Purple Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Macadamia Nut

by: vvvanessa

May18,2013

4.6

14 Ratings

  • Makes 1 9-inch by 13-inch pie

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

The moment I returned from a summer vacation to Kaua'i, I was thinking about how to re-create one of the tasty treats I'd had on the trip: Okinawan sweet potato pie. A classic treat on the islands, the pie has two distinct layers: a bottom layer of Japanese purple sweet potato and a top layer of haupia, the classic Hawaiian coconut pudding. I toyed around with the spices in the sweet potato part and found that I liked more subtle flavoring; the haupia is a simple but nice and coconutty. And the two together make a delicious dessert that will fill you with aloha!

Look for the Japanese sweet potatoes at Asian markets that sell produce. The tubers can vary in size from tennis ball-sized to a foot long, but what's most important is that they are firm all around and free of any softer parts that are wrinkly and blemished. I suggest boiling them gently, but feel free to roast them instead. —vvvanessa

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • Crust and Sweet Potato Filling
  • 2 cupsplain graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cupunsalted butter, melted and cooled but still liquid, divided
  • 1 teaspoonkosher or fine sea salt, divided
  • 2 large Okinawan purple sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
  • 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoonground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoonground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cuplight brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
  • Haupia Topping
  • 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
  • 1/3 cupcornstarch
  • 2 cupscanned coconut milk (full-fat is best)
  • 1 cupwater
  • 1 tablespoonlight rum (optional)
  • lightly toasted shredded unsweetened coconut and/or toasted, crushed macadamia nuts to garnish
Directions
  1. Crust and Sweet Potato Filling
  2. Preheat oven to 325ºF.Combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup of the melted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well until the mixture looks like wet sand. Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and press the crust firmly and evenly into the pan (it only needs to cover the bottom). Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool slightly.While the crust is in the oven, start the filling.
  3. Halve the sweet potatoes and place them in a pot with enough water to cover them well. Bring them to a moderate boil and cook them until the point of a sharp knife penetrates the thickest part of the potato easily, which will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Remove them from the water and cool until they can be handled easily. Remove the skins, then mash the flesh with a potato masher (smoother is better, but a few lumps won't hurt).
  4. Raise the oven temperature to 400ºF.
  5. Measure out 2 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients (including the rest of the butter and salt), and whisk them together thoroughly.
  6. Pour mixture into the prepared crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325ºF and cook for 30-35 minutes more, turning the pan once during cooking. The pie is cooked when the center is set and doesn't jiggle when the pan shakes.
  7. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.While the pie bakes, make the haupia.
  1. Haupia Topping
  2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the ingredients (minus the shredded coconut and macadamias), and whisk together thoroughly to eliminate all lumps. Place over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring to an almost-boil then lower to a simmer. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture thickens, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool just until it is no longer hot.
  3. Pour the haupia over the cooled pie and spread evenly to cover. Refrigerate until the pudding firms up, at least 3 hours or ideally overnight.
  4. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes or chopped, toasted macadamia nuts. Slice into 15 rectangles, and serve cold or at room temperature.

Tags:

  • Pie
  • American
  • Macadamia Nut
  • Vegetable
  • Sweet Potato/Yam
  • Vegetarian
  • Dessert
Contest Entries
  • Your Best Coconut
  • Your Best Thanksgiving Pie

Popular on Food52

20 Reviews

Elle January 1, 2019

I made the recipe for our family Japanese New Years’ celebration and was very pleased with the result. I didn’t have rum but used one tablespoon of Malibu and was thrilled with the flavor of the haupia; the sweet potato layer has just the right amount of sweetness!

Anna F. August 7, 2014

Hosting a luau tomorrow and this is on the dessert list. Can I make it the night before? Mahalo!

vvvanessa August 7, 2014

Hi! Yes, definitely make it the night before. It will allow the pie and haupia to set up nicely. Save the garnish to the last minute so it doesn't get soft in the fridge. I hope it works out well for you!

Anna F. August 8, 2014

Thank you!!! I want to try your fried potatoes/miso mayo next week…YUM! Have a great weekend

bbythesea December 20, 2013

I think it needs the purple sweet potatoes, they are more dense and powdery than the orange. When I make it I always drizzle liliokoi sauce-perfect! Fresh is always best but frozen juice works because its concentrate. Just thicken them up. aloha

vvvanessa December 25, 2013

Lilikoi sauce makes everything better!

gingerroot May 30, 2013

This is a fabulous pie, vvvanessa! I took it to a Memorial Day "poke and pie" themed party last weekend and it was inhaled with gusto. I modified it slightly by making it gluten free with gf graham crackers. My uncle said it was the best sweet potato and haupia pie he's ever tasted. I'll definitely be making this again!

vvvanessa June 4, 2013

Thanks, gingerroot! Tell your uncle that all he has to do is fly me to Hawai'i, and I'll make him all the pie he wants! Also, "poke and pie" is the best idea I've heard in a long time.

