Easy recipe for sweet potato pie with sweetened condensed milk recipe. How to make Grandmas Southern Old Fashioned dessert from scratch in a pie crust, or bake Pie in Ramekins crustless!
This is a great leftover sweet potato recipe after the holidays or made from scratch. Each slice and bite will remind you of your childhood for sure. A wonderful dessert at Thanksgiving or sweet breakfast I have been guilty of enjoying the next day. ๐ (affiliate links present)
Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
If you have never had this pie it is excellent. Using condensed milk makes it sweet, and absolutely delicious. Much thicker than traditional cows milk, it is more like a glaze consistency, thick, and a common simple ingredient in pumpkin pie as well. We use a lot during the holiday season to make all the treats!
with Canned Yams
We have made this swap several times just to make our prep easier and faster. Like in our Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe with Canned Yams nobody even noticed that the main ingredient wasnโt cooked to tender beforehand. Just drain, mash and youโre ready!
Ingredient Notes
- 2 cups of mashed fresh sweet potatoes are best, or yams are the easiest choice of them all and honestly there isnโt a huge difference in flavors between the two
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk which is sweet and thick, not the same as evaporated milk, those are not the same.
- Butter softened but not melted, you could use a dairy free substitute if you would rather. Country Crock has a great one we have used before.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg give this that classic Fall flavor from the Southern states you would expect
- Ginger can be fresh and minced or most use dry from a jar. Both will give you that expected kick.
- Cloves ground fine have that classic bold taste and leave little bits of black you might see on the surface.
- Vanilla extract, just a tad is used for flavor, the only possible substitute might be vanilla paste but that is thicker and more expensive.
- 2 eggs should be added at room temperature ideally and whisked before adding with other ingredients.
- 1 refrigerated pie crust is the easiest method or you could make our Bisquick pie crust. With any unbaked pie crust you will want to par-bake first to bake it just a bit before you pour the sweet potato filling inside the pie shell or it may become soggy.
Topping ideas would be whipped cream or Cool whip. You can leave naked and enjoy warm or cold depending on your personal preference.
What is the fastest way to cook sweet potatoes for pie?
If you do not have enough left over from the day before that is okay. I would follow our Pressure Cooker Sweet Potatoes instructions because it is quick and gets as tender as possible. The skin pulls right off and you can mash with a fork in a bowl when done.
What is the crust of sweet potato pie made of?
We have a few recipes for 3 ingredient Pie Crust are here to choose from. The most basic type uses; all purpose flour + grated frozen butter + a pinch of salt and a bit of cold water! Incorporated just enough to roll out and cover the dish it can be used with savory or sweet fillings.
Can I use graham cracker crust?
Absolutely you can, and it is quite wonderful that way too. I would use our Easy Graham Cracker Crust Recipe here. You will still want to bake it for a few minutes before filling. This adds a bit of sweetness and texture which my kids just love.
Crustless Instructions
If you wanted to do this I would either follow the temperature and timing linked at the top of this post, baked in ramekins. Or use our Libbys Impossible Pumpkin Pie base but with this veggie mashed instead of canned puree.
If you are making this for a meal outside of the holidays and want to use some of the same ingredients make our Sweet Potato Chili Recipe for a fun duo together.
Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pie pan 9 inch size
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 c sweet potatoes, or drained large can of yams, tender and mashed
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz.
- 1/2 c butter, softened
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cloves, ground
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 pie crust, deep dish style, refrigerated or make homemade
Instructions
- ** You will want to start off with leftover tender sweet potatoes or you can first make Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lay refrigerated or homemade pie crust inside a lightly sprayed 9 inch pie pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top with weighted pie weights or beans so it doesn't puff up. Set on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights, bake for an additional 2 minutes. Remove.
- Lower oven temperature to 350F. In a bowl mix together mashed potatoes with room temp. butter until smooth, then add other ingredients, mix with mixer until smooth. Cover edges of pie crust with a bit of aluminum foil so it doesn't burn.
- Pour filling into pie crust, leave on baking sheet so it sits flat on the rack. Set rack to the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then remove aluminum foil on crust and continue baking an additional 10-15 minutes or until middle is set and crust is lightly browned.
- Remove and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled so it firms up. Slice when cooled with whipped cream on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Not traditionally but over the years people have substituted them to make the prep easier! That is right, you can drain your can and mash as you would baked sweet potatoes to make your favorite pie with them too.
1. Muffins
2. Casserole
3. Smoothie
4. Potato Salad
5. Hash with diced meat
6. Soup
7. Inside pancake batter
No, they are two different ingredients. Evaporated is much thinner without added sugar whereas condensed is super thick like syrup with a lot of sugar added. Swapping them out would mean the texture and taste would be drastically different.
Yes, for best results you should. Whether you are using a ready made Pillsbury type you just roll out or from scratch you will want to bake just a bit before pouring in the filling. Why? Because if you skip this step the bottom will likely be underbaked, a bit sticky and not the ideal texture when done.
