Pumpkin Pie Vs Sweet Potato Pie: What To Know About These Seasonal Favorites

Pie is one of the reigning most popular holiday desserts. There are countless variants, of course, like pecan, apple, cherry, or key lime ... but the two that seem to end up pinned against each other the most are the brightest orange of the bunch. Cue pumpkin and sweet potato, the creamiest of baked delicacies that Americans around the holidays simply can't get enough of. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of Cool Whip to the top of a triangular slice, and you're set up for the perfect end to your Thanksgiving meal.

Though the two pies can often appear indistinguishable sitting atop a dinner table due to their remarkably similar color, they are actually quite different. While it is true they are both brought into being from the flesh of orange vegetables, everything from their flavor to their texture to their very history is unique, making the two sweet treats as distinct as apples and oranges. Despite this, either choice can make a perfectly suitable and delicious option for your final course this Thanksgiving. Before you sit down at the table to craft a detailed grocery list for the rapidly approaching holiday meal, here's what you need to know about these two seasonal favorites.

While the pumpkin pie was developing into a popular holiday staple in the northern states, the sweet potato version was becoming an instant hit in the southern states. The orange potato crop arrived in America on ships during the transatlantic slave trade, according to Greatist, and was found to grow extremely easily in the hot, humid climate of the South. At the time of its arrival, the sweet potato was also taking off in Europe, becoming a staple in trending desserts and pastries ... and when notable plantation owners and other wealthy figures in the states caught wind of the overseas baking movement, they wanted in. They began requesting that sweets be made from the prevalent starchy vegetable growing out in the fields ... and not long after, the sweet potato pie was born.

Understandably, knowledge of baking with (and forming delectable pies with) the flesh of sweet potatoes developed much more heavily in the southern states, and this propensity has persisted to this day. The consistency of the dessert tends to be much less smooth texturally than its pumpkin counterpart, with chunks of softened potatoes that escape the mixer often popping up in delectable fork-fulls. For many, these pleasant inconsistencies (as well as its naturally sweet flavor, of course) are part of the pie's enduring appeal. 

Sweet potatoes won't be sweet unless cooked, so to create the filling for a tasty dessert, you'll have to bake before you bake the pie itself. This extra step naturally doubles the preparation time, something to keep in mind as you approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Pumpkin pies, on the other hand, are usually made with already pureed, canned pumpkin. That means that preparing a filling is as easy as using a can opener and a spoon to scoop the contents of a store-bought can into a mixing bowl full of ingredients.

However, this won't be the case if you opt to use a fresh pumpkin. Using the flesh of fresh-picked squash from the vine has become increasingly popular over the last few years, with many seasonal pumpkin patches labeling smaller, prime squash picks as "pie pumpkins" and pricing them accordingly. If you go this route, you will have to bake the pumpkin flesh in order to soften it and create a puree of similar texture to that which you would find in a can. This includes removing seeds and stringy innards ... just as you do when carving a Jack-O-Lantern. If you opt for fresh pumpkin, you may end up putting just as much work into the preparation as you would with sweet potatoes — maybe even more so.

The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to people's preferences, and according to a survey conducted by Instacart in 2021, pumpkin is the winner of the holiday pie popularity contest by a landslide. In the days before Thanksgiving, 46% of the pies purchased by consumers from grocery stores across America were pumpkin ones ... and interestingly enough, sweet potato didn't even make the top three. Instead, the second and third most commonly purchased selections were apple and pecan.

But despite its lack of widespread popularity, sweet potato pie is an important contender in concentrated areas of the United States — especially among Southerners and the African-American community. According to Ryan Shepard, a writer for Southern Kitchen, sweet potato pie in his African-American household was a revered staple. This popularity within his culture, the article explains, stems from the Civil War era, when enslaved people working on southern plantations had access to the root vegetable and mastered cooking with it. The dessert, Shepard insists, is an important piece of both his family and community heritage.

But the love for the potato dessert seems also to extend throughout the entirety of the South — regardless of consumers' ethnic background. Under a Reddit thread inquiring as to the pie's origins and fan base, one user commented: "I'm white and southern and my whole family eats it. Basically, a staple dessert at any gathering here in Alabama." 

You came to the Thanksgiving table hungry and ready. You got through the appetizer spread with no problem, followed by the main course of turkey, ham, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. You start to feel your stomach complain as you take on the roasted brussel sprouts, the cranberry sauce, and the melty gravy, but you're hanging in. It's only as the gigantic dessert pie is brought to the table that it finally hits you: there's no way you can eat anymore.

Because you don't want such a delectable home-baked treat to go to waste, however, you have two options. Overeat big time — or freeze whatever leftovers the rest of your family doesn't finish for later. And when it comes to freezing to enjoy at a later date, it appears that pumpkin is the superior option. While sweet potato will likely experience major textural changes during the thawing process and feel much wetter than when it was served fresh out of the oven, one can expect minimal sogginess from a thawed-out pumpkin slice. Due to the overall creaminess of pumpkin pie filling, it holds its texture well — as long as it's prepped properly before being placed in the ice box. Be sure to wrap the remaining pie in a tight layer of plastic before condemning it to the cold — and make sure it has cooled completely on the countertop before you do.

While both pumpkin and sweet potato pie have a rich history of development in the United States, the desserts do appear to be overwhelmingly American. If you're having international guests this season, you might want to be prepared for a bit of a strange reaction at the sight of your unfamiliar dessert choice. "I was once in the U.S. visiting family members at Thanksgiving," divulged a foreign user on Quora, "and one of the dishes was pumpkin pie with marshmallows. Everyone else was digging into it enthusiastically and so I decided to give it a try. Never again. I suspect it is an acquired taste. And with marshmallows? Bleah!" Another user from the U.K. on a separate thread, speculating on the other orange vegetable pie in question, said: "I can't really imagine what that (sweet potato) tastes like as a dessert."

Although many outside the U.S. admit to being a bit boggled by the idea of America's most popular pies, some, at least, have enjoyed the experience of trying them. "I have lived in Australia, [the] Middle East, [the] Philippines, and South Korea," said another traveling Quora contributor, "and I think it's only in the U.S. that I encountered eating and enjoying pumpkin pie."