Mini Sweet Potato Pies

These creamy & delicious mini sweet potato pies are loaded with brown butter and warming spices and topped with gooey marshmallows and crushed pecans.   

These little beauties are my new favorite Thanksgiving dessert. I normally make pumpkin pie (or mini pumpkin pies),  pecan pie, or crème brûlée for Thanksgiving, but this year I will be making these little mini sweet potato pies instead. I’m sad it took me so long to make a sweet potato pie, but I’m thankful I stumbled upon this easy recipe for mini sweet potato pies on Cooking Classy that sounded amazing! I loved the flavor of the spicy, creamy custard, while the gooey caramelized marshmallows & pecan crumbs made them extra special. This easy recipe for mini sweet potato pies was a bit hit with my entire family.

Mini Sweet Potato Pies

Mini Sweet Potato Pies:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup evaporated milk
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground clove
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 premade pie crusts

Toppings:

• Mini Marshmallows
• Candied pecans, crushed into crumbs

How to Make Mini Sweet Potato Pies

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the sweet potatoes by poking them with a fork a few times, then wrap them in foil.

Place into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Remove from the oven and carefully unwrap them; set them aside on a plate to cool. Once cooled, peel off the skin and mash the sweet potato. Side Note: You should have 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe. 

Prepare the brown butter while the sweet potatoes are baking or cooling by placing the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the butter often once it has melted. It will start to foam at the top, and the color of the butter will change to brown. This process only takes about 5 minutes, and the turn happens quickly. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Pour the brown butter & and all of the brown bits into a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the pie filling by combining the cooled mashed sweet potatoes with the brown butter, along with the sugar, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt, and whisking until very well combined and smooth and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the pies by unrolling the pie crusts on a flat surface. With a 4-inch round cutter, cut 9 rounds from each crust (you will have to re-roll the scraps).

Press 1 pie crust round into the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cup. Carefully add a couple of spoonfuls of the sweet potato mixture to each pie crust.

Gently tap the muffin tray on the counter to remove any bubbles.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway through baking time.

Add four mini marshmallows to each mini pie and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and add one more marshmallow to the center of each pie.

Top with a few crushed candied pecan crumbs.

Allow them to sit in the muffin tray for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool. Serve and enjoy.