Dulce de Leche is a sweet caramel-butterscotch-like sauce, made from cooking sugar and milk until it is browned, thick, and creamy. The easiest method by far is to make it from an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk! I’ll show you how to do it in the slow cooker, Instant pot, or on the stovetop. Plus tons of ideas for what to do with it (besides spoon it into your mouth.) Originally published November 5, 2019.
Table of Contents
- What is Dulce de Leche?
- Homemade Dulce De Leche ingredients
- How to Make Dulce de Leche
- Making Dulce de Leche with Condensed Milk in slow cooker
- Instant pot Dulce de Leche Recipe
- How to make Dulce de Leche from Condensed Milk on stovetop
- Using Homemade Dulce de Leche
- How to store Dulce de Leche
- More ideas for what to do with dulce de leche:
- Store bought items you should definitely make at home instead:
- How to make Dulce De Leche with Condensed Milk Recipe
Our little baby is due to be born on December 21st, and Eric told me the other day that he bought tickets for us to see the new Star Wars movie at 7pm on December 19th.
Well, it’s basically official, no other baby has had their actual birthday figured out so far in advance. There is nothing like buying tickets for something right when your baby is due to make sure that’s when you go into labor.
Also, can we get a round of applause for Eric’s wisdom in silence. He is a huge Star Wars fan, and this was the FIRST time I heard him mention the fact that the Star Wars finale is coming out exactly when our son is due. Maybe he hears enough complaining from me about the Christmas issue that he figured the Star Wars conflict was minor in comparison. (HE WOULD BE RIGHT.) Husband props, Eric.
In all seriousness though, I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that it’s entirely possible I could have my baby on Christmas or really close to it. Is there any worse time to have a baby?? Talk about an anticlimactic birthday! Nobody can compete with Jesus’ birthday, sorry kid! (Do YOU have an entire genre of music dedicated to the day you were born? No? Then sorry, your birthday isn’t as cool as Jesus’ birthday.)
Only 6 and 1/2 weeks to go! Can you believe Christmas is so close? Time is just FLYING BY over here. Everything goes SO FAST in your third trimester. (Heavy sarcasm here, in case you’re not a mom and couldn’t tell.) But it will be here before you know it, so get ready for some holiday recipes! Dulce de leche is a fabulous trick to have up your sleeve this time of year!
What is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche is sweet nectar from the gods. Just kidding, it’s actually a thick and creamy caramel-like sauce. Sometimes it is called Mexican Caramel, which is inaccurate because it originated in Argentina (although the Chileans and Uruguayans might contest this. Do I have any South American readers? Feel free to duke it out in the comments section! :)
There are many South American myths you can find about a cook who left a pot of sugar and milk on the stove for too long, and was surprised upon returning to find a pot of dark brown, thick and creamy caramel sauce. A happy accident!
Dulce de Leche vs Caramel
No, dulce de leche is not caramel. Caramel is made by heating sugar. Caramel Dulce de leche is a combination of sugar and milk that is heated slowly until the Maillard reaction takes place, or in other words, browning. Is it a bit more mellow than caramel, and lacks any bitterness. It could be described as having a more toffee-like or butterscotch flavor.
It’s definitely a lot thicker than caramel. Once the finished dulce de leche has reached room temperature (or after being chilled) it has a pudding consistency, a little softer than peanut butter.
Homemade Dulce De Leche ingredients
Greatest ingredient list ever guys….it’s just ONE INGREDIENT.
All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk. These are pretty standard, but just in case your grocery store has odd sizes, get one that is 14 ounces.
How to Make Dulce de Leche
It could not be easier. You can make dulce de leche by heating sugar and milk on the stove or in the oven for a few hours, but it takes a long time and a bit more know-how.
The easiest method by far is to boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk. You can do this on the stovetop, in the Crock pot, or in an Instant Pot. Since the can is sealed, none of the milk can evaporate, meaning you don’t have to stir or babysit it at all. Pressure builds in a sealed can, making the process much faster than cooking fresh milk in a pot.
First, get that pesky label off. This is optional, but I think it’s easier to peel dry paper off of a can than to fish wet particles of disintegrating paper out of hot water when you’re done.
