Saving Room for Dessert

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Praline Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Praline Sweet Potato Pie - a dreamy combination of crunchy pecans, brown sugar, buttery caramel and soft maple-infused mashed sweet potatoes.

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Sweet potato pie with praline pecan topping

 

Move over sweet potato casserole – let’s put this amazing holiday favorite where it belongs … on the dessert table!

Praline Sweet Potato Pie – oh my. This is a dreamy combination of crunchy pecans, brown sugar, buttery caramel and soft maple-infused mashed sweet potatoes. Even with the praline topping I still believe this pie is not as sweet as many sweet potato casseroles I’ve tried over the years. Does your family have the annual heated debate about what’s better on the sweet potato casserole; a pecan topping or toasted marshmallows? No worries. I’ve got you covered. To satisfy all your holiday food critics, note the optional marshmallow topping in the recipe instructions. I’ve made this pie many times, but most often without the marshmallows. It’s all good!

 

Sweet potato pie with a praline pecan topping

Why is it that Sweet Potato Pie is not as beloved as pumpkin pie?  This pie is so much better! 

Sweet potatoes are so good and make the perfect base for this creamy pie filling. Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber and beta-carotene. They’re easy to cook, inexpensive and filling. And they’re so delicious whipped into a smooth creamy concoction flavored with real maple syrup. Did I mention how perfect they are paired with pecans and caramel? Oh goodness, this is a moan-worthy treat for sure!

 

A slice of sweet potato pie with pecans and a caramel topping

If you don’t want to make your own pastry, buy refrigerated pie dough or a frozen crust and you’re halfway there.

If you haven’t tried it yet, check out our Perfect Pie Crust Recipe made in 3 Easy Steps complete with video! Click HERE to get the recipe for our pie crust.

 

 

A slice of sweet potato pie with a praline pecan topping

This Praline Sweet Potato Pie is easily made ahead and stored until needed.

It keeps well for several days but, of course, is at it’s best served within about 24 hours. The crust will get a little soft over time, but nothing drastic or off-putting. The pie holds together beautifully and travels well. If you’re looking for a new no-fail recipe to try this Thanksgiving, you can make this pie recipe with confidence. Even your pumpkin pie hating peeps will love this pie. It’s that good!

 

Sweet potato pie with a praline pecan topping and toasted marshmallows

With or without marshmallows, this is one terrific Sweet Potato Pie!

If your loved ones dig the marshmallow topping on sweet potato casserole, perhaps you could add a few toasted marshmallows to your pie. The marshmallows are best added just before serving so they’ll be all toasty warm and melty. Just saying – we aim to please and want everybody to be happy for the holidays!

 

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A slice of praline sweet potato pie on a plate covered with pecans

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Praline Sweet Potato Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: 8
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 6 votes
Move over sweet potato casserole - let's put this amazing holiday favorite where it belongs ... on the dessert table!

Ingredients

For the pie filling:

  • 1 pastry for a single crust pie (SEE NOTES)
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes about 5 medium
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 whole egg
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup buttermilk

For the praline topping:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 ½ tablespoons milk
  • ¾ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup mini-marshmallows (optional)

Instructions

  • Prepare the pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the dough and crimp the edges as desired. Place the pie shell in the refrigerator for 60 minutes. This will help control shrinkage during the blind bake.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line the chilled pastry with two sheets of heavy-duty foil, then fill with 2 cups dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, beans or weights and return the pastry to the oven. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

To make the pie filling:

  • Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a double layer of paper towels in the microwave. Cook at full power for 5 minutes then turn each potato over and cook another 5 minutes or until tender, but not mushy. Cool the potatoes for 10 minutes then cut each one in half crosswise. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Discard the skins. You should have 2 cups of flesh. Add 2 tablespoons butter and mash with a fork while the potatoes are still warm. A few small lumps of potato are fine.
  • In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the egg yolks, egg, sugar, maple syrup, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon vanilla and buttermilk. Add the egg mixture to the sweet potatoes and fold together gently with a rubber spatula until combined.
  • Place the pie crust on a foil lined baking sheet. Pour the sweet potato filling into the pie crust. Use little strips of foil to create a collar and shield the edges of the crust to prevent over-browning. Bake for 40 minutes.
  • After the pie is in the oven for 30 minutes, make the praline topping. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. With the pie still in the oven remove the foil from the around the edge of the crust. Sprinkle the pecans over the partially baked pie then carefully pour the hot brown sugar mixture over the pecans. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the center of the pie appears set when shaken.
  • Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pie keeps up to 4 days.

Recipe Notes

We suggest making our Perfect Pie Crust in 3-Easy Steps. Complete with video, this easy crust is flaky and delicious. Click HERE for the recipe for our Pie Crust.
(OPTIONAL) If using marshmallows as a topping, add just before serving. Preheat the oven broiler on low. Sprinkle the pie with 1 cup of mini-marshmallows. Place under the broiler (not too close to the element) with the oven door propped open. Broil until the marshmallows are lightly browned and puffy. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 532mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 16437IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 2mg

 

Here are a few more holiday pie recipes you might enjoy:

Classic Apple Pie - sliced with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top

Our Classic Double Crust Apple Pie Recipe – made with tart, juicy apples piled high and wrapped in a buttery, flaky, double crust pastry. To me, nothing says ‘home’ like Apple Pie! Click HERE to get the recipe for Apple Pie.

