Is Sweet Potato Pie the Same as Pumpkin Pie? A Simple Comparison

Is Sweet Potato Pie the Same as Pumpkin Pie? A Simple Comparison
Is Sweet Potato Pie the Same as Pumpkin Pie? A Simple Comparison

Okay, so I’ve been getting into this whole baking thing lately, and I’ve been wondering about something: is sweet potato pie the same as pumpkin pie? They look kinda similar, right? Both are orange-ish, and you see them a lot around Thanksgiving. So, I decided to dig in and figure out what’s what.

First off, I looked up some stuff online. Turns out, I wasn’t the only one confused! A bunch of people have asked the same question. I found out that the main difference is, like, the most obvious thing. One’s made with sweet potatoes, and the other’s made with pumpkins. Duh, right?

But it’s not just that. I learned that sweet potato pie is usually sweeter. It makes sense because, well, sweet potatoes are naturally sweet. Plus, I saw that people often use brown sugar in sweet potato pie, which would definitely make it more sugary. Pumpkin pie, on the other hand, relies more on spices for flavor. I saw cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg mentioned a lot.

Is Sweet Potato Pie the Same as Pumpkin Pie? A Simple Comparison

So, to really understand, I figured I had to try making them both. I found some basic recipes online, nothing too fancy. For the sweet potato pie, I boiled the sweet potatoes until they were super soft, then mashed them up with butter, sugar (brown, of course!), and some spices. I also added some milk to make it a bit creamier. The pumpkin pie was pretty similar, except I used canned pumpkin puree. Way easier than dealing with a whole pumpkin, let me tell you! Then the usual spices went in, along with some eggs and evaporated milk.

The Big Reveal

  • Sweet Potato Pie:
    • It definitely lived up to the “sweet” part. It was like a warm hug in a pie crust.
    • The texture was kinda dense, but in a good way. Like, it felt substantial.
  • Pumpkin Pie:
    • The spices really shone through. It was more aromatic, you know?
    • It was lighter and more, like, custardy than the sweet potato pie.

Honestly, I liked them both. I’m thinking I might just do what I do best and modify the recipe. But now, I think I get the difference. Sweet potato pie is like the sweeter, denser cousin of pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie is more about those warm, fall spices. They’re both awesome in their own way, and they both deserve a spot on the Thanksgiving table, if you ask me!

At the end of the day, it’s all about what you like. Maybe you’re a die-hard pumpkin pie fan, or maybe you’re on team sweet potato. Or maybe, like me, you just love pie, period. Either way, I hope my little experiment helped clear things up for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some leftover pie to eat…

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