Hilarybee May 22, 2013

I'm looking forward to trying this! In the event that I cannot find purple sweet potatoes, would regular be a good substitute?

vvvanessa May 22, 2013

Hi, Hilarybee! I haven't tried it with regular sweet potatoes, but I imagine they'd work fine. The filling part of the recipe is based on a basic sweet potato/pumpkin pie recipe. Let me know if you try it! And maybe I'll give it a shot myself!

cookinginvictoria May 22, 2013

Beautiful recipe! Sweet potatoes, rum, and two types of coconut -- how could this not be delicious? Saved and on my list of recipes to try!

vvvanessa May 22, 2013

Thank you, cookinginvictoria. I hope it works for you!

lapadia May 21, 2013

Great recipe, V!

vvvanessa May 22, 2013

Thanks, lp! I was just thinking about you!

gingerroot May 20, 2013

YUM! A recipe after my own heart.

vvvanessa May 22, 2013

Whose heart would not love to be full of haupia?

Eat A. May 20, 2013

Looks very good, I may try this with purple potatoes. Nice photo, too!

vvvanessa May 22, 2013

Thank you! If you do try the potatoes, let me know how it goes. I imagine you might need a little more sugar, and I'd be curious to see how the texure would be different. I'm sure it would be great with just orange sweet potatoes, too.

Michelle M. May 19, 2013

I love haupia, and sweet potatoes. This looks delicious.

vvvanessa May 22, 2013

Thanks!

Purple Sweet Potato and Haupia Pie Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why do African Americans eat sweet potato pie? ›

After emancipation, when African American cooks gained more access to their own equipment and refined ingredients, they continued the tradition of baking with yams and sweet potatoes — especially the pie. These deep roots became the foundation of a strong tradition in African American food culture.

Why is my sweet potato pie soggy? ›

If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

Why is my sweet potato pie not firm? ›

Incorrect Ratios: The ratio of sweet potato puree to other ingredients (such as eggs, milk, sugar, and spices) in the filling can affect the texture. If there's too much liquid or not enough binding agents (like eggs), the filling might turn out mushy.

What are black peoples favorite pie? ›

What is the favorite pie of Black people? African-Americans today have continued the tradition of sweet potato pie with holiday dinners. So yes, sweet potato pie is a Black thing – easy enough for anyone to make, and everyone to love!

Do black people eat sweet potato casserole? ›

Perhaps most visible in African American homes, sweet potatoes are often transformed into sweet potato casserole, candied yams—which are even more deeply sweetened sweet potatoes— and of course, sweet potato pie, which are all holiday staples.

What is Elvis Presley pie? ›

Chef Paula Haney shares with Duff the bakery's recipe for the Fat Elvis Pie, which was inspired by Elvis Presley's love of peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches. The pie includes chocolate pastry cream, peanut butter filling and slices of banana in a crust made of graham cracker crumbs, dry roasted peanuts and pretzels.

Who makes sweet potato pies for Walmart? ›

She leads a team of professionals to bring quality bakery products to over 4,500 store locations. A notable accomplishment is that Kinna is the person responsible for creating the Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pie.

Is it better to bake or boil sweet potatoes for pie? ›

Like David Wilcox says, baking the sweet potato produces a deeper flavor. I find that baking them brings out a sweeter flavor as well. But what you need to do is experiment and bake a pie using sweet potatoes that have been prepared both ways. You might find that you like it better when they are boiled.

How do you get the strings out of a sweet potato pie? ›

To de-string. your sweet potatoes simply whisk them together. using the whisk attachment on your hand mixer or.

Can you leave a sweet potato pie out overnight? ›

Such recipes typically call for milk and eggs, which require immediate refrigeration, so if your pie is left out at room temperature for longer than two hours, it needs to be thrown out, according to the USDA. However, if the temperature is at 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, this time decreases to one hour.

Why did my sweet potato pie turn green? ›

AVA said that sweet potatoes contain flavonoids (a type of anti-oxidant), and water-soluble pigments which may cause colour changes. "The greenish colour can be due to a natural occurrence, when the water soluble pigments in the cooked sweet potatoes are exposed to air," AVA said.

What to do if sweet potato pie filling is too runny? ›

The solution for watery casseroles is instant potato mash powder or cornflour - slake (mix with a little water) at first or it will go lumpy.

How do you thicken a sweet pie filling? ›

All-purpose flour is an easy solution, as you're sure to have it in your pantry. Since it's lower in starch, you'll use more of it than you would higher-starch thickeners. Quick-cooking tapioca makes filling bright and clear, but also gives it a stippled and somewhat sticky texture.

Is sweet potato pie black food? ›

Since then, sweet potato pie has become a hallmark of Black cuisine and common on dinner tables across the South. For Miller, sweet potato pie means family and culture. "We've never had a pumpkin pie grace our table, unless somebody who doesn't know us brought one over, if we invited someone," Miller said with a smile.

What is the history of sweet potato pie and slavery? ›

The tradition was soon brought to America during slavery, where the African slaves transformed the dessert into something sweeter using yams, then sweet potatoes. Coincidentally, yams and black-eyed peas was a common food slaves were fed during the Middle Passage.

What is the cultural background of sweet potato pie? ›

History. Though creamy vegetable pie recipes date back to Medieval Europe, sweet potato pie appears in the southern United States from the early colonial days. The use of sweet potatoes in Southern and Black-American cuisine traces back to Native American cuisine.

What are sweet potatoes in black history? ›

According to Black America Web and Southern Kitchen, sweet potatoes were consumed mainly due to convenience in the sixteenth century. They were similar enough to yams, a culture staple, that they were embraced.

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