 

Fudgy chocolate pecan pie loaded with pecans

Chocolate Pecan Pie – Fudgy and rich, this is an easy pie to make and a favorite of everyone during the holidays. Click HERE to get the recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie.

 

 

A pretty pumpkin tart with a pecan crumble on top and pastry cutouts to look like acorns and leaves

Pumpkin Tart with Pecan Crumble ~ a surprisingly unique and delicious tart with a cream cheese pumpkin base and a sweet, crunchy crumble top loaded with toasted pecans. Click HERE to get the recipe for the Pumpkin Tart.

 

 

Featured Ingredient: Pure Maple Syrup

a bottle of maple syrup

This recipe calls for pure maple syrup in the filling and in the pecan praline topping. Don’t substitute any old syrup – use only the best, real-deal maple syrup. Amazon carries some good brands if your local grocery store does not. Enjoy!

  *Saving Room for Dessert is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program ~ I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog. Thanks for supporting SRFD!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia

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26 Comments

  1. Sharon

    3 stars
    I made the praline topping in the microwave.
    I needed it to fix up a sweet potato pie from another recipe I used. Sorry didn’t see yours til I was looking up praline toppings!
    So I poured over top the other pie.
    It made the other pie look SO much better!.
    From now on I will use your Sweet potato pie recipe now that I found it😃
    Thank you

    Reply

  2. Jennifer

    I’m excited to try this. But please note…2 C of mashed sweet potatoes is actually ONE pound of potatoes, not 2. I looked it up online.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Jennifer. I usually measure everything while creating recipes so I went back and checked my notes. It’s correct as written. However, just to make sure I baked a large 14.5 ounce sweet potato and ended up with about 1 cup of mashed. Therefore I think you’ll need more than one pound so I’d buy extra just to make sure you have enough. Enjoy!

      Reply

  3. Estela Padilla

    5 stars
    It appears based on ingredients, it will be delicious. Thanks I will try it for Thanksgiving, can’t wait to see my family’s reaction. Thanks

    Reply

  4. Postuleo Jones

    4 stars
    I made this recipe over the Thanks giving holiday, and I must say, it turned out great. I’d never cooked a sweet potato in the microwave before, and I’ll admit, I was bit unsure/curious how it’d turn out. But sure enough, microwaving really is a ridiculously simple way to prepare a sweet potato, and the resulting flesh was nice and soft and easy to mash. Here’s where I messed up. I anticipated I’d be a lazy scooper when it came time to remove the flesh from the skin. I really wanted to reach the 2 cups the recipe called for, so I thought I’d be clever and cook 2lbs 2oz of potato instead of just 2lbs. I ended up being much more thorough with my scooping than anticipated, and I had much more potato than I needed. I had the opportunity to do the smart thing and measure out the 2 cups, but that’s when the laziness finally came into play. I decided to use all of the potato and wound up with more filling than I needed. Which sucked because the praline sauce on top was DELICIOUS!!!

    I almost didn’t make it on time. Reading the instructions (step number 4 to be precise), I was under the impressiom I was supposed to let the pie bake for 30 minutes THEN start making the praline sauce. Luckily, I realized that wasn’t the case and that the sauce was supposed to go on top after the 30 minutes of bake time. I was able to get the sauce ready in time, but I couldn’t really use as much of it as I wanted since I’d overfilled the pie and didn’t want things spilling over.

    Even with my mistake, the pie turned out great! The filling was smooth, you could taste the spice, it wasn’t overly sweet, and the maple flavor really did shine through to pair well with the nuttiness of the pecans on top. Only thing I needed more of was the praline lol, so I’ll be sure to not overfill the pie next time so I can properly sauce it. Thanks for the recipe! ?

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Monie. Whether you use a frozen crust, store-bought refrigerated crust or homemade, I recommend blind-baking the crust to prevent it from getting soggy. It’s simple to do and will make a big difference in the final product. You can line the pie shell with foil or parchment paper. Send me an email if you want to discuss in more detail. Thanks!

      Reply

  7. mae

    Looks like a delicious pie! I usually like sweet potatoes and pumpkin to be made less sweet, not more. But the flavors here are appealing.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    Reply

  8. Susan

    You know, I’ve never had nor made sweet potato pie! My mother always made pumpkin pie so, naturally, that’s what I still make 🙂 We would always eat sweet potatoes baked right in their jackets with a dollop of fresh butter and love the taste so I know I would love them made into a pie too. That pecan praline topping looks right up my alley!

    Reply

  10. Pam

    Woo hoo, Tricia! You got me on praline! My, my, my, what a fine dessert, perfect for Thanksgiving! I’d make a meal of it, after all, sweet potato is a veggie! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply