Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk

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My, oh my, Sweet Potato Pie! Southern Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk tastes like a cool, crisp fall day: warm, pungent spices and Thanksgiving dinner wrapped in one delicious and decadent bite.

Made from scratch, this classic, easy-to-make, old-fashioned, creamy, baked, homemade sweet potato pie is a make-ahead wonder and can be prepared up to 48 hours ahead.

It’s perfect for the holiday season or a special occasion with simple ingredients, sweet potato flavor, and a flaky pie crust. Because of its simplicity, it’s also the best sweet potato pie recipe I have found.

Chances are, if you are not from the South, you might never have had sweet potato pie. However, with this old-fashioned southern sweet potato pie recipe, just like grandma used to make, I hope to change that.

Considered “soul food” by many, baked sweet potato pie has long played second fiddle to its more popular cousin, pumpkin pie. But one bite will make a believer out of you.

Oh, and when I say easy, I mean easy! Once you cook the potatoes, this delicious southern dessert takes only minutes to put together.

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📋 Recipe Ingredients:
⏲️ How to make Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk:
📖 Recipe variations:
Make it ahead:
Leftovers and storage:
💬 Recipe FAQs:
💭 Sharon’s tips:
🍽 More sweet potato recipes:
📋 Recipe:
Sweet Potato Pie Recipe with Condensed Milk

📋 Recipe Ingredients:

Fresh sweet potatoes – are the star of this show, with their beautiful orange color and naturally mild, sweet taste.
Butter – adds a creamy, rich sweetness.
Sweetened condensed milk – with its super-sweetness, is made from condensed milk and sugar. Unfortunately, you can’t substitute evaporated milk or heavy cream in this recipe.
Orange zest – adds just a touch of citrusy goodness.
Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg are wonderful warm spices with a mild earthy flavor that enhances the taste of sweet potatoes and makes your kitchen smell like Thanksgiving.
Eggs – are a necessary ingredient that brings all of the ingredients together and provides texture, structure, and flavor.
Vanilla extract and salt – both of these ingredients enhance all of the other flavors of the pie.
Nine-inch deep-dish unbaked pie crust – I usually use a pre-made frozen store-bought pie crust to save time and keep this recipe as simple as possible. Be sure to use a deep-dish pie shell, or your sweet potato filling will overflow in your oven.

⏲️ How to make Sweet Potato Pie with Condensed Milk:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Use a fork or knife to pierce holes in the top and bottom of the potatoes. Roast the sweet potatoes for 40 to 50 minutes or until they are very soft, and you can easily squeeze them with a potholder. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Let the potatoes cool briefly, slice them in half, and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Add the butter. Then, use a food processor or an electric mixer and blend on medium until the sweet potato mixture is combined and there are no lumps.

Mashed sweet potatoes and butter in a bowl.

Add the sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract.

Sweet potatoes, sweetened condensed milk, and eggs in a bowl.

Mix on medium speed with your electric mixer until everything is combined.

Pour the sweet potato custard into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the center of the pie has set.

Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Garnish with whipped cream or other toppings, if desired.

A slice of sweet potato pie on a plate with a fork.

📖 Recipe variations:

Instead of baking your potatoes, you can cook them in the microwave. To do this, prick them with a fork and microwave them for five minutes. Then, turn them over and cook for another five minutes or until the potatoes are very soft when squeezed. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and scoop out and mash the flesh.
Baking or microwaving your potatoes will give you the most flavorful pie. However, if you prefer, you can also boil the potatoes. To boil them, peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Place in boiling water and cook for about 15-20 minutes. They are done when you can easily pierce them with a fork. Drain and mash them.
Canned sweet potatoes may be substituted for cooked potatoes in this recipe. Drain, rinse, and mash them well before adding the puree to the other ingredients. You will need two cups of mashed potatoes.

Make it ahead:

One of the best things about this dessert is that you can make it 24 to 48 hours ahead. Follow the directions and bake as directed. Then, once it cools, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in your fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Leftovers and storage:

Once you’ve baked your pie, let it come to room temperature. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. It’s important not to place a hot pie directly into the fridge because this can lead to condensation, making the crust soggy.

Cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to store it in the fridge. It can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

If you want to store your pie longer, you can freeze it. It can last up to 6 months in the freezer. When ready to eat the pie, transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

💬 Recipe FAQs:

What’s the difference between sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie?

Sweet potatoes have a flavor all their own, and although many people say that the two pies taste the same, nothing could be further from the truth.

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so this dessert doesn’t require as much sugar. Also, the texture of this custard pie is lighter, and the taste isn’t quite as strong as pumpkin pie.

What’s the origin of this old-fashioned pie?

The origin of this delicious dessert is a little murky, but as early as the 16th century, Spanish explorers found sweet potatoes growing in what is now Louisiana. During Colonial times, it was considered a staple in the South.

Are sweet potatoes nutritious?

Sweet potatoes are considered one of the world’s healthiest foods and are an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B6.

It would be a stretch to say this pie is healthy, but it does contain a full two cups of potatoes.

What to serve it with?

This pie, made with condensed milk, is delicious, but a dollop of whipped cream or a frozen whipped topping such as Cool Whip turns it into a true classic Southern dessert.

Other topping ideas include adding a small amount of caramel ice cream topping, maple syrup, or orange juice to flavor the whipped cream. Another idea is to top the whipped cream with chopped roasted pecans, orange zest, or my stovetop candied pecans.

💭 Sharon’s tips:

I used a frozen, pre-made, store-bought deep-dish pie crust in this recipe for convenience. Feel free to make your own using your favorite flaky crust recipe, or try this fool-proof pie crust recipe from the Pudge Factor.
For the best results, if you use a pre-made crust, don’t forget to place the unbaked pie on a cookie sheet before filling it and putting it in the oven. The aluminum pie pan is flimsy and may bend when you put it in or take it out of the oven.
When the pie is done, the filling will puff up slightly, but once it starts cooling, the baked pie will flatten out.
This is not only a delicious southern dessert, but a piece with your coffee in the morning is the breakfast of champions.

🍽 More sweet potato recipes:

If you like this vegetable as much as we do, be sure to check out these other scrumptious recipes on my blog:

Here are a few more quick and easy recipes:

You might also want to check out my roundup post: 35 15 Sweet and Savory Easiest Sweet Potato Recipes.

If you are interested in other Southern recipes, you might want to check out these popular favorites: Classic Southern Potato Salad, Homemade Peach Ice Cream, Southern Cheddar Biscuits, Southern Squash Casserole, Southern Mac and Cheese, and Traditional Southern-Style Cornbread.

More old-fashioned dessert recipes: Dot’s Ultimate Southern Pecan Pie, Southern Peaches and Cream Pie, Southern Peach Cobbler, Minnie Lee Croley’s Sour Cream Pound Cake, and Old-Fashioned Strawberry Pie with Jello.

And, if you are looking for Thanksgiving desserts, I hope you will check out my two Thanksgiving dessert roundup posts: 40 Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes and 40 Best Desserts for Thanksgiving 2023.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

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