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Whether you're using a recipe from a cookbook, from the internet, or one passed down to you from a family member, you'll find that most sweet potato pies start off the same way — by boiling or steaming the sweet potatoes. But while it's definitely possible to get a good pie out of boiled sweet potatoes, it's actually a risky game because they can easily get waterlogged in the process. What you'll end up with, as Sweet and Thyme shares, is a runny filling and a soggy crust.
Instead of setting yourself up for failure, opt for baking your sweet potatoes from the start. Doing this, Sweet and Thyme says, will not only eliminate any extra water, it will also concentrate the flavor and allow the sugars to caramelize to ultimately bring out the natural sweetness.
Per The Kitchn's instructions, just place the whole potato, peel and all, into the oven at 375 degreesFahrenheit. One hour later, and it should have both the perfect consistency and optimal flavor for your sweet potato pie. You can even bake the potatoes up to a week in advance before you use them.
How to fix a runny sweet potato pie
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Using baked sweet potatoes instead of boiled or steamed ones is a surefire way to avoid waterlogging, but if you're still running into issues with excess moisture, there's a simple enough fix. According to Cuisinart, all it takes is a little bit of flour. Just mix in about a tablespoon at a time into your filling, and when it no longer looks runny, you can go ahead and transfer it into the crust.
If your sweet potato pie is already in the oven and you're seeing that the filling is not setting, your best bet, Cake Whiz says, is to leave it in the oven for slightly longer than the original baking time, until the middle has firmed up. To prevent the edges of the pie from overcooking in the process, cover them with aluminum foil or better yet, use a pie crust shield. A little jiggle is fine because you still want some moisture, but you can be sure by poking it with a knife. If the knife comes out mostly clean, you know it's done.
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