pan underneath to catch any drippings. Roast for about 45 minutes or until tender then set aside to cool. You can place them in the refrigerator to speed up this process.

Making the Pie

Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees. Roll out chilled pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Remove excess dough from around sides of pan and crimp or style edges, as desired. Prick bottom of dough with a fork a few times then par bake for about 15 minutes then remove and decrease oven heat to 350 degrees. See notes about par baking below.
While the crust par bakes, process cooled sweet potatoes in a food processor until smooth. Add heavy cream, butter, eggs, bourbon, brown sugar, granulated sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sea salt then or pulse until uniform, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
Spread filling into prepared pie crust. Return to oven and bake for about one hour and 10 minutes or until top of filling is firm to touch. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

Tips for the Best Crust

It's important that the butter and water be as cold as possible (you can even freeze the butter) for great results. Cold butter will cluster in pockets throughout the dough that result in flaky, tender texture.

To prevent the dough from shrinking and falling during par baking, place a clean sheet of parchment paper over top then add pie weights, uncooked rice, uncooked beans or something similar over top of parchment paper. This will help the crust keep its shape. I've only had to do this once when making this type of pie but better safe than sorry!

Preparation

To make sweet potato pie ahead of time, allow the finished pie to come to room temperature then wrap snugly in foil. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Storage