Sweet Potato Pie: Recipe and Book Reviews (2024)

Happy Black History Month! To celebrate we are not only participating in a BIG giveaway with Multicultural Kid Blogs (see details below!) but also giving away a copy of Last Stop on Market Street, a wonderful picture book from Matt de la Peña. Find out how to enter at the end of the post!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Last Stop on Market Street; however, all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission.

This year for Black History Month I decided to try out a dessert I have been curious about but never tried making: sweet potato pie! How did it turn out? Spoiler alert: It was wonderful! Very easy to make and a big hit with everyone that tried it.

Sweet Potato Pie Does Not Equal Pumpkin Pie

It turns out that sweet potato pie is so simple to make and really delicious! If you’re thinking but I don’t like pumpkin pie – not to worry! Pumpkin pie is not my favorite either, but this sweet potato pie is so much more flavorful. Several people who tried my pie remarked that they were surprised how much they liked it. They didn’t expect to since they don’t like pumpkin pie and were really just being polite. Luckily for them they actually loved it! I’ve noticed a similar difference when I substitute sweet potatoes in my pumpkin bread recipe. Good before but really wow! with the substitution.

So what makes the difference? First, sweet potatoes have a deeper, richer taste and a thicker texture. I think many people are turned off from pumpkin pie because of its sometimes simpering, mushy texture, which cooked sweet potatoes do not have.

But I think the biggest difference is that the recipe calls for roasting the sweet potatoes and pureeing them yourself. Now, if you’re anything like me, at Thanksgiving battling a pumpkin into submission – dealing with peeling that tough skin and navigating the awkward bumps that look cute on a jack o’ lantern but not on my cutting board – is quickly skipped in favor of opening up a can of ready made puree. How would pumpkin pie taste if I went to the trouble of really starting from scratch? We may never know. (Or at least will have to wait until the kids are older and I am really bored one day).

Sweet potato pie, on the other hand, is easy to make from scratch. So head over to The Wichita Eagle to see the full recipe and try it yourself! You can also read a wonderful story about the importance of sweet potato pie in African-American traditions and why it is often called pumpkin pie’s “Southern cousin.”

I recommend doing as the recipe says and roasting the sweet potato instead of steaming it, as this makes it much sweeter. And be aware that depending on how sweet your sweet potatoes are, you probably will not need the full cup of sugar it calls for.

While your pies are in the oven, enjoy reading these two children’s books about soul food and food for the soul:

Grandma Lena’s Big Ol’ Turnip is a twist on a Russian folktale, as Grandma Lena and her family try to harvest the enormous turnip that she has grown in her garden. The story itself is fun – with repetition that kids will love – and it is also a fun way to learn about some traditional African-American dishes, as well as the hospitality that goes along with them. Bonus points to Grandma Lena for getting my Monkey interested in eating turnips!

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña is a wonderful new offering from Penguin Books: a picture book about a boy and his grandmother, as she gently teaches him to always look for the beauty in the world. As CJ and his Nana ride the bus together after church one day, CJ feels sorry for himself. Why can’t he ride off in a car like other kids, or go home to play, instead of riding on the bus to a rough part of town with his grandmother? But Nana helps CJ learn to appreciate the good in his situation and in those around him. After all, the bus breathes fire, and the driver always has a trick for him. And who wants an iPod when you can listen to a fellow passenger play the guitar live?

When they finally arrive at the last stop on Market Street, CJ discovers a perfect rainbow arcing over the dirty street and realizes how glad he is that they come to their soup kitchen every Sunday, to see the familiar faces and find the beauty where he had never even thought to look.

Win a copy of Last Stop on Market Street

To win a copy of this wonderful book, just comment on this blog post, telling us what dishes conjure up “home” for you! In one week (end of day Feb. 26, 2015, at midnight Pacific time), I’ll draw one random winner from the comments. US shipping only.

This post is part of the Black History Month series on Multicultural Kid Blogs. Be sure to visit the main page for the full schedule and to link up your own posts about sharing Black History Month with kids! And of course, don’t forget to enter our amazing giveaway:

Black History Month GIVEAWAY

Grand Prize Package

A Divah Taylor doll from World of EPI, the company whose mission is to express joy by providing children access to dolls that encourage dreams, promote intelligence, challenge perceptions, and open their hearts to all types of beauty. US Shipping only

1st Prize Package

Learn about Black History Month in Spanish with this fun educational pack from Open Wide the World. Students will meet 10 African Americans of historic significance in this packet, at an introductory level.

A three pack of bandages (one of each shade) from Tru-Colour Bandages, the company on a mission to bring bandage equality to the industry by providing bandages in your skin color. US & Canada only