Bill loves O’Charley’s Caramel Pie and when he learned that I could make it, he began to request Caramel Pie in the place of a birthday cake.
Since making a Caramel Pie is tens times easier than making a birthday cake, who am I to refuse? But, with four children in the house, I was apprehensive about boiling the cans of sweetened condensed milk the traditional way. So, I decided to try it in the crock pot.
Caramel Pie in the Crock Pot
I used two cans of sweetened condensed milk. Washed the cans and removed the labels. Then, I placed them in my crock pot and filled that bad boy up with water all the way. I covered it, turned it to low and went to bed.
About eight hours later, I walked through the kitchen and turned off the crock pot but left the cans inside.
About four hours after that, I finally decided to be brave and to see if I had wasted two cans of sweetened condensed milk. When I opened them, I saw…
CARAMEL!
I cannot believe that putting them in the crock pot worked. The only bad thing… they left rust rings in the bottom of my pot. So, if you do this, I recommend placing a layer of parchment paper under the cans inside the crock pot.
UPDATE: Like some of my readers, I am anxious about the chemicals lining the cans so here is alternative. Transfer the sweetened condensed milk to canning jars, add the lid, and place them in the slow cooker. Add water up to the rim of the jars, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for ten hours. Done!
How to make a caramel pie
Now, if you have never made caramel pie before, this is for you…
Spread the caramel on to a graham cracker crust.
Top it with whipped topping.
Add a garnish of chopped chocolate chips and salted peanuts.
Serve. And… serve again!
It is good all the way to the last slice. Delicious!
Crock Pot Caramel Pie
Ingredients
- 2 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
- 1 graham cracker crust
- Whipped topping
- Chopped chocolate morsels
- Chopped salted peanuts
Instructions
- Wash the cans of sweetened condensed milk and remove the labels.
- Line your crock pot with parchment paper.Stand the cans on top of the parchment paper and fill the crock pot with water, fully covering the cans with about two inches of water over the cans.
- Turn the crock pot to low and cook for eight hours.
- Turn off the crock pot and allow the cans to rest in the crock pot for four hours.
- Remove the cans and allow them to cool so that you can handle them without burning yourself. CAUTION: Contents under pressure. Opening the cans before they have cooled enough to touch will result in the caramel splattering when you open the can.
- Spread the caramel in a graham cracker crust. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Top it with whipped topping and garnish with chopped chocolate chips and salted peanuts.
- Serve.
I love dulce de leche, but haven’t made it myself…I love that this is a super safe method for making caramel!
I am just curious. Do you think this pie would be good to cut into individual slices, freeze, and then thaw whenever it is wanted?
I want to say “no” because I think the caramel would not freeze well but honestly I do not know. I might have to try it just to see because it is a fascinating idea. Of course, I cannot get one of those pies to stay here long enough to try it.
Maria, I DO freeze these in slices but what has to be done is freeze it whole and then remove and actually turn the entire pie out of the shell and onto a cutting board. With a large chefs knife, cut into slices and then wrap the individual slices well so they will not pick up any freezer tastes/smells (I wrap mine well in plastic wrap and then place the slices together in a gallon sized zip style freezer bag. I can then take out 1 piece at a time and since it is a small portion it does not take very long to thaw. You will want to remove the wrap before thawing and place on a plate and then cover LOOSELY so that as the whipped topping thaws it does get mashed down and become unattractive. Since you are cutting this when frozen the slices are perfect and actually look nicer if serving to company than if you were to attempt to remove it from the pie plate when gooey. (Especially that first piece!) Good Luck!
Cutting tip: When cutting any cake or pie to have nice even, uniform pieces always score your pie first before cutting by taking your knife and lightly pressing it just below the surface in half first and then in half the other direction so you now have 4 pcs and then depending on how many slices you desire continue with this process. For a full size cake, you generally get 12 slices so you can picture the face of a clock and make your first cut at 12 and 6 o’clock and then 3 and 9 o’clock and next cut each of the quarters into 3 pcs (again, imagine a clock). For 6 or 8 pcs in the case of a pie it is even easier! By doing this, you can see before you actually cut it that the pieces are the size you desire and then cut through your marks completely. Walla! Perfect pieces every time!
