Why is my Sweet Potato Pie Watery?

It’s best to serve this two-layer pie the day you make it. As it is stored longer, both the cream cheese and the sweet potato layers can start to water out.

Kitchen Tested

Layered Cream Cheese-Sweet Potato Pie

Name: Layered Cream Cheese-Sweet Potato Pie
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, not softened; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 cup mashed cooked dark orange sweet potatoes (about 3/4 lb uncooked); 2/3 cup half-and-half; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 egg; 1 crust from 1 package (12 oz) frozen Pillsbury™ Deep Dish Pie Crusts (2 Count); 1 cup sweetened whipped cream

Prep time:25 min
Total time:4 hr 20 min
Ingredients:15
Servings:8
Calories per serving:440

By Pillsbury Kitchens(Opens in a new tab)Updated 10/07/2024

Layered Cream Cheese-Sweet Potato Pie

Prep time:25 min
Total time:4 hr 20 min
Ingredients:15
Servings:8
Calories per serving:440

Sweet potatoes get an upgrade from side dish to dessert, when they are used to make a sensational pie. Made with your fresh sweet potatoes that are cooked until tender and mashed. The potatoes are sweetened with sugar and aromatic spices are added, including ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to give this pie its old-fashioned flavor.

Though many think of pumpkin pie when they think of Thanksgiving, this pie is an equally delicious cousin that steals the show in many households in America. Like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie is usually served during the fall and winter, when sweet potatoes are boasting their best flavor and texture. Sweet potato pie is typically sweeter and has a milder flavor than pumpkin pie. The texture is airier and lighter than pumpkin pie, as it is made with fresh sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie, made with canned pumpkin, has more of a dense, velvety texture.

This best cream cheese-sweet potato pie is like getting two pies in one! Our frozen deep dish pie crust captures all the fillings without the need to make your own crust, while still baking up just as tender and flaky as if you did. Two distinct layers of filling create the most attractive and satisfying pie a fork ever dove into. The bottom filling layer is simple to make, with just cream cheese and a few other ingredients. It’s a creamy, luscious cheesecake-like layer with a hint of fresh orange. Next, a sweet and spicy sweet potato layer is made using your fresh sweet potatoes mixed with just the right blend of spices and orange. It’s a knock-out combination that looks and tastes like you got it from an upscale bakery.

How to Make Cream Cheese Sweet Potato Pie

Here’s a peek at just how easy it is to make cream cheese sweet potato pie. Look to the recipe for all the details, and you’ll be savoring the fresh flavors in no time:

Whip Up the Cream Cheese Filling

Beat whipped cream with sugar until they are well blended. Beat in an egg, then stir in fresh orange zest to add a hint of citrusy flavor.

Stir Up the Sweet Potato Filling

Use your food processor to process the tender, cooked sweet potatoes until they are smooth, for the best filling of a sweet potato pie. In a bowl, whisk together the processed sweet potatoes, half-and-half, brown sugar, additional grated orange zest, spices, and an egg.

Layer the Fillings in Pie Crust

Spread the cream cheese filling in the frozen deep dish pie crust, using the back of a soup spoon. Carefully spoon the sweet potato filling over the cream cheese, to prevent it from sinking into the cream cheese layer.

Bake and Cool the Pie

Bake the pie until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean (the center will still be slightly jiggly, but at this point, the pie is done). Cool the pie on a cooling rack for 30 minutes and then refrigerate it 3 to 4 hours until it’s chilled to fully set up the layers.

Serve Pie with Whipped Cream

Cut the pie, using a sharp knife with a long blade. Lift pieces using a triangle-shaped pie server, to get every crumb. Top servings with a spoonful of sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with additional orange zest, if you like.

Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients

Each ingredient plays its part to bring together this bakery-worthy pie you’ll be proud to serve:

Cream Cheese: The smooth, dreamy star of the cream cheese layer in this pie. Unlike most cheesecake recipes where you soften the cream cheese before mixing, this recipe conveniently has you use cream cheese straight from the fridge. That is to prevent the cream cheese layer from mixing with the sweet potato layer, for two distinct layers in the pie.

Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are tubers appropriately named because of their sweet flesh. Be sure to purchase a dark-skinned variety—see the FAQ section below: What is the difference between yams and sweet potatoes—so that your pie will have the ultimate flavor and texture.

Sugar: Both granulated and brown sugar are called for in this recipe, each lending just the right amount of sweetness to the filling it’s in. Granulated sugar is used in the cream cheese layer to both sweeten and lighten the cream cheese. Brown sugar is used in the sweet potato filling layer, as its rich, molasses taste adds a depth of flavor to the sweet potatoes.

Orange Zest: Grated from a fresh large orange, it lends an aromatic and citrusy flavor to the cream cheese layer as well as the sweet potato filling. Having this element in common ties the two layers together from a flavor perspective. You can even top servings of pie with additional orange zest—it adds a bit of interest to the pie as well as gives a hint of what taste to expect.

Spices: Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are all used in just the right proportions, to give this old-fashioned sweet potato pie an amazing flavor.

Eggs: An egg is used in both the cream cheese and sweet potato fillings to bind the ingredients together when they are baked. This allows for those beautifully shaped pieces when you are ready to cut and serve.

Deep Dish Pie Crust: A frozen Pillsbury deep dish pie crust is used because these two pie fillings create a thicker pie than would fit in a standard pie plate. It’s super convenient to use, filling the pie crust straight from the freezer and tastes just like homemade—flaky and tender when baked.

Sweetened Whipped Cream: The cream adds just the right amount of creaminess and sweetness to make the flavors of the pie, pop. You can make your own (see the tip section of the recipe) or use sweetened whipped cream from an aerosol can.

How to Store Cream Cheese Sweet Potato Pie

For the best flavor and texture, serve this pie the same day it’s baked. If stored for a longer time, the pie crust can soften while the cream cheese and sweet potato layers can get watery. If you do have leftover pie, cover, and refrigerate it up to 2 days. If it has gotten a little watery, it’s still ok to eat.

Always serve this pie chilled. The dairy ingredients in both the cream cheese layer and the sweet potato layer need refrigeration to avoid any food safety issues. Do not warm slices of pie in the microwave, as it will melt the cream cheese layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

You’ll often find both fresh sweet potatoes and canned ones labeled as yams, however, they are not true yams. Yams and sweet potatoes are from different families. True yams are not widely sold and seldom grown in the U.S.

There are several varieties of sweet potatoes, but the two most-common types are either pale or darker in color. It’s easy to get the right vegetable if you go by color, rather than by the signs near them. Look for those tubers that have dark orange- or pale-red skins. These varieties are the sweetest and most moist and will give this pie the best flavor.

There are several ways to cook sweet potatoes—they can be boiled, steamed, baked, roasted, or microwaved. For this recipe, we’ll give you our top choices for cooking methods—those that can cook them as quickly as possible, so you can get to making quickly. Or use frozen cubed uncooked sweet potatoes. Cook them as directed on the package and continue as directed in step 2. Regardless of the method you choose, be sure to cook the sweet potatoes until a fork is easily inserted in them.

Boiling Sweet Potatoes: Peel the sweet potatoes with a vegetable peeler or paring knife; cut into 1-inch cube pieces. Place in a 2-quart saucepan with enough water to cover the sweet potatoes. Heat to boiling and boil uncovered 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.

Microwaving Sweet Potatoes: Pierce whole sweet potatoes (do not peel) with the tip of a paring knife for steam to escape in several places. Place on a paper towel in the microwave. Microwave uncovered on high 9 to 11 minutes or until tender. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, peel skin from flesh or scoop it out of with a soup spoon. Discard the skin. Cut the cooked sweet potatoes into 1-inch cube pieces.

There are a few reasons your sweet potato pie might be stringy. Be sure to use dark-orange- or red-skinned sweet potatoes. The lighter variety has a different texture, which can affect the texture of the pie. Be sure to cook the sweet potatoes until they are very tender (see the how to Cook Sweet Potatoes section above), so that they can be processed smooth in your food processor. If they aren’t cooked long enough, there may be bits of sweet potato or strings that can’t be processed smooth.