Sweet Potato Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk has a creamy, warmly spiced filling and a lightly golden crust that feel right at home on a holiday dessert table. You get sweetness from the condensed milk without measuring out separate sugar, while baked sweet potatoes give each slice its soft texture.
How to make sweet potato pie with sweetened condensed milk: Bake the sweet potatoes at 425°F, partially bake the crust, then mix the filling and bake the pie at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool it and chill it completely before serving.
Why You’ll Love It
- A full can goes into the filling: You use the sweetened condensed milk without measuring a separate portion or adding separate sugar.
- Partially baked crust: The crust gets a head start before you pour in the filling.
- Simple filling: Once you have the baked sweet potato flesh, you can mash or beat everything together.
- Made for planning ahead: The pie needs time in the refrigerator, so you can finish baking before you need dessert.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet potatoes: Buy about 1 pound, or about 3 medium potatoes, and measure 2 cups of flesh after baking and scooping them. Their skins stay out of the filling. I measure the flesh rather than relying on the number of potatoes, since the filling calls for a specific amount.
Sweetened condensed milk: Pick up a full 14-ounce can. Check the label before you put it in your basket: evaporated milk is unsweetened and is not a direct stand-in here.
Butter and eggs: Let the butter soften so you can mash or beat it into the potato flesh, and beat the eggs before adding them. I like to get the potato and butter together first, then add the remaining filling ingredients as directed.
Crust and spices: You need enough pie dough for a 9-inch pan, plus foil and pie weights for the partial bake. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla go into the filling; whipped cream is optional when you serve it. I keep the pie shield or a piece of foil nearby so it is ready when the filled pie goes in.
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, about 3 medium; use 2 cups of the baked, scooped flesh
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pie crust, dough for a 9-inch pie pan
- Whipped cream, optional, for serving
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk
1. Bake the sweet potatoes. Scrub the potatoes and poke several holes in them with a fork. Set them in a baking dish or on an oven rack lined with foil, and bake at 425°F for 40 to 50 minutes. Once you can handle them, scoop the flesh from the skins and measure 2 cups.
2. Prepare the crust. Press the pie dough into your 9-inch pie pan. Line it with foil and fill it with pie weights so it is ready for its partial bake.
3. Partially bake the crust. Bake it at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edge just begins to turn golden. Turn the oven down to 350°F, remove the weights and foil, and bake the crust for another 5 minutes. Set it aside while you make the filling.
4. Mix the filling. Mash or beat the 2 cups of sweet potato flesh with the softened butter. Add the sweetened condensed milk, beaten eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then mix well. You should have a combined filling ready to pour into the crust.
5. Fill and bake. Pour the filling into the crust and cover the crust edges with a pie shield or foil. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. Look for a center that jiggles just a little; a knife inserted at the edge of the pie should come out clean.
6. Cool and chill. Let the pie cool at room temperature, then refrigerate it within 2 hours and chill it completely before serving. Add whipped cream if you like. If you reheat a leftover slice later, use a food thermometer to check that it reaches 165°F.
Condensed Milk and the Set of the Filling
The sweetened condensed milk goes into the sweet potato filling, not over the finished pie. Use the full 14-ounce can alongside the measured potato flesh, eggs, butter, and flavorings.
As the pie bakes, pay attention to both the center and the edge rather than waiting for the whole surface to look motionless. You want a slight jiggle in the center and a clean knife when you insert it at the edge. That leaves you with a soft, creamy slice after the pie cools and chills, rather than a pie you kept baking while waiting for every bit of movement to stop.
I watch the center but check with the knife at the edge, because those cues work together here. Once they line up, take the pie out and give it the cooling and refrigerator time it needs before you cut it.
Tips for Success
Why is my crust edge getting too dark?
You may see the edge browning well before the filling is finished baking. Check that the pie shield or foil covers the edge when you put the filled pie in the oven, and keep it in place during that bake. I would rather cover the edge from the start than interrupt the bake to deal with a dark rim.
Why are there pieces of potato in my filling?
If the scooped flesh stays in large pieces when you start mixing, you may still see pieces after the other ingredients go in. Mash or beat the measured flesh with the softened butter before you add the milk and eggs. You can use either a potato masher or an electric mixer.
Why is the crust still pale before I add the filling?
The edge should just begin to turn golden during the first partial bake. If it is still pale, check it against that cue before you remove the foil and weights. The short bake after you remove them is also part of the crust preparation, not a step to skip.
Make-Ahead Planning
Plan for 2 hours of cooling at room temperature, then a full chill in the refrigerator before you slice it. For a holiday table, bake the pie the day before.
Storage & Reheating
Because this pie contains eggs and milk, refrigerate it within 2 hours of baking. Cover leftovers and keep them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, following USDA FSIS guidance for leftovers. Serve slices cold or let them sit out briefly before serving.
What to Serve With It
For a holiday spread, pair the pie with sweet potato casserole or sweet potatoes with marshmallows. If you want more dessert choices, set out pecan pie dump cake, apple pie cake, or peanut butter pie. For another meal built around sweet potatoes, try slow cooker chicken and sweet potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does condensed milk go into sweet potato pie?
Yes. Pour it into the mashed sweet potato mixture with the beaten eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then mix the filling before it goes into the crust. It is an ingredient in the baked filling, not a topping to add after the pie chills.
What does condensed milk do to a pie?
Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness because it contains added sugar. In this pie, it is mixed through the sweet potato filling, so check that your can says sweetened condensed milk rather than evaporated milk when you shop.
What if my baked sweet potatoes yield more than 2 cups?
Measure 2 cups of scooped flesh for the filling and set any extra aside. The amounts of butter, milk, eggs, and spices are paired with that measured amount of sweet potato, not with every bit of flesh your potatoes happen to yield.
Final Notes
Set your pie pan on the counter before you begin so you can have the foil, weights, and shield within reach when you need them. If you have a question or make the pie, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Sweet Potato Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk
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Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes about 3 medium; use 2 cups of the baked, scooped flesh
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pie crust dough for a 9-inch pie pan
- whipped cream optional, for serving
Instructions
- Scrub the sweet potatoes and poke several holes in them with a fork. Put them in a baking dish or on an oven rack lined with foil. Bake at 425°F for 40 to 50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop 2 cups of flesh from the skins.
- Press the pie crust dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Line it with foil and fill with pie weights.
- Bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust edge just begins to turn golden. Reduce the oven to 350°F, remove the weights and foil, and bake for another 5 minutes. Set the crust aside while making the filling.
- Mash or beat the 2 cups of sweet potato flesh with the softened butter. Add the sweetened condensed milk, beaten eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and cover the crust edges with a pie shield or foil. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. The center should jiggle just a little, and a knife inserted at the edge of the pie should come out clean.
- Cool at room temperature, refrigerating the pie within 2 hours. Chill completely in the refrigerator before serving, with whipped cream if desired. If reheating a leftover slice, use a food thermometer to check that it reaches 165°F.
