Sweet potato pie recipe with lemon juice

Have you ever stopped to think about the recipes that are currently in your family and who created them? The stories behind each one the recipes you love? The history of each recipe and how far it’s been passed down? I have so many great recipes that I’ve learned from my family that I can’t wait to pass down to my future children and some that I’ve created as well. Like this Sweet Potato pie. It’s one I’ve perfected throughout the years and one that’s a favorite among my loved ones. It’s one of my most requested holiday desserts and I make it with so much love every year.

My secret ingredients? Coconut and lemon juice. The coconut adds a nice bite and unique flavor and the lemon juice balances out the sugars in the sweet potato and the granulated sugar in this recipe.

I battled with sharing this recipe because it’s literally gold but I figured in the spirit of giving, why not!

Here’s the scoop:

• The recipe calls for the sweet potatoes to be mashed before you add all of the ingredients but if you have a hand blender, skip this step! I peel my potatoes and use the same pot I boiled them in, add all of the ingredients, roughly mash and then go through the mixture with my hand blender. Easy peasy!

• This recipe calls for nutmeg but I also love throwing in some of my homemade Pumpkin Spice or Apple Spice in this to keep everyone on their toes. I’m going to make the pie they love but I’m going to also switch it up lol.

• If you’re not into the whole peeling and boiling thing. You can use canned sweet potatoes for this as well. There’s nothing like the real thing but if you want to be lazy, use one 22 oz can of drained yams for this.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked

• 3/4 cups of butter

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon of flour

• 1/2 tsp of baking powder

• A dash of salt

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cups of evaporated milk

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 cup of lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup of flaked sweetened coconut

• 2 unbaked 9 inch pie shells

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and mash them. Then, transfer the sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Add sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, and combine. Then stir in your evaporated milk, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.

Next, use an electric on the highest speed for about 3 minutes to smooth out any lumps. Then, add flaked coconut.

With a ladle spoon the sweet potato mixture into 9 inch pie shells. This mixture should provide you with enough to make two pies. Bake the pies for one hour and 15 minutes.

I've been eating sweet potato pie since I first grew teeth. So I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur, especially since I eat them several times a year for the past 39 years. That being said... I've been doing lots of experimenting in the kitchen this year. And who knew that I would find something to add to this dessert that would change the game? Well, I did. My secret ingredients: acidity from lemon juice (and extract) and cardamom! And if you don't know what that is, it's pretty much an orange flavored spice. Check it out!

Sweet Potato Pie

This sweet potato pie recipe has something special that will take you to another level. But not so different that traditionalists won't love it too.

5 from 1 vote

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Gary White

Ingredients

• ▢2 pounds sweet potatoes baked, then peeled
• ▢1 ⅓ cups sugar
• ▢⅓ cup butter softened
• ▢3 eggs
• ▢½ teaspoon lemon extract
• ▢½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢2 tablespoon flour
• ▢⅓ c milk
• ▢½ teaspoon allspice
• ▢½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ▢1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
• ▢1 prepared pie crust

Instructions

• Bake sweet potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes.

• In a large mixing bowl, "cream" the sugar, butter, and eggs using a mixer. (I use a hand mixer.)

• While still hot, peel potatoes and remove any dark brown spots. Cut into medium chunks.

• Add half of the potatoes, both extracts, lemon juice, and salt to the bowl. Mix well until completely combined.

• In a small bowl - whisk milk and flour together until all lumps are gone.

• To the large bowl, add remaining potatoes, milk mixture, and spices. Mix well for several minutes, until mixture is smooth and evenly colored. Be sure to remove any strings that get caught in mixer.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Grease a deep pie dish with shortening. Roll pie crust onto dish. Then, starting in the center and working outward, gently press down the dough, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles. Trim any excess dough around the top of the dish.

  What do Patti Labelle put in her sweet potato pie?

  Ingredients.

  2 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (yams), about 5 medium, scrubbed but unpeeled..

  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted..

  1 cup granulated sugar..

  1/2 cup evaporated milk (See Patti's Pointers below).

  2 large eggs..

  1 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg..

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon..

  1/4 teaspoon salt..

  Is it better to bake or boil sweet potatoes for pies?

  Many recipes for sweet potato pie call for steaming or boiling the sweet potatoes before making the filling. This leads to water-logged sweet potatoes. Instead, baking sweet potatoes whole concentrates their flavor and sweetness.

  How can I thicken my sweet potato pie filling?

  One way to thicken the filling is to add more flour or cornstarch to it. Finally, make sure the pie dish is not overfilled so the filling doesn't have a chance to run out. Sweet Potato Pie is delicious with cinnamon, nutmeg, mashed sweet potatoes, orange flavors, and a hint of vanilla.

  Do I have to boil sweet potatoes before baking?

  No, you do not need to boil or parboil sweet potatoes before roasting them in the oven.