Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Delight in the flavors of Purple Sweet Potato Pie, where velvety purple sweet potato filling meets the clouds of a marshmallow meringue. Wrapped in layers of a flaky pie crust it’s a gratitude-packed sensation that brings warmth and indulgence to your holiday table.

As Thanksgiving approaches, my affection for Sweet Potato Pie prompted me to shake things up by introducing purple sweet potatoes into the mix. The result was a flavor revelation, leaving me in a delightful quandary—should I savor this newfound favorite, stick to the classic Pumpkin Pie, or dive into the tempting world of Apple Cranberry Pie?

Slice of Purple Sweet Potato Pie topped with a marshmallow meringue.

What I Love About This Recipe

  • Unique Flavor: Purple sweet potatoes bring a unique, sweet flavor that sets this pie apart from the traditional.
  • Beautiful: The rich, royal purple hue adds a visually stunning element to your dessert spread.
  • Thanksgiving Twist: Purple sweet potato pie is a delightful variation for the holiday table, adding a touch of novelty to the classic Thanksgiving lineup.

How to Make Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Wrapped potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet for making purple sweet potato pie.
Pie dough in a pie plate with a crimped edge for making purple sweet potato pie.
Mashed potatoes for making purple sweet potato pie.
  1. Bake the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Cover each unpeeled sweet potato in foil and bake them for 1 hour until tender. To check their readiness, pierce a potato with a fork—soft and yielding indicates it’s done. If it maintains firmness, continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Allow them to cool.
  2. Arrange the pie crust. Roll the pie dough into a 13-inch circle and carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Instead of trimming off the excess pie dough, fold the extra crust over the pie dish edge. Create a crimped edge with your knuckles. Chill the crust in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
  3. Mash the potatoes. After the sweet potatoes have cooled, unwrap them and peel away the skin. Place the potatoes in a bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until mashed.
Purple sweet potato pie filling for making purple sweet potato pie.
Mixing the filling for purple sweet potato pie.
Unbaked purple sweet potato pie.
  1. Mix in the brown sugar, softened butter, cornstarch, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest.
  2. Add the eggs and milk. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, ensuring thorough mixing before adding in the milk.
  3. Bake. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Let the pie bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling sets firmly.
  1. Prepare the sugar syrup. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a saucepan and add the water, sugar, and corn syrup stirring to combine. Set the heat to medium-high and let the mixture heat without stirring.
  2. Beat the egg whites. Once the sugar syrup starts producing bubbles and the thermometer registers around 225°F to 230°F, take the egg whites and cream of tartar, placing them in your stand mixer’s bowl. Whip the whites until they reach soft peaks, about 4 minutes.
  3. Add the sugar syrup. Remove the sugar syrup when it reaches 240º F. While the mixer is moving, slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites, maintaining a steady stream. Continue to whip until a fluffy texture forms.
Purple sweet potato pie with marshmallow meringue on top.
  1. Toast the meringue. Set the oven to broil and spread the marshmallow meringue on top of the pie. Place the pie in the oven to toast the meringue, but continue to watch it as it will brown very quickly.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions

  • To Make-Ahead: The entire purple sweet potato pie recipe can be made from scratch the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can prepare the pie crust and filling separately the day before, refrigerating them until ready to bake the next day.
  • To Store: For optimal freshness, refrigerate purple sweet potato pie if not consumed within 2 hours of being at room temperature. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Ensure the pie is fully cooled before loosely covering it with plastic wrap for storage.
  • Freezing Instructions: Freeze a fully cooked purple sweet potato pie for a maximum of 3 months. After letting it cool entirely, wrap it first with plastic wrap and then with a double layer of aluminum foil before placing it in the freezer. Don’t prepare the meringue topping until ready to serve.
Slice of purple sweet potato pie with a fork scooping out a bite.

Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Indulge in the exquisite taste of Purple Sweet Potato Pie, where the silky purple sweet potato filling harmonizes with billowy clouds of marshmallow meringue. Encased in layers of flaky pie crust, this dessert is a celebration of gratitude, infusing warmth and indulgence into your holiday table.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 472kcal
Author: Aimee Mars

Equipment

  • Rimmed Baking Sheet
  • 9" Pie Dish
  • Stand Mixer
  • Saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch Homemade Pie Crust or store-bought, deep dish, unbaked
  • lbs Purple Sweet Potatoes washed and scrubbed
  • 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 4 tablespoons Butter softened
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
  • 3 large Eggs
  • 3/4 cup Heavy Cream

Marshmallow Meringue

  • 1/3 cup Water
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
  • 3 large Egg Whites room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

  • Bake the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Cover each unpeeled sweet potato in foil and bake them for 1 hour until tender. To check their readiness, pierce a potato with a fork—soft and yielding indicates it's done. If it maintains firmness, continue baking for an additional 10 minutes. Allow them to cool.
  • Arrange the pie crust. Roll the pie dough into a 13-inch circle and carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Instead of trimming off the excess pie dough, fold the extra crust over the pie dish edge. Create a crimped edge with your knuckles. Chill the crust in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
  • Mash the potatoes. After the sweet potatoes have cooled, unwrap them and peel away the skin. Place the potatoes in a bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until mashed.
  • Mix in the brown sugar, softened butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, salt, and orange zest.
  • Add the eggs and milk. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, ensuring thorough mixing before adding in the milk.
  • Bake. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Let the pie bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling sets firmly.
  • Prepare the sugar syrup. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a saucepan and add the water, sugar, and corn syrup stirring to combine. Set the heat to medium-high and let the mixture heat without stirring.
  • Beat the egg whites. Once the sugar syrup starts producing bubbles and the thermometer registers around 225°F to 230°F, take the egg whites and cream of tartar, placing them in your stand mixer's bowl. Whip the whites until they reach soft peaks, about 4 minutes.
  • Add the sugar syrup. Remove the sugar syrup when it reaches 240º F. While the mixer is moving, slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites, maintaining a steady stream. Continue to whip until a fluffy texture forms.
  • Toast the meringue. Set the oven to broil and spread the marshmallow meringue on top of the pie. Place the pie in the oven to toast the meringue, but continue to watch it as it will brown very quickly.

Notes

  • To Make-Ahead: The entire purple sweet potato pie recipe can be made from scratch the day before and stored in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can prepare the pie crust and filling separately the day before, refrigerating them until ready to bake the next day.
  • To Store: For optimal freshness, refrigerate purple sweet potato pie if not consumed within 2 hours of being at room temperature. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Ensure the pie is fully cooled before loosely covering it with plastic wrap for storage.
  • Freezing Instructions: Freeze a fully cooked purple sweet potato pie for a maximum of 3 months. After letting it cool entirely, wrap it first with plastic wrap and then with a double layer of aluminum foil before placing it in the freezer. Don’t prepare the meringue topping until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 416mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 65g | Vitamin A: 12672IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg
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About The Author

Aimee

I’m thrilled you’ve stopped by my space here and love to connect with new friends through food. I’ve always felt sharing meals brings people together, which is one of the many reasons I began this site.

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