Sweet potato pie is a delicious Southern pie that features simple ingredients, and it’s still an ultimate treat that holds with tradition. Patti Labelle’s sweet potato pie could be the best choice you could make, as it’s a signature option made with warm spices, half and half, sweet butter, and flavorful Louisiana yams. You’re sure to love it as much as we do!
There are few recipes available that are more delicious than a sweet potato pie. We just have to stop for a moment and say, “come on y’all!” The buttery pie crust, sweet creamy dollop on top, and an earthy filling make it the best bite in the world!
We have browsed many black folks sweet potato pie recipes, but we feel this one is truly unique and designed to be delicious. If you were to change one single ingredient in the pie recipe, you’d modify the whole flavor makeup. Therefore, we highly encourage you to use this one just as it is initially. Then, you can make minor adaptations to suit your taste buds.
The Recipe for Pattie Labelle’s Sweet Potato Pie
The recipe you’ll learn about today comes to us from Patti Labelle, the diva herself. She’s known for her talents with a microphone, but she’s also an amazing cook and baker in the kitchen. In fact, her pie recipes are as iconic as she is and perfectly delicious.
Patti got the amazing sweet potato pie recipe from Norma Gordon Harris, which is her best friend. Every single bite of the traditional southern pie is earthy, buttery, creamy, and sweet. This is an excellent option for the holidays, but people will also beg for it on special Sunday dinners and for dinner parties.
The Brown Sugar Crust
What makes this pie different from the rest? It features a thin layer of brown sugar as part of the bottom crust. The “black bottom” will help you get a caramelized flavor and prevents the filling from making your crust soggy.
In fact, we believe this is a genius hack that will make the sweet potato pie extra sweet and unique!
A Word About Sweet Potatoes and Other Ingredients
You’ll need quality ingredients when making Patti Labelle’s sweet potato pie. We recommend using Louisiana yams or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes because they’re creamy, colorful, and sweet. It’s also possible to microwave sweet potatoes. Others just boil them to make them tender.
We believe that unsalted butter provides a smooth texture and sweet taste. You don’t have to use it, but it will add a special touch if you choose high-quality European-style butters.
Granulated sugar and light brown sugar will both add sweetness to the dish. However, using both will introduce flavor contrasts, which is what you want for a beautiful sweet potato pie. Here are a few other pointers:
- Eggs should be at room temperature and fresh.
- Half and half will add some silkiness to your filling. However, you can use a mixture of heavy cream and whole milk if you’re in a pinch. Utilize 1/4 cream with 3/4 milk.
- Nutmeg and ground cinnamon layer on some warmth and earthy flavor.
Baking Tips for Patti Labelle’s Sweet Potato Pie
We realize that you might have a few concerns about making the best sweet potato pie, especially if it’s your first time. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Bake the Pie Crust Correctly – A sweet potato pie has a texture like a custard pie; it’s smooth and satiny. To create that creamy mouthfeel, you’ll have to watch the pie carefully while it bakes.
- Know When to Take It Out – When the pie is done, the center should only have a slight jiggle. If it’s completely set, it’s overcooked. In fact, the pie will continue to set during its rest period. Insert a knife into the edge of your pie; it will be clean but slightly moist.
- Allow It to Rest – This is the hardest part for most people because no one wants to wait while their tasty, warm pie is sitting there. We promise that you’ll get a hot mess if you cut into it too soon. It’s wise to let it sit for about two hours at room temperature after it’s baked. Then, you can cover it loosely and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. A full 24 hours is the best solution.
Storing Your Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pies often contain eggs and milk, so they’re pretty much baked custard pies. Therefore, you should store them in your refrigerator when you’re not cutting into them.
Once you bake the pie, it should cool completely at room temperature. This can take two hours. Test it by touching the bottom part of your pie pan; there shouldn’t be a slight hint of warmth here!
Once it’s cooled, you can add the whipped cream. Loosely cover everything with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 24 hours. It will last for three days or so before the pie crust gets soggy and inedible.
If you don’t eat it all in that time frame, you can freeze the pie for three months. However, the texture might change.
Conclusion
Are you ready to try your hand at Patti Labelle’s sweet potato pie? It’s a beautiful Southern pie that will wow your friends and family. We hope you feel confident now! Using our recipe will help you create a masterpiece that’s worth eating!
Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pie
Patti Labelle's sweet potato pie is a great recipe since it's a signature dish made with warm spices, half and half, sweet butter, and flavorful Louisiana yams.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1/3 c. ice water
- 1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening, chilled
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
Filling
- 3 large Louisiana yams or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
- 3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
- 8 tbsp. butter, melted
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/3 c. half and half
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- whipped cream (optional topping)
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Sift the salt and flour into a medium bowl and then add the shortening. With a pastry blender or fork, cut the shortening into your flour until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs. There should be some pea-sized bits within. Stir it up with a fork while gradually adding water until the mixture comes together. You may require more/less water. Gather the dough, pressing it into a thicker disk. If you wish, you can wrap it in wax paper, refrigerating it for about 1 hour.
- On your lightly floured surface, roll your dough into a 13-inch circle that's about 1/8-inch thick, folding it in half. Then, transfer this to your 9-inch pie pan, gently unfolding the pie dough with an overhang of 1 inch. You can then fold it under itself to get it flush with your pan's edge. Flute around to make it pretty. Then, cover the whole thing with plastic wrap. You'll need to refrigerate this while you make the filling.
Filling
- Fill a large pot with water and add some salt. Boil it over high heat, and then add your sweet potatoes, reducing your heat to medium. You will cook it until your sweet potatoes are tender. Test this by piercing them with a knife. It should take roughly 30 minutes. Drain them, running them under cold water until you can handle them. Peel your sweet potatoes and put them into a medium bowl.
- Mash the sweet potatoes with your electric mixer set on medium speed until they're smooth. Then, measure out 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, keeping the leftovers for something else. Set the bowl aside.
Assembling the Pie
- Preheat your oven temperature to about 400 F. It's time to uncover your pie shell, brushing the inside with that melted butter. Now, sprinkle roughly 1/4 cup of your brown sugar onto the bottom part of your pie shell, and bake until your pie dough is set and starting to brown. This should take 15 minutes. However, if your pie shell puffs, you should not prick it.
- While waiting for the pie dough, mix your mashed sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, eggs, the remaining melted butter, the granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and half and half in your medium bowl with your electric mixer on low speed. Spread it into your partially-baked pie shell, and smooth the filling.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350 F, and bake the pie for about 1.5 to two hours. A knife inserted into the center of your filling should come out clean. Cool completely on your wire cake rack.
- While it's cooling, make sure the whipped cream is chilled.
- Cover and refrigerate your pie until you're ready to serve. Then, dollop some whipped cream on top, and you're prepared to present it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 529Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 4gSugar: 32gProtein: 6g
