One of my family’s all-time favorite pies is sweet potato. I can’t remember a single holiday throughout my life when we didn’t have at least one. But, the hardest thing about making them is knowing when they are done. Sweet potato pie is done when the pie is set everywhere except the very center which will still be a little jiggly.
At this point, when you stick a knife or toothpick into the pie filling, it will come out moist, but clean. If you cook until the center is set completely, it will often be overcooked. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss in more detail how you can tell when a sweet potato pie is done. A sweet potato pie can be overcooked if you cook it until the center of the pie is done.
This is due to something called carryover heat, which means that even though food is removed from the heat source, it will continue to cook internally for a certain length of time. Carryover heat is the reason sweet potato pie should be removed from the oven when the center is still jiggly.
- Overcooking can cause the pie to be tough and pull away from the crust around the edges.
- The filling will also crack when overcooked.
- Carryover heat has to do with thermodynamics which means that even after the heat source is removed, the food will continue to cook because the heat spreads so that whatever type of food it is doesn’t begin to cool until the entire cookie or piece of meat or pie, in this case, reaches the same temperature.
When the outer part of the pie tests done when you insert a toothpick into it and it comes out clean but the center is still a little jiggly, the pie is done. But, if the center of the pie is still very loose, let it cook for a few minutes more. If your sweet potato pie is runny and doesn’t hold its shape when cut, it was either not cooked long enough or too much liquid was added to the pie filling.
If you inadvertently add too much liquid to the pie filling, before it is baked you should add a little flour to fix the problem. If the sweet potato pie is runny because it wasn’t baked long enough, bake it for a few more minutes until the center if just a little jiggly. It is really upsetting to serve a beautiful sweet potato or any other kind of fruit pie that is baked in the pie crust, but when eaten, the crust is soggy and doughy and does not taste done.
Pies that are made by cooking the filling and baking the crust separately are not that difficult to make and to know that the crust is cooked perfectly. But, when the filling is baked in the crust, it is hard to tell whether the crust has gotten completely done.
- If you use a glass pie pan, it is a little easier to tell whether the crust is done by holding the pie up and looking at the bottom of the crust.
- But, here is the trick I use when baking a pie that calls for the filling to be baked in the crust.
- I prebake the crust for approximately 10 minutes until the crust appears to be getting done but has not yet started browning.
At that point, I pour in my pie filling and bake by the directions called for in the recipe I am using.
What do you do if your sweet potato pie is too runny?
Instructions – Wash sweet potatoes. Place potatoes in pot and cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain potatoes in strainer and run cold water over hot potatoes. Peel each potato and place in large mixing bowl. Mash potatoes until smooth and lumps are removed.
Add butter to hot potatoes and mix until butter is melted. Mix sugar and spices in small mixing bowl then add dry ingredients to mashed potatoes. Add eggs and beat everything thoroughly until smooth. Add vanilla and add milk a little at a time (you don’t want to make mixture too runny). Pour into unbaked pie shells.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done, keeping a close eye on the pies. Notes: If your potato mixture comes out too runny or juicy, add flour (1 tablespoon at a time) to mixture, before pouring into pie shells. (I discovered this little trick out of desperation and it works)! I always bake more than one sweet potato pie at a time, because there’s a lot of love and preparation that goes into a sweet potato pie.
Also, what family eats only one sweet potato pie? I also freeze the extra pies. Yes, that’s right and they turn out perfect! My mother couldn’t believe it, but I place a 9 inch cut wax paper circle over the uncooked filled pie shell then put the covered pie in a gallon size freezer bag and put it in the freezer.
When we’re ready for a pie, I just put the frozen pie in the oven and bake as normal.
How can I thicken my sweet potato pie?
Step 2: How to make homemade sweet potato pie – Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C. Take a large sweet potato, which is about one pound in size or slightly larger and wash it, dry it, and then poke some holes in it with a fork. Place it on a sheet pan or baking pan and put it in the oven, middle rack position, and bake it for 60 to 70 minutes, until it is fork tender. Add in the softened butter with the mashed sweet potato and blend it with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
What makes a sweet potato pie runny?
