History

Sweet potato pie has been a Lowcountry African-American kitchen staple since the 18th century, predating pumpkin pie in the South by decades. The dish has both Gullah-Geechee and broader Southern roots. Bertha's Kitchen and Hannibal's Kitchen run the canonical Charleston versions; FIG carries the elevated take.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 10Hands-on 30 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 250g plain flour
  • 150g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 60ml ice water (approximate)
  • 1kg orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
  • 100g dark brown sugar
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 60g unsalted butter, melted
  • 200ml evaporated milk
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tbsp bourbon
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • Whipped cream lightly sweetened with bourbon, to serve

Method

  1. Make the crust: pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter; pulse to coarse crumbs.
  2. Drizzle in the ice water tablespoon by tablespoon until the dough just clumps. Tip onto a surface, press into a disc, chill 1 hour.
  3. Heat the oven to 200C. Pierce the sweet potatoes and roast for 60 to 70 minutes until completely tender.
  4. Cool slightly, peel and mash through a fine sieve into a bowl. You want 600g of fine puree.
  5. Roll the pastry to 4mm thick and line a 24cm pie dish. Crimp the edge and chill 30 minutes.
  6. Reduce the oven to 180C. Line the crust with foil and pie weights and blind-bake for 18 minutes. Lift out the foil, bake 5 more minutes. Cool slightly.
  7. Whisk the sweet potato puree with both sugars, melted butter, evaporated milk, eggs, bourbon, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
  8. Pour into the par-baked crust. Smooth the top.
  9. Bake at 175C for 45 to 55 minutes until the centre is just set with a slight wobble; cover the edges with foil if browning too fast.
  10. Cool completely (at least 2 hours) before slicing. Serve at room temperature with bourbon whipped cream.

Tip from the editors. Push the sweet potato through a sieve, do not mash; smoothness separates a great pie from a stringy one. Bourbon adds depth without dominating.

Where to eat sweet potato pie

Sweet Potato Pie in Charleston

Bertha's Kitchen ★ 4.7

Fried chicken$$north-charleston

Bertha's Kitchen on Meeting Street Road in North Charleston runs Albertha Grant's soul food cafeteria from 1979. Fried chicken, okra soup, red rice.

Order: Fried chicken, okra soup, red rice, lima beans with smoked turkey neck

Why locals love it: A North Charleston cafeteria steam table that has run since 1979 and won James Beard's America's Classics in 2017. Tourist guides barely list it.

Tip: Lunch only Mon-Sat, cash and card. Arrive before 13:00 weekdays or the fried chicken is gone.

2332 Meeting Street Rd, North Charleston, SC 29405

Hannibal's Kitchen ★ 4.5

Soul food$eastside

Hannibal's Kitchen has fed the Eastside of Charleston soul food since 1985. At 16 Blake St. Reservations advised. A neighbourhood favourite.

Try: Crab rice, smothered pork chop, fried whiting, lima beans

Tip: Counter order, dining-room seat. Lunch beats dinner; the line peaks 12:30-13:30 weekdays.

16 Blake St, Charleston, SC 29403

Magnolias ★ 4.5

BrunchUpscale Southern Sunday brunch$$$18-32downtownSunday 11:00-15:30Resy

Magnolias on East Bay Street is the Charleston brunch institution since 1990. Sunday brunch only: banana pudding French toast, crab cake Benedict.

Order: Banana pudding French toast, crab cake Benedict, shrimp and sausage over grits with tasso gravy

Tip: Book on Resy 2 weeks ahead. The shrimp and grits is the canonical version; bottomless mimosas at the bar.

185 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401 Book →

Husk ★ 4.9

Modern SouthernChef Sean Brock (founding); current team$$$$$80-140 a la cartedowntownBook 3 weeks ahead

Husk in Charleston opened in 2010 under Sean Brock and rebuilt Southern fine dining on heritage grains and hyper-local produce. Located in Downtown.

Order: The cast-iron cornbread, plus whatever the wood grill is running.

Tip: Book on the website. Bar seats walk-in at 17:00 and serve the full menu.

76 Queen St, Charleston, SC 29401 Book →

Sweet Potato Pie in Jackson

Bully's Restaurant ★ 4.7

Soul Food$Mon-Fri 11:00-18:00; closed Sat-Sun

Bully's is the best-value James Beard award-winning meal in the United States: oxtails, catfish, and six sides for under $14, in a modest dining room.

Try: Soul food steam table with oxtails, neckbones, catfish, and sides

Order: Oxtail plate with mixed greens, mac and cheese, and yams

Tip: Arrive before 13:00 for the widest steam table selection; popular items sell out.

3118 Livingston Road, Jackson, MS 39213

Campbell's Bakery ★ 4.4

Bakery$Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00; Sat 10:00-20:00; Sun 12:00-17:00

Campbell's Bakery has made the same iced tea cakes and petit fours since 1962 from recipes unchanged since opening, in a Fondren shop that Jackson residents.

Why locals love it: A 1962 Fondren institution beloved by locals for petit fours and iced tea cakes, almost entirely unknown outside Jackson despite being one of the state's oldest continuously oper

Tip: Order a dozen petit fours to take away as a Jackson food souvenir; they ship nationwide.

3013 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216

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