Can’t decide between a silky-smooth, creamy, classic sweet potato pie and a cozy dessert with a rich, buttery, and crunchy crumble topping? With this incredible, from-scratch Sweet Potato Streusel Pie, you get the absolute best of both worlds! This is the ultimate Thanksgiving dessert, featuring a velvety, warmly spiced sweet potato custard in a flaky, homemade crust, all crowned with a generous and unbelievably crunchy nut streusel.
This isn’t just another pie recipe; it’s a guide to creating a true holiday showstopper with layers of incredible texture and flavor. We’ll show you the professional secrets to a perfectly crisp, blind-baked crust that is never soggy, and a brilliant trick for a streusel topping that stays perfectly clumpy and crunchy. Get ready to bake the pie that will have everyone coming back for a second slice.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The “Best of Both Worlds” Holiday Pie
What makes this Sweet Potato Streusel Pie so spectacular is its incredible texture contrast. The smooth, rich, and creamy sweet potato custard filling is the perfect, soft counterpoint to the thick, buttery, and wonderfully crunchy hazelnut, almond, or pecan streusel topping. This recipe uses several foolproof, professional techniques—from a flaky, from-scratch crust to a fully blind-baked shell—to guarantee a perfect result every single time. It’s a make-ahead-friendly masterpiece that is perfect for any special occasion.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 4 hours (includes chilling and cooling) |
| Active Prep Time | 45 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Intermediate |
| Servings | 8 slices |
Your Holiday Baking Game Plan (Make-Ahead Schedule)
The secret to a stress-free holiday is to make as much as you can in advance. This pie is perfect for that!
- Up to 3 Days Ahead: Make the pie dough, wrap it tightly, and store it in the refrigerator. You can also prepare the streusel topping and store it in an airtight container or a freezer bag in the freezer.
- Up to 2 Days Ahead: Bake the entire pie (crust and filling, without the topping). Let it cool completely, then cover it and let it chill in the refrigerator.
- On Serving Day: Simply sprinkle the pre-made streusel over the chilled pie and give it its final bake to crisp the topping and warm the pie through. It’s an easy, impressive grand finale!
The Essential Ingredients for This Showstopper
This recipe is built from three perfect, from-scratch components.
- The Flaky Pie Crust: The rich and tender foundation.
- The Fats (Butter & Shortening): This recipe uses a classic, foolproof blend for the best of both worlds. Cold unsalted butter provides a rich, delicious flavor, while cold vegetable shortening creates an incredibly tender and extra-flaky texture.
- The Extra-Crunchy Streusel Topping:
- The Freezer Trick: This recipe uses a brilliant professional technique of freezing the streusel before you use it. This is the secret to a topping that stays in beautiful, large, crunchy clumps and doesn’t just melt into a greasy layer on top of the pie.
- The Nuts: A generous amount of hazelnuts, almonds, or pecans adds a wonderful, nutty flavor and a fantastic, toasted crunch.
- The Creamy Sweet Potato Custard Filling:
- Canned Sweet Potato Purée: Using high-quality, canned sweet potato purée is a fantastic and convenient shortcut. Be sure to use 100% pure sweet potato purée, not pre-sweetened “sweet potato pie mix.”
- Evaporated Milk: Using evaporated milk is a classic trick that creates a richer, creamier, and more stable custard that won’t become watery.
- Warm Spices: A classic, cozy blend of cinnamon, ginger, and freshly grated nutmeg provides the signature “fall” flavor.
Step-by-Step to the Ultimate Sweet Potato Pie
This recipe is a rewarding baking project. Follow these detailed steps for a perfect, show-stopping result.
Part 1: The Perfect Flaky Pie Crust & Blind-Baking
Step 1: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Step 2: Add the 2 tablespoons of cold shortening and 2 tablespoons of the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and pulse until you have pea-sized pieces. Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together.
Step 3: Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step 4 (Blind Bake the Crust): Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll out your chilled dough into a 13-inch round. Ease the dough into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate and crimp the edges. Chill for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Line the chilled crust with foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown all over. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack.
Part 2: The Extra-Crunchy Streusel Topping (The Freezer Trick!)
In a medium bowl, combine the 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, the 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, the 1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar, and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Pour in the 6 tablespoons of melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture is completely moistened and forms large clumps.
Spread the streusel on a plate and place it in the freezer until it is hard, for about 30 minutes.
Part 3: The Creamy Sweet Potato Filling and Final Bake
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of canned sweet potato purée, the 1 cup of evaporated milk, the 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, the 2 large, lightly beaten eggs, and all the spices: the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Step 2: Pour the prepared filling into your completely cooled, blind-baked pie shell. Place the pie on a baking sheet.
Step 3: Bake for 30 minutes.
Step 4: After 30 minutes, carefully remove the pie from the oven and scatter the frozen streusel topping evenly over the top of the partially baked pie.
Step 5: Continue to bake until the filling is set around the edges but the very center still has a slight jiggle to it, about 30 to 45 more minutes.