Tips And Techniques – How do you know when potato pie is done? When the center of the pie is set and the crust is lightly browned, the pie is done. You can insert a knife and if it comes out moist, and mostly clean, it is finished. Why is my pie soggy? Why is my pie filling runny? How to fix runny pie? It has too much liquid in it, or it hasn’t been baked long enough.
- If it has too much liquid in it before baking, mix in a small amount of flour.
- If it is runny while baking, continue baking for a little longer until the center of the pie is set.
- How to make mashed sweet potatoes? – You can make them many ways! You can microwave poked sweet potatoes, till fork tender.
You can bake them whole, once again poking holes to release the steam. With either of these methods, simply scoop out the flesh when they are done cooking, and mash with a fork or potato masher. You can also boil the peeled and cubed potatoes till fork tender as yet another option.
- You cannot replace condensed milk with evaporated milk or regular milk – They are all very different! Condensed milk provided the best flavor with the correct amount of sweetness, and that is why I recommend it for this recipe.
- Mashed sweet potatoes vs.
- Pumpkin puree – Pumpkin tends to be a lighter and nuttier flavor, and sweet potatoes are a little sweeter with a heavier flavor.
They produce two different flavors, but will have a very similar texture overall. Why is my pie cracked? This means the pie is over-baked. Make sure to keep an eye on the pie during baking to prevent this from happening. What size pie shell to use? I recommend a 9 inch pie shell.
- You can use an 8 inch pie shell.
- Just don’t fill it all the way to the top.
- You will end up with some leftover batter and that can be used to make mini pies, if you like.
- How to keep the crust from over- browning? You can protect them by using a a pie crust shield.
- You can also cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil, halfway through baking.
Cool the pie completely – Or else you will not get clean slices when you cut into it.
Can you Rebake a runny pie?
5 – Draining the Juices – This is a bit more complicated, but if your filling is still watery, you can actually take it from the pie and mix it into the bowl with a pinch of salt and lemon, mashing the fruit a bit to get more of the juice out. When you have finished mashing, pour this mixture into a colander so that the sugary juice can pass through.
Can you overcook sweet potato pie?
How to tell when sweet potato pie is done? – The pie is done once the filling has become firm around the outer edges but is still jiggly in the center. It will continue to set and firm up as it cools. Be careful not to overbake it. Overbaking is the main reason the filling will crack. 
Can I Rebake a sweet potato pie?
Can I Freeze a Sweet Potato Pie? – Definitely! If you are planning to make Sweet Potato Pie for a holiday dinner, I understand how busy it is. So, having a few things made ahead of time can really take off some of the stress! The first thing I will emphasize is to allow the pie to cool completely, and I do mean completely (like for 8 hours or so) before freezing it.
- Remove the pie from the freezer, making sure to wipe off any frost that may be on it. Then, put it on a baking sheet to bake for 40-70 minutes at 300°F. This time is for a 10-inch pie, but times are less if you are reheating a smaller pie. To check, put a knife in the center, pull it out and check if the pie has warmed up. That’s it!
- Another option is to take the frozen pie out ahead of time and let it thaw for 4-5 hours with the plastic wrap on, Remove the plastic wrap when you are ready to bake it. Any size pie will then take about 30 minutes at 300°F.
Top the pie with whipped cream or ice cream for a traditional topping. But, don’t forget about mini marshmallows and maybe a little maple syrup to sweeten it up even more! 
How can you tell if a sweet potato pie is done?
The center of the pie should have some give; it should jiggle slightly in the center. The pie has an internal temperature of 175°F on an instant-read thermometer when done. If you don’t want to take the temperature, a knife inserted into the edge of the filling should come out moist but clean.
How long does sweet potato pie last?
For the Whipped Marshmallow Cream: –
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup marshmallow creme (also called marshmallow fluff) (about half a 7-ounce jar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Prepare and roll out the pie crust. Transfer it to a standard 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges and fold under themselves before crimping with your fingers or a fork. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
- To prepare the filling, scrub and peel the sweet potatoes. Then, dice into large, 3-inch chunks.
- Place chunks in a large pot and cover with cool water. Bring the pot to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium. Let simmer until the potatoes are tender and pierce easily with a thin knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes into a colander, transfer back into the pot, and mash. Measure out 2 cups, which is the amount that you need for the pie, and reserve any extra for another recipe.
