Sweet potato pie is a Southern holiday staple, and this healthy sweet potato pie keeps everything people love about it, from the silky, warmly spiced filling to the tender crust. We start with sweet potatoes baked from scratch, then make the filling creamy with fat-free evaporated milk and light with whipped egg whites folded in at the end. A splash of lemon juice and a little zest add the bright, old-fashioned flavor that many Southern cooks swear by. Each slice has 214 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat, much less than a typical slice of the classic, so it fits right in with the rest of our heart healthy desserts. It's also a vegetarian dessert you can make a day ahead, which frees up your oven when holiday cooking gets busy.
Traditional sweet potato pie recipes often call for a full stick of butter, several whole eggs, and plenty of sugar, which can push a slice to 300 to 400 calories. This version uses 3 tablespoons of butter for the whole pie, 1 egg yolk with 3 whipped egg whites, and fat-free evaporated milk for richness. Baking the sweet potatoes deepens their natural sweetness, so a half cup of sugar is enough for the entire pie. This recipe was reviewed by Jane Schwartz, RDN, CLT, one of our registered dietitians.
Here's what you get in each slice:
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It can, especially when you make it at home and control what goes into the filling. A slice of this recipe has 214 calories, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 17 grams of sugar, and the sweet potatoes add beta-carotene and fiber that many other desserts don't have.
No single food causes weight gain on its own, so portion size and how often you have dessert matter more. At 214 calories, 1 slice fits comfortably into a balanced day. For an even lighter slice, try the crustless version in the ingredient substitutions, which has about 150 calories.
A piece of this healthy sweet potato pie has 214 calories when the pie is cut into 10 slices. Traditional recipes often fall between 300 and 400 calories per slice, depending on how much butter, sugar, and cream they use.
You'll need 3 large sweet potatoes, which should give you roughly 2½ to 3 cups of mashed sweet potato. Try to pick potatoes that are about the same size so they finish baking at the same time.
Bake the filled pie at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. The sweet potatoes bake on their own first, at 400°F for 45 to 60 minutes, until they're very tender.
Insert a knife near the center. If it comes out clean, the pie is ready. The very center may still look slightly soft, but it firms up as the pie cools for at least 2 hours.
Many people with diabetes can fit a slice of sweet potato pie into their meal plan. One slice of this recipe has 32 grams of carbohydrates and 17 grams of sugar, so portion size matters. Enjoying it after a meal with protein and fiber can help, and your doctor or dietitian can tell you how desserts fit into your plan.
If a holiday dessert table doesn't feel complete without a few pies, these lighter favorites go well alongside this one. Each was developed by our team of chefs and dietitians to balance taste and nutrition:
Sweet potatoes shine in more than pie. If you bought a few extra or just love their natural sweetness, these recipes put them to work in holiday sides and treats. For even more ideas, browse our sweet potato dessert recipes:
Evaporated milk is the classic choice for Southern sweet potato pie. It's milk that has been cooked until about 60% of its water is gone, so it's thicker and richer than regular milk, with no sugar added. Sweetened condensed milk goes through the same process with a large amount of sugar stirred in. If you're looking for a sweet potato pie recipe using evaporated milk, here's how the two compare:
For a lighter pie, fat-free evaporated milk is the best choice. It adds more richness than regular milk and far less saturated fat than heavy cream.
A few simple ingredients do most of the work in this pie:
Recipe yields 10 servings
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork and place it on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a knife. Let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes, until they’re easy to handle. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Scoop the sweet potato flesh into a medium bowl, discard the skins, and mash until smooth. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, sugar, and salt with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon, and mix well. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and evaporated milk, and beat until smooth and well combined.
Wash and thoroughly dry the beaters, since any trace of fat will keep the egg whites from whipping. In a separate clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold half of the egg whites into the sweet potato mixture until combined, then fold in the rest. Pour the filling into the pie shell and smooth the top.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least 2 hours, until the filling is set, before slicing. The pie can be made up to 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate it. Serve each slice topped with 2 tablespoons of whipped topping and a little lemon zest, if desired.
Making sweet potato pie from scratch starts with cooking the sweet potatoes. Wondering whether to bake or boil sweet potatoes for pie? Baking gives the sweetest, richest flavor, but you have options when time is short:
However you cook them, mash the sweet potatoes until completely smooth. A hand mixer or potato ricer helps break down stringy fibers.
This pie is easy to make ahead and keeps well:
This pie is a natural finish to a holiday dinner. You can plan the rest of the meal with our heart healthy Thanksgiving menu, or set out a second option from our healthy Thanksgiving desserts so guests can choose. A cup of coffee or hot tea goes nicely with the warm cinnamon and lemon.
Short on time? Use about 1½ (15-ounce) cans of unsweetened sweet potato purée in place of the baked sweet potatoes, skip Step 1, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Choose a purée with sweet potatoes as the only ingredient, since canned yams in syrup add a lot of sugar.
To make a crustless sweet potato pie, coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray, pour in the filling, and bake at 350°F. Start checking for doneness at 30 to 35 minutes, using the same knife test. Without the crust, each slice has about 150 calories, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, and 125 milligrams of sodium. Chill it completely before slicing so the pieces hold their shape.
Swap in the same amount of packed light brown sugar for a deeper, molasses-like flavor. The nutrition stays about the same.
Low-fat evaporated milk works well. Whole evaporated milk adds about 1 gram of saturated fat per slice. We don't recommend regular milk, which makes the filling thinner and less creamy.
Add ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg or ginger with the cinnamon, or use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in its place. Light whipped cream or a spoonful of vanilla Greek yogurt can stand in for the whipped topping.
Looking for more ways to end a fall meal on a lighter note? Browse our full collection of heart healthy dessert recipes, or start with one of these:
