Few desserts feel as warm and welcoming as a sweet potato pie fresh from the oven. Sweet potato pie has a long holiday dessert tradition. Its flavor combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla perfectly complements the heavier, savory dishes of a holiday meal. Beyond its comforting spices, real sugar plays a starring role, making this holiday favorite the beloved dessert it is today.

The first known American sweet potato pie recipe was published in 1881 by Alabama chef Abby Fisher in her cookbook, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. Abby Fisher’s cookbook is considered one of the first published by an African-American author. Over time, sweet potato pie became a symbol of Southern food heritage, shaped by African-American cooks and families passing down their recipes through generations, and each family adding its own special touches.

Fisher’s recipe for sweet potato pie with simple, wholesome ingredients resembles the sweet, custard-like version we enjoy today. Butter, milk, and eggs combine to make a velvety custard filling in a flaky, buttery open crust. Sugar, both brown and granulated, balances the earthy flavor of the sweet potatoes and locks in moisture, which keeps the pie filling from becoming dry or crumbly. Sugar also helps create a smoother filling, while brown sugar adds a caramelized, molasses-like flavor and deeper color.

Today, sweet potato pie continues to bring people together. Holiday baking is a longstanding tradition for many families, with pie taking center stage. Sweet potato pie is not only great for Thanksgiving dinner. It is also the perfect year-round staple for any Sunday meal, barbecue, or family gathering.

About the Author

Laura Rutherford graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2004 with a degree in Political Science. She is a shareholder in American Crystal Sugar Company and a member of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association (RRVSGA), the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG), and the American Society of Sugarbeet Technologists. She is on the Board of Directors of the Sugar Industry Biotechnology Council and has published articles for the WABCG, the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association newsletter, and the British Sugarbeet Review magazine in Cambs, United Kingdom.