Sweet potato pecan pie combines two classic favorites into one delicious dessert, perfect for Thanksgiving and all your fall festivities!
Every once in awhile a recipe comes along and redefines what you thought you knew about dessert. (OK, if you’re more sane than I am about your desserts maybe this has never happened to you, but for me, as a certifiable sugar-aholic, this is a thing.)
This sweet potato pecan pie is one of those recipes. Pecan pie, for me, is so often overly sweet and I can’t stomach more than a bite or two. But combine it with the creamy, spicy deliciousness of a sweet potato pie and I’m fully on board.
The spices in the sweet potato layer cut through the sweet of the pecan layer to make
one epically delicious, mind-blowingly awesome Thanksgiving dessert. You get the sticky-sweet pecan pie crunch, and the creamy, spicy deliciousness of a sweet potato pie in one perfect slice.
And hey, there’s a bonus here. Instead of eating one slice of pecan pie and one slice of sweet potato, by combining the two you save time out of your day and room in your stomach for more Thanksgiving fare! I’m all about efficiency.
Side note: I’m ridiculously proud of the braided crust. It’s a fishtail braid (tutorial by Martha) and, while I’ll never be able to do that to my hair, I’m darn happy with the pastry results.
Pretty food really does taste better doesn’t it? To get the golden color, I brushed an egg white mixed with about a teaspoon of water over the braid after I attached it to the pie shell. To attach the braid I brushed a little water over the edges of the pie crust where it came up over the pie pan. Then I brushed water on the bottom of the braid, then lightly pressed the braid into the crust.
If you’re looking for a dessert to add to your Thanksgiving menu, try this sweet potato pecan pie! Or this pumpkin cheesecake brownie pie, or this apple cake, or this pumpkin cheesecake layer cake.
At this point, I’ve actually given up on planning a Thanksgiving menu because I just keep adding desserts. I won’t have time/room in my oven for turkey and stuffing.
If you’re interested in an all-dessert Thanksgiving dinner then head on over to my house. We’ll eat around 2.
Sweet potato pecan pie combines two classic favorites into one delicious Thanksgiving dessert!
- single pie crust for a 9-inch pie
- 2 to 3 sweet potatoes baked and peeled (enough to make 1 cup mashed sweet potato)
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- whipped cream for serving
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Roll dough out to a 11-inch circle and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Press into the pan and flute the edges; trim off excess dough. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, sugars, egg yolk, heavy cream, butter, vanilla, salt, and spices. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
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Combine all ingredients EXCEPT pecans in a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer set to low until mixture is thick and opaque, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat on low for a few seconds more. Fold in pecans with a rubber spatula.
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Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the refrigerated pie crust and smooth the top. Pour the pecan syrup over the sweet potato. Bake 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream.
Adapted from Stop and Smell the Rosemary
This is definitely the season for pecan pie and I completely agree with you on the overly sweet side – it is nice that you combined it with sweet potato to make it less sweet and I just love the braided crust, looks so professional!
Miriam x
Thank you so much, Miriam! Have a great weekend, my dear!
Holy cow, that braided crust! That was the first thing I noticed when I opened up this post, Kelsie. You really should start a bakery, my friend! I’ve never thought about combining pecan pie with sweet potato pie, but I can totally see how this would work. But if I eat 2 slices of this pie, is that equivalent to eating 4 slices of the individual pies? 🙂 Oh, and for Thanksgiving, I’ll be there at 2:00 sharp for my pie!!
Haha! I don’t think I have the patience for a bakery. It took me like an hour for this one pie! And no. Two slices of this pie is like one slice of regular pie. Trust me, I’m a math genius. Or something. Have a great weekend, David!
WOWOWOWOW! That fishtail is amazing! I love the idea of this combination. It’s like all of the whole Thanksgiving dessert table rolled up into one pretty package!
Thank you, Carlee! I don’t think I can ever go back to an unbraided crust!
That is totally screaming Thanksgiving holidays! I love sweet potatoes and agree with you on the pecan pie…way too sweet, even for us sweet treat addicts! Looks like a total winner Kelsie!!
Thank you, Kim! Now if we just top this with some chocolate we’re set 🙂
I am not the biggest pie fan, mostly because I find them all to be a little too sweet, so this pie sounds like it is right up my alley! Adding sweet potatoes to pecan pie is just BRILLIANT! I have a few sweet potatoes sitting on my counter, and while I had other plans for them, I’m thinking those plans need to go right out the window so I can make this pie! SO YUM! Cheers, friend!
