Can i substitute sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie

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Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving and Christmas staple. Most recipes call for either evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk. If you want to make your pie without those, this recipe is perfect. This homemade pumpkin pie recipe calls for any milk or dairy-alternative and other ingredients that you probably already have in the pantry.

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, Keri Houchin earns a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Pumpkin pie is the perfect dessert, really, because it’s made with a vegetable. Okay, so I don’t think that actually makes it healthy. It’s better than some other choices though, right?

I came up with this recipe in 2014. While I always seem to have plenty of canned pumpkin in my pantry, I forget to purchase the canned milk. Evaporated and sweetened condensed milk are kind of weird anyway. So I played around with the ratios and came up with this recipe.

This pie is smooth and creamy, just like you expect from a traditional pumpkin pie.

Common pie questions

What kind of milk can I use?

I always cook with whole milk even though I don’t drink it. While I haven’t tested this recipe with every milk alternative, readers have commented that they had success with:

• lactose-free whole milk
• almond milk
• 2% milk
• 1% milk
• eggnog

What kind of crust do I use?

Any crust for a single-crust pie will do. I’ve tried this recipe with quite a few:

• Homemade pie crust
• Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
• Aldi store-brand refrigerated pie crust
• Walmart frozen pie crust
• and probably a few others.

The frozen crust holds its shape and appearance best, but all taste fine, so it’s down to your personal preference.

What if I’m baking at high elevation?

One reader mentioned she lives at a fairly high elevation. Like with many baking recipes, you may need to adjust for high elevation.

According to Epicurious, you might want to add more liquid to your pie crust if you’re baking one from scratch. After you add the custard to bake the finished pie, it may need to cook longer. Be sure to cover the crust to keep it from burning.

How do I make my pie smooth on top?

Pumpkin pie is a custard-type pie, which means the top can be amazingly smooth… but is also prone to cracking.

Without getting into the science, the eggs overcooking and drying out are what cause the cracks. Ultimately, you just need to make a lot of pies to get a perfect finish.

However, to put the odds in your favor, don’t cook the pie longer than necessary. It won’t look “done” when you take it out of the oven. If you peek and it’s already started to crack, it’s overdone.

Let it cool at room temperature and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Even then, it might crack in the refrigerator (mine usually does, even after dozens of pies). Just give each slice a generous dollop of whipped cream.

How to make pumpkin pie without canned milk

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 1 cup milk
• refrigerated, frozen, or homemade pie crust

Instructions

Prep the crust:

If you’re using refrigerated dough, roll out the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate (regular, not deep dish). Trim the edges if necessary.

If you’re using frozen dough, it may require you to thaw it while you preheat the oven.

For a homemade pie crust, make the dough from this recipe first.

Mix the filling:

I used a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, but you can mix this by hand if you’ve got the muscle. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer.

Add the eggs and mix until just combined. Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Add the milk and mix again.

Bake the pie:

Pour the pie mixture into the pan. It should spread and level itself, but you can smooth the top if necessary. In the video above, I gave it a little shake, but as you can see, that version didn’t end up perfectly smooth.

If you have leftover refrigerated pie crust dough from trimming the edge, you can use it to decorate the top. I cut out a half-dozen tiny pumpkin shapes with these fall pie cutters and spaced them evenly (sort of) over the top of the pie.

Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for an addition 30 minutes more.

Keep an eye on the crust. If it starts to get too dark, cover the edges with foil or a pie crust shield.

The pie is done when the crust is starting to brown and the center is half of the pie is still moist and jiggly.

Let the pie cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours and refrigerate it overnight before serving. You can also top each slice with a generous spoonful of whipped cream.

Pumpkin pie recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 1 cup milk
• 1 refrigerated/frozen pie crust

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Start by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add the eggs and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add the milk and mix again.
4. Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth and completely combined.
5. Roll out the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate; trim the edges if necessary.
6. Pour the pie mixture into the pan.
7. Optional: Use leftover pie crust dough to decorate the top. Cut out shapes with pie cutters and spaced them evenly over the top of the pie.
8. Bake the pie at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an addition 30 minutes more.
9. The pie is done when the crust is starting to brown and the center is half of the pie is still moist and jiggly. Set the pie to cool for 2 hours.
10. Refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve; cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Check out some other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:

• 6 Brilliant Pumpkin Carving Tips
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• 25 Fall Recipes That Aren’t Pumpkin

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