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Sweet Potato Pie with Brown Butter and Warm Spices

Sweet potato pie with brown butter gets its nutty flavor from butter browned until golden, then whisked into a smooth filling with warm spices. Baked in a refrigerated pie crust, it sets at the edges while the center keeps a slight wobble.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 53 minutes
cooling and chilling 4 hours
Total Time 6 hours 13 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the crust
  • 1 pie crust 9-inch, refrigerated
For the filling
  • 2 cup sweet potatoes mashed, from about 1.5 pounds raw, scrubbed and cooled
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar packed, light
  • 2 eggs large
  • 0.5 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt

Equipment

  • 1 9-inch pie plate
  • 1 rimmed baking sheet

Method
 

Prepare the crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third.
  2. Fit the refrigerated pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edge.
  3. Refrigerate the crust while the sweet potatoes roast.
Roast the sweet potatoes
  1. Place the sweet potatoes on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
  2. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until very tender when pierced with a knife.
  3. Cool the sweet potatoes until easy to handle, then peel them.
  4. Mash the sweet potatoes until smooth and measure 2 cups.
Make the filling
  1. Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, for 4 to 6 minutes, until the milk solids are golden brown and smell nutty.
  2. Immediately pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl, scraping in the browned bits.
  3. Cool the brown butter for 10 minutes.
  4. Whisk the sweet potatoes, brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and kosher salt in a large bowl until smooth.
  5. Whisk in the cooled brown butter.
Bake and chill the pie
  1. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
  2. Pour the filling into the crust.
  3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering the crust edge with foil if it browns too quickly, until the edges are set and the center reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer and still wobbles slightly.
  4. Cool the pie on a rack for 2 hours.
  5. Refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Notes

For the smoothest filling, cool the browned butter for the full 10 minutes before whisking it in. Refrigerate covered for 3 to 4 days; the pie can be frozen. For a dairy-free variation, use dairy-free butter and evaporated coconut milk.