Thank you, Chey! I can’t wait to see what you do with the sweet potatoes! Have a great weekend, dearie!
Count me in for 2pm, Kelsie! I love this hybrid of sweet potato and pecan pie. What an awesome idea! I completely agree with you on the pecan pie…it is too sweet for me and I can only have a tiny slice at a time. Cutting the sweetness down with the sweet potato is genius!! Excellent job on the braid too??! Pinning.
I’ll see you then! Thank you, Thao :). Happy Friday-eve!
I dig how you roll…by combining both pies in one, we are more efficient, thereby creating the opportunity for more mashed potatoes! And I’m a big believer in pretty food tasting better! This is a winner!
YES! Thank you, Annie!
What is true is true Kelsie! This is such a creative alternative to boring pumpkin pies! I am not sure I would succeed in the braiding ( I have a story about messing up the empanada twists once, braiding is much harder, I am sure I will mess that up too, lol). Looks great, so rustic and inviting, pinned!
Haha! This crust took a few tries. Pastry is awfully delicate! Thank you, Milena!
Definitely be proud of that braided crust! That looks amazing! And this pie looks so yummy too. Pie perfection 🙂 xoxo
Thank you Kelly! Hope you’re having a great weekend, girlie!
I love sweet potatoes…and in pie even better. This is an amazing recipe and I cannot wait to try it out. And that braided crust… absolutely loving it . Have a great weekend Kelsie. ?
Thank you so much, Ashika! You too!
Ahhhhh!!! I may have to add this to our Thanksgiving menu this year! Two of my favorite pies combined into one! Delicious.
Thank you Amy! It’s on my menu for sure 🙂
That braided crust is a thing of beauty!!! You are so artistic Kelsie?? A mashup of the two fabulous pies sounds like the best thing ever,. This need to go down every Thanksgiving my friend.
Awww thank you so much, Maria! Happy Sunday!
I can’t get over that braided pie crust!! You are so talented my friend!! Be proud!! What a delicious pie mash-up. Keep it comin girl! Xo
Thank you Katherine! I’m hoping this means someday I’ll be able to braid my hair, too. . .for now it’s only pastry I can deal with, haha!
I want to eat that braid. <3 Beautiful pie and great flavor combo!
Thank you, Jessie! Have a great rest of your weekend!
now we don’t have to pick between the two best pies at the dessert table! see ya, pumpkin–you don’t stand a chance!
Haha! I feel the same way 🙂
I do the same at Christmas, I plan 12 desserts and 6 different sides but forget about anything else. What can I say I’m addicted to side dishes and dessert. This pie really does look lovely, well done on that braid, stunning!
Haha! Oh, the life of a vegetarian right? We have our priorities straight :). Thank you, Emma!
Oh, I am all about the all-dessert Thanksgiving! I’ll be there! This sounds fantastic! And that braid – WOW! You are a pastry genius – I’m always way to nervous about the flakiness to spend much time with decorating it. It’s beautiful. I also love the idea of combining sweet potato and pecan, because either one alone is fine, but I usually want just a bit more interest in my Holiday sweets. Thanks for the recipe!
Yaaay! It’s gonna be awesome! Thank you so much, Laura!
You’ve combined my two favorite holiday pies. But sometimes pecan pie can be a little too sweet for me, so this strikes the perfect balance!
YES! It just hurts your teeth sometimes right? Thank you, Marissa! Have a great weekend!
How did I miss this recipe last week?! I’m positive your blog was trying to hide this pie from me. Detective Ben always finds a good dessert:) The thing is that I’ve never tried a sweet potato pie! You know, sometimes there are certain things you’ve never tried but you you’re already sceptical about it (That feeling when you’re “Oh I haven’t liked this from the moment I was born”) Maybe it’s just the words “potato” and “dessert” going together. For instance, I love baked potato mash, but I always make a savory version – never tried adding cranberries, pecans, maple etc (Sounds not very appealing to me). On the other hand, I made sweet potato pancakes and waffles, and they tasted amazing. Anyway, a sweet potato pie is on my list, and I’ll try it one day. Besides, your version looks and sounds utterly delicious and luscious so I might be making it earlier than was expected 🙂
Ben, you crack me up! You combine such unexpected ingredients but combining sweet potato and cranberry doesn’t sound appealing? Hahaha! I think you’ll love sweet potato pie. It’s kind of like pumpkin pie, but I like it better :). Have a great weekend, my friend!
That crust look amazing!
Thank you, Teesh!