Easy Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk, one of the best Fall desserts that can be made from scratch at home. It uses canned pumpkin, which cuts down on the baking time considerably. It’s super simple to make, absolutely delicious, and always the star of the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
This pumpkin pie is not any dessert, but THE dessert everyone is waiting for about when it comes to the most awaited holiday of the season: Thanksgiving. It might be a popular option for Christmas too, but Thanksgiving is usually its time to shine. Roast turkey aside, the pumpkin pie is probably the centrepiece of the dinner party.
As easy as this pie is to make from scratch, we are allowed to use shortcuts, after all, we’ve got loads other dishes to prepare, so, if we can make our lives easier, why not. So, rather than waiting for the pumpkin to roast, scoop up the flesh, wait for it to cool down, why not use canned pumpkin?
It’s cheap, it’s as good as the real deal, plus it’s already at room temperature, so it can be mixed straight away with the other ingredients. I would just make sure that the eggs are at room temperature too, so the filling can bake evenly without cracking.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PIE WITH SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
The pumpkin pie filling usually uses evaporated milk and added refined sugar, but I quite like the richness the sweetened condensed milk gives to the pie. And since this is already sweet, I chose not to add any more refined sugar, it really is as sweet as one can wish for. Unless you have a really sweet tooth, in which case, you can add more sugar.
- start by making the pumpkin pie crust by rubbing the cold butter with the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
- add the egg yolk, sugar and water, and mix well to form a dough that does not stick to the hands
- shape it into a ball, cover with clingfilm, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or so
Note! Pies or quiches usually require the crust to be pre-baked before adding the filling, but the pumpkin pie does not need to have the crust blind-baked beforehand. The filling takes up to an hour to bake, and that will mean the crust will burn around the edges if baked for that extra long time.
- roll the dough into about half a cm thickness (1/4 inch), and gently transfer it to a pie or quiche dish, removing the excess dough around the edges
- to make the filling, add the eggs, condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice and canned pumpkin to a bowl, and mix well with a hand mixer until smooth
- pour it over the crust, and bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius (360 Fahrenheit) for an further 40-45 minutes until set
- leave to cool, then decorate with whipped cream
Can the pumpkin pie be made in advance?
It sure can. There are 2 options here:
- make the pie crust, and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days – but make sure to have it covered in clingfilm to avoid it drying out. To make rolling easier, take it out of the fridge beforehand so the dough can soften a bit (at least an hour before), the butter will firm up in the fridge
- bake the pie and either refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze
If you choose to freeze the pie, make sure you cover it well in clingfilm, and add kitchen foil for extra protection too. To defrost, place it in the fridge the night before.
And that’s your pumpkin pie ready for yet another fabulous Thanksgiving. If you fancy something similar, how about my Mini Pumpkin Pies with Whipped Cream? As delicious, perfect for any party.
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Easy Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk, one of the best Fall desserts that can be made from scratch at home. It uses canned pumpkin, which cuts down on the baking time considerably. It's easy to make, absolutely delicious, and always the star of the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- 250 g plain flour
- 125 g butter, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 can canned pumpkin (425 g, 14 oz)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 g, 13 oz)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whipped cream to decorated (optional)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves). In the UK all spice or mixed spice is the closest to the pumpkin pie spice).
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To make the crust, rub the butter with the sifted flour using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
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Add the egg yolk, sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of cold water and mix together to form a dough that does not stick to your hands.
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Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
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Roll the dough into a 1/2 cm thickness (1/4 inch), then carefully transfer it to a pie or quiche dish, removing the excess dough around the edges.
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To make the filling, add the sweetened condensed milk, canned pumpkin, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and eggs to a bowl, and use a hand mixer to beat everything well until smooth.
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Pour over the filling into the pie dish, and bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahreneheit) for 15 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius (360 Fahreneheit) for 40-45 minutes until set, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the filling comes out clean.
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Leave to cool, then beat the whipped cream until it forms stiff peaks, add it to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, and decorate the pie as you wish.
Recipe Video
Make sure you use sweetened condensed milk, as the unsweetened one will not bring the same results, and the pie won't be as sweet as it needs to be.
This was easy and delicious! I made 2 pies: one with sweetened condensed milk and the other with homemade almond condensed milk (since I can’t have dairy). With the crust, I went with my own version. This will be my go-to pumpkin pie recipe.
I am happy you liked it, it’s very easy to make and delicious 😋
Crust really did not go well. Had to keep adding water and oil to make it workable.
The crust does not use oil, I am unsure why you had to use it? If you used the right amount of flour and butter, the crust should have worked without any problem.
I made it and it had no taste.. Did not realize it until we cut into it on Christmas night, was not sweet at all. I was embarrassed to say the least.
I am unsure how the pie was not sweet, l made it countless times and the amount of condensed milk was more than enough. Were all the amounts added exactly like the recipe stated? We all have have different tastes when it comes to sugar, l like to enjoy every single flavour of the pie rather than just sweetness and nothing else.
Seriously needed sugar. So bland that I threw it out.
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Condensed milk is very sweet as it is, and to me, that’s more than enough sweetness. I appreciate some people like a lot more sugar in their baking, and even after the pie was ready, you could have still made sweeter by topping it with sweet whipped cream.
I’ve been making this every year since I found the recipe and it always comes out delicious (I do cheat by using pre made dough). Lots of people always ask to bring them a piece or give them the recipe and I too love the flavor! 😋 Only thing is really make sure to get the sweetened condensed milk and not the Nestle version without added sugar . (I accidentally made that mistake with another recipe once)
Thank you for your comment! I did have a few readers say they thought the pie wasn’t sweet enough, which l was surprised about it, given that the milk l used was more than sweet. l wasn’t aware that there is a different unsweetened condensed milk, l must say l never came across it, and always used the sweetened one. I will amend the recipe to specify that sweetened condensed milk is the best for this recipe.