Dulce de Leche from Condensed Milk

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Learn how to make your own dulce de leche at home, starting with a simple can of sweetened condensed milk. This tutorial outlines the different methods you can choose from and compares the results of each in detail so you can make the best decision for yourself and your baking needs!

All about this Dulce de Leche Recipe

Dulce de leche is one of those confections I thought was pretty easy to find and frequently used in baking.

As it turns out, since I have always lived close to a major city, there are things I can find way more easily than those who live in more remote places and “small towns.”

Dulce de leche is one of them!

While this confection is very popular across Latin America, it is actually not as common or easily found in the United States.

If your local grocery store carries it, you can typically find it in the Latin aisle, baking aisle, or with peanut butter.

Depending on how long it is cooked, dulce de leche can take on anywhere from a lighter brown to darker amber color, which can also dictate its consistency.

The more you taste it and the more things you have it in/on, the more you will find the color you prefer (oh DARN, lots of taste testing necessary!).

They do actually use some of the same ingredients, but I like to think of dulce de leche as cooked milk with sugar in it and caramel is cooked sugar with cream and butter in it.

While both sauces are caramelized, the ingredient proportion gives them differing tastes and mouthfeels.

Although they do taste similar, dulce de leche is a little less sweet than caramel and it has a thicker, creamier mouthfeel. It does move with some viscosity, but it drips and flows much more slowly.

You could always start from super scratch and make your own sweetened condensed milk then move to this recipe for dulce de leche, but if sweetened condensed milk is available to you, definitely start there.

You have a couple different ways you can approach this, and for your convenience, I did both of them for you, outlined what I liked and disliked about each method, and compared them not just to each other, but to store-bought, pre-made dulce de leche.

To say I had a ton of dulce de leche in my house after this experiment is an understatement.

Open your can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it into a pie dish or other non-metal 9-10″ baking dish and cover it loosely with foil.

Then, place this dish in another large dish (this one can be metal) or roasting pan, fill it with hot water to about halfway up the side of the pie dish, then place in the oven.

Turn the oven to 400ºF (204°C), then bake the dish for 2-3 hours, adding more water after about an hour, and checking on the mixture intermittently to stir and assess color and flavor, if you’d like to taste it.

Once it has reached the desired color/consistency, remove from the oven, whisk out the lumps, allow to cool, then it’s ready to use.

Remove the label from your can, then submerge it in a large pot of water.

Bring the water to a boil, then turn it down to simmer the can for 2-3 hours.

You’ll want to keep the can submerged under about 2 inches of water the whole time, so you’ll need to check on it intermittently to maintain that level of submersion.

Once you have boiled your can for the desired amount of time, allow the can to cool, open the can, stir it up, then it’s ready to use.

I also had a jar of pre-made dulce de leche to compare everything to as sort of a “control,” and to really get a taste of what commercial depth of flavor is. The baseline or standard, if you will.

I was able to keep an eye on the color and see it happen right before my eyes.

I also took a few taste tests along the way so I could taste the progression of the Maillard reaction (just a fancy way of explaining the chemical reaction that gives food its brown color).

The second batch baked for about 3 and ½ hours before it reached a color and flavor I was happier with.

While that’s all fine and good if you have the time, capability, and resources available to you to have the oven on for nearly 4 hours, that’s a lot of time and resources.

I boiled my can for 2 hours, and this amount of time was totally manageable.

While I suppose you could use a different vessel to boil the sweetened condensed milk, such as a clear glass jar, the point of this method is that it is supposed to be simple and able to be done inside the can.

I was slightly underwhelmed by the result of boiling my can for 2 hours, and would probably boil for more like 3 or 4 hours if I were to use this method again.

I am really glad to know, though, that I have other options and that I have guidance for my readers who either find themselves with an abundance of sweetened condensed milk for whatever reason, or those who cannot find pre-made dulce de leche in their grocery store.

Dulce de leche is a really lovely sauce and I am anxious to start using it in more recipes.

In addition to my banoffee pie recipe, consider some of the following recipes from my friends around the internet to get some dulce de leche all up in your treats, whether you buy it already made or make it yourself.

The second round (the 3 and ½ hours batch) was much closer to the pre-made dulce de leche and I was much happier with that flavor and color.

This version would make a great filling for cake or cupcakes or putting into frosting. It wasn’t too thin and could hold its shape nearly as well as the stuff in the jar.

Boiled: I thought the boiled version of dulce de leche was a little too loose for me. Though it was certainly delicious, I thought it lacked serious depth of flavor and it left a lot to be desired in the way of texture.

It was pretty runny but would work really well as a topping for ice cream, stirred into yogurt, or as a dip for cookies, fruit, or other sweets.

Favorite ways to use this Dulce de Leche Recipe

While dulce de leche is perfect as a topping for cakes, cheesecakes, pies, ice cream, or yogurt, you can also use it in recipes. Check out my dulce de leche cookies, dulce de leche cake, or banoffee pie for other uses.

How to store Condensed Milk Dulce de Leche

Does dulce de leche need to be refrigerated?

Dulce de leche is a dairy product, so it does need to be stored in the refrigerator. If you want to use it as a sauce or an ingredient, you can warm it up to make it easier to pour.

How long does Dulce de Leche last?

Dulce de leche will last in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Homemade Dulce de Leche FAQs