Want to transform a humble sweet potato into a mouthwatering masterpiece worthy of you Holiday table? This Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk is velvety and luscious, with just the right amount of sweetness and Fall spice.
The sweetened condensed milk in this recipe gives the pie an unbelievably smooth and creamy texture, while playing on the natural sweetness of the potatoes. The flaky crust is the perfect textural compliment to the airy filling and lends a buttery finish to your bite.
I love using sweetened condensed milk in baking, especially in pies and in these Condensed Milk Brownies, because they lend a richer, more velvety texture.
In this blog post, you will learn how to prep and boil your sweet potatoes to blend them down with the other filling ingredients for the best texture on your pie filling. Plus, you’ll also learn how to make my go-to all-butter blender pie crust.
As an environmental scientist, I try to stick to seasonal eating. I love sweet potato season because they are just so versatile and delicious in a wide variety of dishes, including this delicious Fall pie recipe!
Some other favorite Fall dishes incorporating sweet potatoes are this Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce and of course this Sweet Potato Hummus!
Green tip: Eating seasonally is one of the best ways to live more sustainably, Local foods have less associated transportation costs and fuel emissions. Check when sweet potatoes are in season in your area with this Seasonal Food Guide.
Condensed Milk Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients
Here’s everything you need for the crust:
- All-purpose flour. The base of your pie crust. All-purpose flour contains just the right amount of proteins to get you a flaky pie crust.
- Frozen butter. It’s important that your butter is frozen solid so that it doesn’t break down too much when you blend it. Ideally, you want there to still be some larger pieces of butter remaining in the crust so they melt in the oven and give you a super buttery and flaky pie crust.
- Salt & light brown sugar. For flavor. You can use dark brown sugar or even granulated sugar in a pinch, but I prefer light brown sugar for a touch of sweetness and a subtle caramel flavor.
- Ice cold water. Using cold water will keep the butter from melting, which, as stated above, we want to keep some fragments of butter in the dough.
Here’s what you need for the sweet potato pie filling:
- Sweet potato. The star of this pie! One pound of sweet potato is perfect for this recipe. Typically, a large sweet potato weighs in at about one pound.
- Sweetened condensed milk. I love sweetened condensed milk! It adds a super-rich and velvety texture to your sweet potato filling, and it has a really long shelf life!
- Butter. Unlike the frozen butter we are using for the crust, we want the butter for this filling to be softened! For help with this, see this article on how to soften butter quickly.
- Light brown sugar. I tested this recipe first without sugar. The texture was not right. Sugar locks in moisture, and while I was hoping the sweetened condensed milk has enough sugar in it to do the trick, leaving the sugar out altogether did not yield the velvety, smooth filling results I was looking for. I also tested with both granulated sugar and light brown sugar and much preferred the brown sugar for that subtle molasses/caramel tones it brings to the party. I also tested this pie recipe with both 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. If you like your desserts on the less sweet side, you can absolutely stick with 1/4 cup of sugar. The texture was equally delicious, and the pie was still nice and sweet. However, when I compared it the pie with 1/2 cup of sugar, the one with 1/2 cup tasted more on par with a traditional sweet potato pie.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. You can grab it at the store or make your own pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute cinnamon.
- Egg. To help stabilize your pie and give it that custard texture when baked.
Sweet Potato Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk Tips and Tricks
Start By Cubing Your Sweet Potato
To set yourself up for success with this condensed milk sweet potato pie, first preheat your oven to 350°F and bring a pot of about 10 cups of water to a boil.
Next, you can start to prep your sweet potato!
I love cubing sweet potato to make roasted sweet potato, but it’s also a great way to speed up the prep time for this pie.
Start by peeling your sweet potatoes until they are free from the outer skin. You can compost the potato peels or use them to make these Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Peels.
Then, place your sweet potato on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice it vertically into 1-inch thick pieces.
From there, you can lay the sweet potato pieces flat on the cutting board and slice those into roughly 1-inch strips. Rotated the strips and chop them into cubes. Voila! You’re left with cubed sweet potato.
Boil the Sweet Potatoes Until Tender
It’s important to get the sweet potatoes nice and tender for the smoothest pie filling.
Once cubed, the sweet potatoes will be nice and tender within 10 minutes. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding in the prepped potato.
Then, allow it to boil for about 10 minutes, until the sweet potato is fork-tender.
Meanwhile Start on Your Crust
While your sweet potato is boiling, start on your crust! This pie crust is made in the blender— easy peasy! You can opt to use a food processor instead. Whichever gadget you are more comfortable with.
Add the all-purpose flour, frozen butter, salt, and brown sugar to the blender and blend on high for about 10-15 seconds, until the frozen butter starts to cut into the flour.
The idea here is to NOT over-blend your dough. Ideally, you will have some chunks of butter left in your pie dough, so that it melts when it bakes in the oven, leaving you with the most buttery, flaky crust.
After about 10-15 seconds, grab your cold water. With the blender on, add the water, allowing it to blend for an additional 5-10 seconds.
At this point, your blender will start to form a dough. It’s okay if there is still some excess flour that is not fully blended into the pie dough. We will work it into the dough as we shape the crust.
Push the Crust into the Pie Dish
Turn the pie dough out into your pie dish. At first, there will be some flour that is not fully integrated. That’s okay! Use your hands to push the dough into the pie dish, working that excess flour into the dough as you do so.
Work the dough from the center of the dish out towards the sides. Then use your fingers to pinch the dough up the sides of the dish. Work the dough until you are left with a roughly even lining of crust on both the bottom and the sides of the dish.
Set your crust aside and clean out your blender.
Blend Most of the Filling Ingredients
Once your sweet potatoes are tender and your blender is clean, you’re ready to start the filling!