Next, clean the glue off the can. This is also optional, but every brand of sweetened condensed milk that I tried had such a strong glue attaching the label to the can that afterward, the interiors of my pots (stock pot, Instant pot, and Crock pot) were covered in a grimy residue from the glue. I’d rather clean the glue off the can than clean it off my pot. I used Goo Gone and it took about 2 seconds.
Making Dulce de Leche with Condensed Milk in slow cooker
This method takes 8-10 hours on low. You can make as many cans as will fit sideways in the bottom of your pot! (This is true for all 3 methods of cooking.) Put them on their sides so that they stay put on the bottom, they tend to bounce around if they are upright.
Instant pot Dulce de Leche Recipe
Pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. This is by far the fastest way to go from zero to dulce de leche! Water should be 1 inch above your can, or about to your first knuckle.
You can see some of the label floating around in the water on this one, I didn’t clean my can and had to Goo Gone my whole pot.
How to make Dulce de Leche from Condensed Milk on stovetop
Boiling the can on the stovetop takes about 3 hours with a minimal amount of babysitting.
You just have to check every now and then to make sure the can is submerged with water, and if not, add more. Fill the water about 2 inches above the can for stovetop cooking, about to your second knuckle.
And lastly, whatever cooking method you use, be VERY careful not to open the can while it is still pressurized! It will spurt molten hot dulce-lava all over you. You need to let it cool down. I like to stick my cans in a bowl of cold water and let them cool down for 30 minutes or so. You can open your can when it is still warm, but tepid enough that you can hold it no problem with your bare hands.
Here’s how it looks when you first open it up. Give it a good stir and it smooths out perfectly!
Using Homemade Dulce de Leche
There are a thousand ways you can eat dulce de leche, but here are some of my favorite ways!
- top your ice cream
- Put it in a jar with a pretty label and give to neighbors as a holiday gift
- spread it on toast (or English muffins, oooh yes)
- use it as a cake filling instead of buttercream
- dip apples/bananas/any fruit into it (this is a great snack for parties and baby showers!)
- Fill cupcakes
- Fill doughnuts (Like these Nutella Filled Donuts) but use dulce de leche
- use it instead of pudding in a trifle
- stir it into overnight oats
- top pancakes or waffles. DO IT.
- Stir into plain Greek yogurt and top with granola and/or fruit
- Fold into whipped cream and top a cake with it
- Fill crepes
- top or stuff brownies or blondies
- top or swirl into a cheesecake
- top your pie, or swirl it into the filling
- Stir it into oatmeal
- Stuff cookies (Like these Stuffed Gingerbread Cookies, that would be so good!)
Also, make this pie. Recipe coming later this week! It’s the whole reason I did this How to Make Dulce de Leche post, haha. I’ve got ulterior motives people. (UPDATE! Here it is.)
Dulce de leche would be such a fun and EASY way to take care of friend and neighbor gifts for Christmas this year. Who could say no to a jar of this stuff?? Give it to them with a few apples for dipping. So fun!
How to store Dulce de Leche
If you didn’t open the can of sweetened condensed milk turned dulce de leche, then it’s still shelf stable and you can just put it back in your pantry (preferably labeled, so you don’t end up thinking it’s beans). When you do open it, then you can transfer it to a mason jar with a lid (or other container with a lid) and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
More ideas for what to do with dulce de leche:
- No Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Caramelized Peaches << You could do this with caramelized bananas if peaches aren’t in season!
- Cranberry Dulce de Leche Hand Pies << these are so fun for the holidays!! Surprise and delight your guests!
- 2 Ingredient Nutella Puff Pastry << fill this with dulce de leche instead of Nutella. YES.
- Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Parfaits << this is so easy and a really fun make-your-own dessert to serve at parties, baby showers, etc.
- Nutella and Banana Stuffed Crescent Rolls << use dulce de leche instead of Nutella in this recipe. HEAVEN!
- Top these Dark Chocolate Waffles with dulce de leche. Talk about a decadent breakfast!
Store bought items you should definitely make at home instead:
- Cinnamon Honey Butter << this is a magical substance. Pinned over 500k times, so you know it’s a winner!
- My Favorite Caramel Sauce << You can never go wrong with homemade caramel!
- The Best Lemon Curd (Easy!) << this is a reader favorite! And a favorite of mine too!
