What dessert pie is a traditional Southern Thanksgiving alternative to pumpkin pie?

Sweet potato pie is a traditional Southern dessert often served at Thanksgiving in place of pumpkin pie.

The pie is usually made with mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, milk or evaporated milk, sugar, and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. It is baked in an open pastry shell, giving it a smooth custard-like filling rather than a top crust. Recipes vary from light and silky to dense and richly sweet.

Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas and became deeply rooted in Southern cooking. The pie reflects a combination of European pastry-making techniques and ingredients central to Native American, African-American, and Southern food traditions. Printed recipes appeared in American cookbooks by the 18th century, and the dish became more clearly associated with dessert during the 19th century.

Pumpkin pie is the more broadly recognized American Thanksgiving dessert, especially outside the South. That difference sometimes causes confusion, but sweet potato pie is not merely a substitute made when pumpkin is unavailable. It is an established regional tradition with its own flavor, texture, and cultural history.