Make sure to strain the sweet potato and get rid of as much excess water as possible. You can even use a dry, clean kitchen towel to blot the sweet potato cubes dry.
Then, add the sweet potato, condensed milk, softened butter, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on high until smooth and no chunks of sweet potato remain.
Add the Eggs to the Blender and Pulse
Once your filling is smooth, add the egg to the blender with it. It’s always best practice to crack the egg into a separate bowl rather than adding it directly to the blender.
This will give you an opportunity to fish out any eggshells if they accidentally fall in, or save the filling if you happen to get a rotten or bloody egg.
We are adding the egg later because you will get the best texture on your sweet potato pie if the eggs are not over-beaten.
Blending the other filling ingredients first before adding the egg allows you to blend it down without fear of over-doing the egg. Once you add the egg, press the pulse button on your blender 8-10 times until the egg is well-combined.
Pour the Filling in the Crust and Bake
Directly from the blender, you can pour the pie filling into your pie crust. Pour it into the center and watch as it spread out evenly to fill the crust.
Once you’ve filled up your crust with the sweet potato pie filling, all that’s left to do is bake it!
Bake at 350°F on the top rack for 45-50 minutes until it is set. You’ll know its ready if you give it a little shake and the center doesn’t wobble.
Serving Your Sweet Potato Pie
Sweet potato pie is a classic dessert recipe for Thanksgiving! it pairs great with classic Thanksgiving food and other Fall flavors.
Sweet potato pie is best served at room temperature or chilled. Once you remove it from the oven, allow it to cool completely before slicing into it. On a wire rack, this will take anywhere from 1-4 hours on a cooling rack.
It is perfectly delicious as-is, but can be elevated with a little dollop of whipped cream. For a little something special, try serving it with this Pumpkin Whipped Cream.
How to Properly Store Leftover Sweet Potato Pie
In an airtight container, this Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk will last for about 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. The best way to thaw it is to transfer it from the freezer to the fridge and let is rest there overnight.
Green tip: Of the billions of tons of food wasted annually, 50% of food waste happens at home. Reduce your contribution to food waste by properly storing and consuming leftovers.
Condensed Milk Sweet Potato Pie Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk in pie?
Pies that use sweetened condensed milk boast a rich, velvety texture. Recipes for pies can vary, some calling for sweetened condensed milk and some calling for evaporated milk.
However, you should never substitute sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk or vice versa. Why? Because sweetened condensed milk contains sugar while evaporated milk is unsweetened.
This means, if you substitute condensed milk for evaporated milk without altering the amount of sugar, your pie will likely be too sweet.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you swap evaporated milk for condensed milk, you will likely have to increase the amount of sugar added to the pie.
Which is better in pumpkin pie evaporated milk or condensed milk?
Recipes for pumpkin and sweet potato pie that call for evaporated milk will be a little fluffier, while those with condensed milk will be more velvety.
Why You Should Make this Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk
- The texture! The sweetened condensed milk in the filling gives it the most luscious flavor, the perfect pairing with the flaky pie crust.
- It’s classic. Think classic sweet potato pie with the ultimate velvety texture from condensed milk.
- Its’ festive. Fall flavors and seasonal sweet potatoes really make this pie worthy of your Holiday table.
If you’re loving this Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk and want more delicious sweet potato recipes, check out this Sweet Potato Soup and these Sweet Potato Zucchini Fritters.
Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk and Flaky All-Butter Crust
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- High-Powered Blender * or *
Ingredients
Blender Pie Crust
- ½ cup frozen unsalted butter (½ cup butter = 1 stick)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cold water
Sweet Potato Pie Filling
- 1 pound sweet potato (1 pound cubed sweet potato = approx. 3 cups)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar (see notes)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (14 oz usually = 1 small can)
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Bring about 10 cups of water to a rolling boil. Peel and cut your sweet potato into 1-inch cubes.
- Add the cubed sweet potato to the water and boil for about 10 minutes or until sweet potato is fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, make the crust. Add the flour, butter, brown sugar, and salt to the blender and blend on high for about 10-15 seconds, until the butter just starts to cut into the flour.
- With the blender on, add the cold water and blend for an additional 5-10 seconds until the blender starts to form a dough. It's okay if there is still some excess flour that is not well-combined. You will work it into the dough in the next step.
- Turn the dough out into your pie dish and use your hands to press the dough into the bottom of the dish, working in any excess flour. As you work the dough, use your fingers to push the dough up the sides of the dish, until you're left with an even layer of crust. Set the pie dish aside.
- Clean your blender and strain the boiled sweet potato, getting as much water off as possible. Add the sweet potato to the blender with the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on high until smooth.
- Add the egg to the blender and pulse 8-10 times to blend the egg into the filling without over-beating it.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake on the top rack of the oven for 45-50 minutes until the filling is set. Option to add a little whipped cream (this Pumpkin Whipped Cream is especially delicious) on top. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- I tested this pie without adding any sugar first and the texture was off. The sugar is needed to lock in more moisture and give you a velvety, smooth filling. However, if you like your desserts on the less sweet side, you can opt to add 1/4 cup sugar instead of 1/2 cup. The texture will still be perfect. I debated which amount to go with for the final recipe as they were both delicious and ended up going with 1/2 cup because its more on par with a storebought sweet potato pie in terms of sweetness level.
- You can absolutely make this recipe using a pre-made, storebought pie crust! Just skip the crust-making directions, everything else remains the same.
- For more recipes using delicious spuds, check out this list of Easy Sweet Potato Recipes.
- This dish is a classic holiday recipe. For more like this, check out my comprehensive list of best Thanksgiving recipes.
- Love a good pie? You gotta check out this list of my best pie recipes!
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