I would be very wary of making the caramel this way. Cans are lined with BPA and heating the condensed milk in the can will cook the BPA right into the caramel! Yes, it’s very easy this way…but releases dangerous chemicals into your food. Make your own caramel (or use butterscotch/caramel instant pudding!) – the rest of this recipe looks divine, can’t wait to try it!
I thought the same thing about cans, and I don’t find anything easy about taking up to 12 hrs waiting for a caramel pie.
Does it have to stay in the cans or will it still work by pouring it into the crockpot and heating it for 8 hours? I use the crockpot liners and the comment about BPA has me sort-of worried about doing this recipe.
I have never tried it that way but have often wondered if it would work.
I have made this, but I opened the cans and put them in a glass measuring cup (4 cup version). I then put alum. foil over the top of the measuring cup and put in the crock pot. I put just enough water in the crock pot to go to where the milk is in my cup. Leave it overnight, and it is ready to pour into the pie shell the next morning. Delicious!! : )
@Bakerd, thank you for posting this recipe,im going to try making it this way bc im afraid now of the BPA warning I just read about
@Bakerd, what do you mean when you said that you add enough water to crock pot where the milk is in your cup???
She means she levels the amount ot water on the outside to be at the milk level in the cup.
tried pie for thanksgiving at friends house. I give 10 stars. I double insulin that very day. was so worth it
I made it but my caramel stayed runny. How do I stop this?
I’m sorry it didn’t work well for you. Did you cook it long enough? Mine is normally too thick to even spread. 🙁
I have made this by boiling the cans in covered water for three hours several times and it turns out great. Going to try the crockpot but use suggestion from another site that they put the condensed milk in a pint jar or any size with lid and ring. Sounds like best option.
Use a 8qt stock pot ! Do the Same ! Cover cans with Water about 3/4 of the pot!
But will take only 2 hours ( when I first learn of doing this way they said 3 hours but Two is plenty ) in Stock pot on your burners sand you can do 6 cans!
Use 2 cans for you Pie place cans you don’t use In the frige!
Try ! Also top with whip add sliced bananas !
Try Topping with Cool whip or whip topping and Slice bananas !
Sorry typo not sure how to edit?
This is seriously over the top. I can’t wait to make it. Pinned =o)
http://makingmemorieswithyourkids.com
I’ve always made my caramel pie this way as well, but recently found this and was so happy I almost cried… and it tastes every bit as good as the old-fashioned way- all you have to do is open the can and pour it in the crust! https://www.elmejornido.com/en/la-lechera/products/dulce-de-leche
I made this and it was great! It wasn’t as firm as I thought it would be though. I did put 4 cans in my crockpot instead of 2 to make 2 pies. What would you say to increase cook time to? 10 hours for 4 cans maybe?
Thanks!
Hey Ya’ll Spolier alert!!
You can buy cans of already Carmelized !
Caramelized Milk (Dulce de Leche) | NESTLÉ® Very Best Baking
Very Best Baking › recipes › caramelized…
caramelized concentrated milk from http://www.verybestbaking.com
This sweet Caramelized Milk (Dulce de Leche) recipe uses condensed milk to make a full fantasy of flavor! Make it, taste it and enjoy this wonder. Th.
You can find In most. grocery store In the Hispanic section
Dulce De Leche by Nestle! Carmelized!!
You will need two cans per pie!!
Save you lots of time!
All you’ll need pie shell ,cool whip and extra topping
Pour your condensed milk in a mason jar then cap it works well and you know when it’s done
I have never made a Carmel pie this way. I make mine with butter, brown sugar, eggs, milk and it never fails. This sounds interesting
I’m 77 years old. My mother always caramelized condensed milk for desserts when I was a child. Of course that was long before we had crockpots or worried about contamination from a tin can. Instead we put the cans in a large pot, covered the cans with water, covered the pot and kept the cans submerged in water and a slow boil for 3 hours. My mother, being the efficient type, often threw a can in the soup pot – soup and dessert in one effort. We always opened both cans of the caramel and pushed it out like you would do with jellied cranberry sauce. Then it was sliced with a hot knife and topped with whipped cream!