- To the same pot, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt, butter, and 5 ounces (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) of the evaporated milk. Place the pot on the stove and cook on low, for about 5 minutes, mashing the potatoes further as they cook.
- To make the silkiest possible pie, use an immersion blender to puree until totally smooth; you may also transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Once the mixture is smooth and smells very fragrant, remove from the heat and let cool in the pot.
- While the sweet potato mixture cools, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) evaporated milk, granulated sugar, eggs, bourbon, and vanilla extract, in a separate bowl, until totally smooth.
How do you freeze sweet potato pie filling?
Place the pan on a baking sheet to stabilize it, then freeze until the filling is a solid. Only after the filling is frozen, fold the foil over and around it and pop the filling from the pan. Slide the foil-wrapped filling into a freezer-safe bag to protect against freezer burn.
Why is my sweet potato pie not firm?
One of my family’s all-time favorite pies is sweet potato. I can’t remember a single holiday throughout my life when we didn’t have at least one. But, the hardest thing about making them is knowing when they are done. Sweet potato pie is done when the pie is set everywhere except the very center which will still be a little jiggly.
- At this point, when you stick a knife or toothpick into the pie filling, it will come out moist, but clean.
- If you cook until the center is set completely, it will often be overcooked.
- In the following paragraphs, we will discuss in more detail how you can tell when a sweet potato pie is done.
- A sweet potato pie can be overcooked if you cook it until the center of the pie is done.
This is due to something called carryover heat, which means that even though food is removed from the heat source, it will continue to cook internally for a certain length of time. Carryover heat is the reason sweet potato pie should be removed from the oven when the center is still jiggly.
Overcooking can cause the pie to be tough and pull away from the crust around the edges. The filling will also crack when overcooked. Carryover heat has to do with thermodynamics which means that even after the heat source is removed, the food will continue to cook because the heat spreads so that whatever type of food it is doesn’t begin to cool until the entire cookie or piece of meat or pie, in this case, reaches the same temperature.
When the outer part of the pie tests done when you insert a toothpick into it and it comes out clean but the center is still a little jiggly, the pie is done. But, if the center of the pie is still very loose, let it cook for a few minutes more. If your sweet potato pie is runny and doesn’t hold its shape when cut, it was either not cooked long enough or too much liquid was added to the pie filling.
If you inadvertently add too much liquid to the pie filling, before it is baked you should add a little flour to fix the problem. If the sweet potato pie is runny because it wasn’t baked long enough, bake it for a few more minutes until the center if just a little jiggly. It is really upsetting to serve a beautiful sweet potato or any other kind of fruit pie that is baked in the pie crust, but when eaten, the crust is soggy and doughy and does not taste done.
Pies that are made by cooking the filling and baking the crust separately are not that difficult to make and to know that the crust is cooked perfectly. But, when the filling is baked in the crust, it is hard to tell whether the crust has gotten completely done.
- If you use a glass pie pan, it is a little easier to tell whether the crust is done by holding the pie up and looking at the bottom of the crust.
- But, here is the trick I use when baking a pie that calls for the filling to be baked in the crust.
- I prebake the crust for approximately 10 minutes until the crust appears to be getting done but has not yet started browning.
At that point, I pour in my pie filling and bake by the directions called for in the recipe I am using.
Why is my pie soupy?
Pay attention to bake times: one reason you’ll often end up with a runny fruit pie is simply that it hasn’t been baked long enough. Any thickener you use needs a little time to set up, and people often see their crust turning light brown and think the pie is done when it’s really not.
Will pie filling thicken as it cools?
How to Fix Watery Apple Pie After Baking – If your pie is baked and cooled and still seems too runny for your liking, there is still a way you can fix it. The first course of action is to let your pie cool completely, even overnight if necessary. The filling will naturally thicken as it cools, especially if you’ve used any of the above thickening agents.
How can you tell if a sweet potato pie is done?
The center of the pie should have some give; it should jiggle slightly in the center. The pie has an internal temperature of 175°F on an instant-read thermometer when done. If you don’t want to take the temperature, a knife inserted into the edge of the filling should come out moist but clean.