Step 6: Transfer the finished pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing and serving.
The Ultimate Sweet Potato Streusel Pie (with a Crunchy Topping!)
A from-scratch recipe for a classic sweet potato pie, elevated with a crunchy nut streusel topping. The recipe includes instructions for a homemade pie crust made with both butter and shortening for a flaky texture, which is fully blind-baked to ensure a crisp base. The filling is a smooth, traditional sweet potato custard made with canned puree, evaporated milk, and warm spices. After a partial bake, the pie is topped with a frozen crumble of flour, brown sugar, and nuts, then baked until the custard is set and the topping is golden.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 45 minutes (includes chilling and cooling)
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
- For the Topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, almonds or pecans
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the Filling:
- 2 cups canned sweet potato puree
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Make the Crust: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the shortening and half the butter; pulse until it looks like coarse meal. Add the remaining butter and pulse until pea-sized pieces form. Add cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough into a 13-inch round and fit into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate. Crimp the edges and chill for 30 minutes.
- Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden. Let the crust cool completely.
- Make the Topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nuts, brown sugar, melted butter, and salt. Squeeze the mixture into clumps, transfer to a plate, and freeze for about 30 minutes until hard.
- Make the Filling and Bake: While the topping freezes, whisk together the sweet potato puree, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Pour the filling into the cooled, baked crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
- Scatter the frozen topping over the pie and continue baking for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the center is almost set but still jiggles slightly.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely before serving to allow the filling to set.
Notes
- This pie requires multiple chilling/freezing and cooling steps for the dough, topping, and final pie, which are crucial for the best texture.
- Fully blind-baking the crust is a key step to prevent a soggy bottom.
- Freezing the streusel topping before adding it to the pie helps it to stay crumbly and not melt into the filling during the final bake.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This Sweet Potato Streusel Pie is the absolute perfect make-ahead dessert for a stress-free holiday.
- Make-Ahead: As outlined in our “Game Plan” above, this is the perfect dessert to make in stages over a few days to make your holiday baking completely stress-free.
- Storage: The finished pie must be stored in the refrigerator because of the rich custard filling. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and it will keep for up to 4 days.
- Serving: This pie is delicious served chilled or at room temperature.
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Creative Recipe Variations
- Add a Classic Boozy Kick: For a delicious, sophisticated, grown-up flavor, you can whisk 2 tablespoons of your favorite bourbon or a dark rum into the sweet potato filling mixture. The warm notes of the spirit are fantastic with the sweet potato and spices.
- Make it a Pumpkin Streusel Pie: For a more traditional Thanksgiving flavor, you can substitute the 2 cups of sweet potato purée with an equal amount of 100% pure canned pumpkin purée.
- Make it a “Sweet Potato Crunch” Casserole: For an even easier, crustless version, you can pour the prepared sweet potato filling directly into a greased 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish, and then follow the instructions for topping and baking.
Enjoy a True Holiday Showstopper!
You’ve just created a truly special, show-stopping dessert that is the very definition of a holiday indulgence. This Sweet Potato Streusel Pie is a perfect symphony of creamy custard, flaky crust, and a wonderfully crunchy, nutty topping. It’s a rewarding baking project that is guaranteed to be a massive hit at any holiday gathering.
We hope you enjoy every last, perfect, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who is ready to bake a true masterpiece!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the secret to a crunchy streusel topping that isn’t soggy?
This recipe has two brilliant secrets! First, we freeze the streusel before we add it to the pie. This ensures the butter is rock solid, which helps the topping stay in beautiful, large, crunchy clumps instead of melting into a greasy layer. Second, we add the streusel to the pie halfway through the baking time. This allows the wet custard filling to partially set first, creating a firm surface for the heavy streusel to sit on top of, instead of sinking into the filling.
Q2: Do I absolutely have to blind-bake the crust first?
Yes, for this style of pie, it is absolutely essential. A wet custard filling, like this one, will turn an unbaked pie crust into a pale, gummy, and soggy mess. By fully pre-baking the crust until it is a deep golden brown and completely crisp, you are creating a sealed, sturdy vessel that will stay perfectly crisp even after it is filled and baked again.
Q3: Can I make this pie ahead of time for Thanksgiving?
Yes, this is an absolutely perfect make-ahead dessert! The flavor and the texture of a custard pie are actually even better on the second day. You can bake the entire pie completely, let it cool, cover it, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Q4: Can I use fresh sweet potato purée instead of canned?
You can, but it is very important to make sure that your homemade purée is very thick and not watery. The absolute best method is to roast your sweet potatoes whole in their skins until they are very tender. This concentrates their natural sweetness and flavor and results in a much less watery purée than boiling them.
Q5: Can I use a different kind of nut in the streusel?
Of course! This recipe is wonderful with hazelnuts, almonds, or classic pecans, as the recipe suggests. Toasted, chopped walnuts would also be a fantastic and delicious choice.