Purple sweet potato pie is a twist on a classic old-fashioned recipe you know and love. You just roast the potatoes, mix the filling, pour it in, and bake. The result is this gorgeous, deep purple slice with nutty brown butter, warm spices and a fluffy cloud of toasted meringue on top. It tastes nostalgic, but it looks like something straight out of a bakery window.
This is incredibly delicious! The crust is super flaky and the filling is incredible! Love the spices and the addition of brown butter is top notch. A complete pleasure to eat. Thanks for the recipe!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Ana
I developed this recipe because I wanted a Thanksgiving pie that made people do a double take. Sweet potato pie is already a classic, but swapping in purple sweet potatoes gives it that "wait, what IS that?!" vibe that I absolutely live for. The brown butter is a little surprise that adds a nutty, toasty depth that you would truly miss. It makes the filling taste richer without any extra effort.
The Swiss meringue on top is pillow-soft, just barely sweet, and feels like a toasted marshmallow. It's the finishing touch that takes this from "pretty pie" to Thanksgiving pie MVP. If you love the warm spices going on in this filling, my Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie gives you those same cozy vibes in a totally different way (worth adding to your holiday spread)!
Have leftover sweet potatoes? Turn them into sweet potato sesame cookies!
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Why We Love It!
- Dessert table showstopper - The deep purple color comes entirely from the natural pigment in purple sweet potatoes. No food dye needed (though you can add a drop or two if you want it extra vivid - more on that below).
- Brown butter filling - This is the detail that makes people ask what's different. The nutty, caramelized flavor from the brown butter makes the filling taste like something you'd pay a lot of money for at a restaurant.
- Toasted meringue - Light, glossy, cloud-like Swiss meringue gets torched right on top of the pie and tastes like a toasted marshmallow!
Ingredients
- Purple sweet potatoes. These are the star of the show! They're smaller and denser than orange sweet potatoes. You'll need about 4-5 to get 1 cup of mashed or pureed flesh. I can always find them at Asian grocery stores, most of the time at Whole Foods, and recently at Wegmans.
- Brown butter. You'll brown a full half cup of butter for the filling. It needs to melt, bubble, and turn golden and nutty - then you pour it right into the filling in its liquid state. Follow the How to Brown Butter guide if this is your first time!
- Warm spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. A classic combo for sweet potato pi.
- Egg whites + granulated sugar. This is for the Swiss meringue. The eggs and sugar get heated together before whipping, which makes the meringue extra stable and silky.
- Dairy. Both heavy whipping cream and milk are adding to the filling to give it that custardy texture.
- Vanilla. You definitely need this in the meringue to make it taste like that classic marshmallow topping.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you can't find purple sweet potatoes, orange sweet potatoes will work totally fine, the filling just won't be purple!
- Add 1-2 drops of purple food coloring (or ube drops/powder - like in this ube cheesecake) to the filling if you want a more vivid color. This is especially helpful because the purple intensity can vary from batch to batch.
- Skip the meringue and top with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead.
- Use the purple sweet potatoes to make these sweet potato bars for a lower lift dessert with similar vibes.
📸 Step By Step Overview
This is a quick visual overview. See the recipe card for full, detailed instructions.
Pro tip
Make the pie dough ahead of time
The butter pie crust needs about 2 hours in the fridge to hydrate before rolling out, so plan accordingly! You can also do this a day ahead of time.
- Step 1: Roast the purple sweet potatoes, then blend or mash the flesh until very smooth.
- Step 2: Brown the butter until deeply golden and set aside to cool (but stay in a liquid state).
- Step 3: Par-bake the pie crust. First with parchement and pie weights, then without the pie weights.
- Step 4: While the crust bakes, whisk together all of the filling ingredients until smooth.
- Step 5: Pour the filling into the par-baked crust and spread evenly. Bake and cool completely.
- Step 6: Whisk together the egg whites and sugar over a bain marie until hot and the sugar dissolves.
Pro tip
When is my Swiss meringue ready to whip?
Rub your fingers together in the cooked egg white mixture. If you can still feel sugar granlues, keep cooking and whisking!
- Step 7: Add the vanilla, then beat the egg whites until very stiff peaks form.
- Step 8: Top the pie with the meringue, add swoops, then use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue before slicing in!
Tips for Success
- Start the crust early. The dough needs at least 1-2 hours to hydrate in the fridge, so plan accordingly. Make it the day before if you want to break this up!
- Brown the butter low and slow. Don't rush it on high heat. Medium low heat with steady stirring gets you those deeply golden milk solids without burning them.
- Transfer the pie to the lower third of the oven for the final 15 minutes to make sure the bottom crust bakes through fully.
- Completely cool the pie before adding meringue. This is the most important step. 4-5 hours is not an exaggeration. It will melt off if it’s not fully cool!
- Check your egg whites for any yolk. Even a tiny bit of yolk in your egg whites will prevent the meringue from whipping up properly.
- Make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Rub the egg white mixture between your fingers before pulling it off the heat. Zero graininess means you're ready to whip.
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Common Questions
Asian grocery stores are almost always a guarantee. You can also find them at Whole Foods, Wegman’s, and other specialty stores. They're sometimes labeled as "Okinawan sweet potatoes" or "Stokes Purple."
They're slightly less sweet and a bit more starchy, with an earthy, subtly nutty flavor. The brown butter in this recipe plays up that nuttiness.
The intensity of the color varies by batch and by potato. If yours looks more muted, add 1-2 drops of purple food coloring to the filling before baking to boost it.
Swiss meringue is made by heating the egg whites and sugar together before whipping, which dissolves the sugar and makes the meringue incredibly stable and silky. It's a step up from a standard meringue and worth it!
Storage
Store the pie in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cover any exposed cut edges with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the filling from drying out, but leave the rest of the pie uncovered. Pull it out of the fridge at least an hour before serving to take the chill off.
This pie is best served the day it's made while the crust is at its crispest, but it holds up beautifully for Thanksgiving prep when made a day ahead without the meringue. Just add and torch the meringue right before the meal!
You can freeze the baked and cooled pie (before adding the meringue). Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then let it sit out for about 2 hours before adding the meringue.
General Tid Bits
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Purple Sweet Potato Pie
Equipment
- Food processor or pastry cutter
- 9 inch pie dish
Ingredients
All-Butter Pie Crust
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ⅔ cup ice water
Sweet Potato Filling
- 1 cup purple sweet potato mashed or pureed (about 4-5 purple sweet potatoes)
- ½ cup unsalted butter browned and in a liquid state
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
- ⅔ cup whole milk room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Swiss Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough
- Cut the butter into ½" cubes and place in the freezer. In a bowl, add the water and some ice cubes and set aside. Using a food processor, add the flour and salt to the bowl and pulse once to combile. Add the chilled butter evenly around the flour.3¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup + 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pulse the mixture until the butter reaches pea-sized pieces and looks crumbly. Add in the ⅔ cup ice cold water (not adding the ice cubes), and pulse again until the dough starts to form crumbles.⅔ cup ice water
- Remove the dough, separate into two even pieces, then flatten into one-inch discs and wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to hydrate. Only one disc of dough is needed for the pie - freeze the other in a ziptop bag for 3-4 months.
- Note: Bake the sweet potatoes and brown the butter while the pie crust rests. See Sweet Potato Filling section.
- Remove one disc of dough from the fridge and wait about 15 minutes for the dough to slightly come to temperature. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface, then roll out the dough until it’s about ⅛ inch thick and is at least 2 inches wider than the pie dish. Continue to lightly flour the surface and pin if the dough begins to stick.
- Carefully transfer the dough to your pie dish, pressing it into place on the bottom and sides and trim and crimp the edges any way you’d like. Place into the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375℉/190℃.
- Dock the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Line the pie with parchment paper or aluminum foil and completely fill with pie weights (or dried beans or rice, but do not use to eat afterwards). The weights should come the whole way to the top of the pie crust.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then remove the pie weights and parchment and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Sweet Potato Filling
- Dock the top of the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork then bake at 375℉/190℃ for about an hour until soft and tender. When the potatoes are almost done in the oven, make the brown butter.1 cup purple sweet potato
- Over medium heat, add the unsalted butter to a saucepan and allow it to melt and bubble. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides, until you see that the milk solids on the bottom of the pan have started to become deeply golden brown. It will also start to become incredibly fragrant and nutty. Pour the butter into a heat proof bowl and set aside.½ cup unsalted butter
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool until you are able to handle them. Scoop all flesh out of the skins mash with a fork, or puree in a food processor to get it super smooth. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any fibrous pieces (optional).
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350℉/177℃.
- Once the potatoes are ready, add the sweet potatoes, brown butter, heavy cream, milk, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and vanilla into a large bowl and whisk until completely combined.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, ⅔ cup whole milk, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Pour the mixture into the par-baked crust and smooth out the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the edges are set and puffy, but the center still has a slight jiggle (but not sloshy). Lightly tent the pie with foil (or use a pie shield) if the crust is browning too quickly.
- Remove the pie to a wire rack to cool completely (about 4-5 hours). Adding the meringue before it is completely cool will make it melt and ooze off.
Swiss Meringue
- Fill a saucepan with about two inches of water and turn to high heat. Add a heat proof bowl over top that fits securely. You don’t want any of the water touching the bottom of the bowl.
- To the bowl, add the egg whites, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine. Continue lightly whisking until the mixture is rather warm and the sugar granules have dissolved. Check this by rubbing your fingers together in the mixture. If you can still feel sugar granules, continue cooking.3 large egg whites, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- One the mixture is ready, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium speed for about a minute. Add the vanilla, then turn to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form and the meringue gets caught in the middle of the whisk. The peak of the meringue should stand up to a point when you pull the whisk out.2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- Add all of the meringue to the center of the pie, and add swoops using a spoon or spatula. Use a blow torch to brown the meringue to your liking. You can also pop it into the oven under high broil to get a bit of browning, but a torch it a much easier way to get even coverage.
Danielle says
Love this recipe! It was a time investment, but well worth it - thanks for sharing! I have an allergy, so swapped out the flour with Whole Foods 365 1 for 1 gluten-free all purpose, but followed all of your instructions, otherwise. Can’t even believe how great the crust turned out! Srsly the best gf pie crust I’ve ever had. So grateful that the recipe made 2. I plan on using the other soon, so would appreciate any tips you can share about defrosting, etc. Thanks again!
The Cozy Plum says
I'm so happy to hear that this turned out well with the GF swap!! Amazing. Thanks so much for making this (and for sharing).
For the extra dough (assuming it's frozen in disc form), you'll want to remove it from the freezer and thaw overnight (or for at least 8 hours) in the fridge. From there, allow it to come to temperature on the counter for 15 minutes, then unwrap, flour your surface, and roll it out. There's a bit more information at the bottom of my All-Butter Pie Crust post if you want to check it out: https://thecozyplum.com/all-butter-pie-crust/
Ana says
This is incredibly delicious! The crust is super flaky and the filling is incredible! Love the spices and the addition of brown butter is top notch. A complete pleasure to eat. Thanks for the recipe!
The Cozy Plum says
Thanks so much, Ana! And glad you enjoyed it 🙂