Dulce de Leche sweetened condensed milk recipe is made using only ONE ingredient. This delicious sweet sauce pairs well with baked goods!
Original post: December 2017 | Updated: May 2021
Why This Recipe Works
When you think of Homemade Dulce de Leche, do you envision yourself sweating over a hot stove, fumbling with a candy thermometer and feeling hot, bubbling caramel splatter on your arms?
Because it is the opposite of that. Homemade Dulce de Leche requires one ingredient: a single can of sweetened condensed milk!
ONE ingredient and very limited effort is required to create this irresistible caramel sauce. Crazy, right?! There are so many delicious things to do with Dulce de Leche!
Recipe Ingredients
Sweetened condensed milk – That’s it! One ingredient that is probably already sitting in your pantry. You can’t mess that up, right?
How To Make Dulce de Leche Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pour sweetened condensed milk into a round baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and set inside a 9×13 baking dish. Pour water into the outer pan (should reach 1 to 2 inches from bottom of pan).
Step 2
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 90 minutes, or until the milk has turned into a deep caramel color. Remove from the oven and whisk until creamy. Let cool and store in sealed containers in the fridge.
FAQ About Dulce de Leche
It must be placed in an airtight container (not glass) and can be frozen for up to three months. When you are ready to use the sauce, allow it to thaw completely in the fridge before using. Pour it into a skillet and heat, stirring, until smooth.
A direct translation of the Spanish phrase “dulce de leche” is sweet from milk. It refers to heating sweetened milk until it caramelizes.
Dulce de leche closely resembles caramel. The difference is that dulce de leche is made using sweetened condensed milk (milk + sugar) and caramel is made using sugar and water.
Dulce de leche can be used as a filling or topping for baked goods such as cupcakes or sandwich cookies. It can also be used as an ice cream topping, as a topping for donuts or a crepe filling.
What To Do With Dulce De Leche
- Drizzle it over an Oreo Caramel Frozen Yogurt Cake.
- Add it to a few scoops of ice cream.
- Sandwich it between Chocolate Cookies.
- Pour it into a mason jar and gift it so a loved one!
Other Sweet Sauces
- Just 4 ingredients needed to make your own Salted Caramel Sauce. Top or fill your next batch of baked goods with this delicious, irresistible sauce. You will need to resist the temptation to eat it by the spoonful!
- Easy Blueberry Sauce is super easy to make and goes great on pancakes, waffles or works great as a pie filling!
- Apple Butter is worth the wait! After you enjoy picking your favorite assortment of sweet and tart apples, you can add just a few spices to the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer.
- Crockpot Applesauce – Homemade applesauce is fun to make and tastier than the store stuff! Let your slow cooker do the work so kids and adults alike can have a healthy snack!
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Dulce de Leche Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pour sweetened condensed milk into a round baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and set inside a 9×13 baking dish. Pour water into the outer pan (should reach 1 to 2 inches from bottom of pan).
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 90 minutes, or until the milk has turned into a deep caramel color. Remove from the oven and whisk until creamy. Let cool and store in sealed containers in the fridge.
There’s even a easier way to make it, put the can of milk in a pan of water be sure to keep the can covered with water at all times, then boil for 1 to 1 1/5 hours. Let the can cool before opening.
Ooo, I am going to try this! Thanks for the tip, Jennifer!
Megan
NOT EVEN CLOSE…. To the real Argentinian Dulce de Leche…. Or the Mexican Cajeta, for that matter. That's just caramel sauce….
Hello! I just wanted to tell you that I'm argentinean, wich means I'm from the land of dulce de leche! (Yes, lucky one here)
This recipe is quite good, and I have tried it many times,and although it's not quite like real dulce de leche, the taste is nonetheless amazing.
You can also make it by boiling the can of condensed milk for 3 hours in a pot of boiling water. Works really well!
Hi Helen! I wanted to give people the option of not having to purchase it. It is so easy to make…so, why buy?! 🙂
Megan
You can buy this in the can aleady made in the Mexican food isle.
This is a great way to use oven space while making something else with a neutral smell in there. It saves on having to make it on the stove top for over an hour. Thank you for the tip.
I would say it would keep for 2 weeks, tightly sealed in the fridge. Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this today, and it's absolutely amazing, better than caramel!! But would you happen to know how long it keeps if i put it in a jar and stick it in the fridge?
That looks delicious! Definitely something I need to do soon, I love dulce de leche 😀
ohmigosh, you've just made my week.
Yum! Looks delicious!
Girl I wish I never would have read that. Oh my – i will be putting that on EVERYTHING!
LOVE IT – Thanks tons!