Dulce de Leche Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is dulce de leche just sweetened condensed milk? ›

“The difference between condensed milk and dulce de leche is the caramelization of the sugars that are both added and part of milk,” Sibley says. “Typically, condensed milk remains white and has a lighter consistency and taste than dulce de leche.

Is it safe to boil my can of sweetened condensed milk to make caramel sauce? No. For safety reasons, we do not recommend heating a can of our condensed milk, opened or unopened. The current can is not designed to withstand high temperatures.

Place the milk over the boiling water in the double boiler and cover with a lid. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, simmer for one-and-a-half to two hours, until the milk becomes thick and reaches the desired caramel color.

Keep in a cool dry place. Do not freeze. Refrigerate after opening.

Technically, if you see dulce de leche in a recipe, you can instead use caramel, and vice-versa. However, there will be a slight variance in taste and texture, and the recipe will no longer be authentic to the specified region.

Caramel and dulce de leche might look and taste somewhat similar, but they are actually pretty different. While caramel is made from slowly simmering water and sugar until it caramelizes, dulce de leche is made from simmering milk and sugar super slowly until it turns into a creamy, caramelized substance.

Dulce de Leche is a heavenly substance. At first glance, it looks a little like caramel, but it's actually sweetened milk that's been heated long enough to cause a caramelizing to occur. That's the long-winded explanation, so here's the short one: It's creamy, dreamy substance used as an ingredient in so many desserts.

Baking soda is optional, but it makes the Condensed Milk really creamy.

It Makes Dulce de Leche

Condensed milk is the one ingredient you need for dulce de leche. Heat and time transform a can into Latin America's favorite thick and rich caramel sauce, dulce de leche. You don't even need to open the can!

It's a thick, creamy, perfectly sweet confection made be heating sweetened milk. It has a beautiful nutty color and wonderful depth of flavor, which I would describe as a milky caramel. Dulce de leche is a really versatile ingredient you can use in cakes, cupcakes, sundaes and on cookies.

Is la lechera the same as sweetened condensed milk? ›

LA LECHERA Fat-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk has the same creamy, sweet taste as the original product without the fat. Also, containing half the sugar and half the calories of sweetened condensed milks, LA LECHERA 50% Less Sugar is the condensed milk category's only reduced sugar item.

The longer you cook, the thicker and darker the dulce de leche will be. For a light and runny dulce de leche, cook for 2.5 hours, for a dulce de leche that is easy to pipe and holds its shape, cook for 3.5 to 4 hours.

Overcooking Dulce de Leche will make it too thick and maybe even taste burnt.

Caramel. Caramel sauce and dulce de leche look and taste extremely similar. In fact, they can be interchangeable in certain recipes.

Sweetened condensed milk has sugar in it whereas evaporated milk does not. The process of turning sweetened condensed milk into dulce de leche is simply to extract the water from the milk leaving behind the fat and sugar to caramelize.

Carnation Caramel

Caramel is a ready-made authentic Dulce de Leche caramel that is easy to use in baking and as a topping.

Submerge a tin of condensed milk in water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer for around 2 hours. Make sure it stays covered in water for the length of the simmering time. Don't open the tin until it's down to room temperature.