- Homemade Chocolate Sauce << The hot fudge you buy at the store pales in comparison. For real.
- Easy Homemade Maple Syrup << My husband is obsessed with this stuff.
- Coconut Syrup << this is popular in Hawaii. It’s SO good on these Banana Macadamia Pancakes
- Homemade Nutella from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping from Crazy for Crust
- Homemade Magic Shell from Real Housemoms
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How to make Dulce De Leche with Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Prepare your can:
- Remove the label. This is optional, but I think it’s easier to peel dry paper off of a can than to fish wet particles of disintegrating paper out of hot water when you’re done.
- Clean the glue off the can. This is also optional, but every brand of sweetened condensed milk that I tried had such a strong glue attaching the label to the can that afterward, the interiors of my pots (stock pot, Instant pot, and Crock pot) were covered in a grimy film from the glue. I’d rather clean the glue off the can than clean it off my pot. I used Goo Gone and it took about 2 seconds.
- Place the can on it’s side (not upright) in your pot (Crock pot, Instant pot, or large stock pot). This is so that the can stays put on the bottom of the pot. It will bounce around if you stand it upright. You can make as many cans at a time as you like, usually up to 3 depending on the size of your pot. The cans need to be able to to fit sideways on the bottom of the pot, do not stack them.
- Alternatively, you can scrape your sweetened condensed milk into a very clean mason jar and seal tightly with a clean ring and a clean lid. If you choose this method, place the jar in the pot upright, not on it's side. If you are doing more than one can, make sure they are not touching each other. Leave a little space at the top of the jar so the milk has room to expand. 2 (14 ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk will fit into 3 (8 ounce) mason jars. Mason jars are perfect if you are planning to gift these to neighbors or friends.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Fill your large stock pot with water that reaches 2 inches above the cans (which are on their sides.)
- Cover with a lid and set over high heat.
- When the water is at a rolling boil, lower the heat to a simmer. For my stove on the “power burner” this was on low. There should still be active bubbles, just not so much that your water looks ragey and angry. It should be gently bubbly.
- Simmer as is for 3 hours. Keep the lid on. Check the pot every 30-60 minutes to make sure that the water level is above the cans. The cans need to be completely submerged at all times. Add more hot water as necessary.
- After 3 hours, either wait for the water to cool a bit, or carefully remove the can with tongs and oven mitts. DO NOT open the can right away! The can is pressurized and you will spurt yourself with molten hot dulce de leche, and it will hurt. You can place the can in a bowl of cold water to speed up the cooling if you like. When you can handle the can easily with your bare hands, it is ready to be opened. It doesn’t take more than a half hour if placed in cold water.
- Open your can and voila! Delicious dulce de leche!
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Fill your Instant pot (or any brand electric pressure cooker) with water that reaches 1 inch above the cans (which are on their sides.)
- Place the lid on the Instant pot and turn the lever on top to “SEAL.”
- Pressure cook on high (which is the default) for 40 minutes.
- At this point you can either release the lid naturally or follow manual instructions to do a quick release. Be careful! You don’t want to get a steam burn.
- DO NOT open the can right away! The can is pressurized and you will spurt yourself with molten hot dulce de leche, and it will hurt. You can place the can in a bowl of cold water to speed up the cooling if you like. When you can handle the can easily with your bare hands, it is ready to be opened. It doesn’t take more than a half hour if placed in cold water.
- Open your can and voila! Delicious dulce de leche!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Fill your slow cooker with water that reaches 1 inch above the cans (which are on their sides.)
- Set the heat to LOW and cook for 8-10 hours. The longer you cook it, the darker your dulce de leche will be.
- After 8-10 hours, either wait for the water to cool a bit, or carefully remove the can with tongs and oven mitts. DO NOT open the can right away! The can is pressurized and you will spurt yourself with molten hot dulce de leche, and it will hurt. You can place the can in a bowl of cold water to speed up the cooling if you like. When you can handle the can easily with your bare hands, it is ready to be opened. It doesn’t take more than a half hour if placed in cold water.
- Open your can and voila! Delicious dulce de leche!
Storage:
- If you do not open the cans, they are shelf-stable for 3 months . There is no need to refrigerate if you have not opened the cans. They are still sealed. If you cooked in mason jars, they are not shelf stable and you need to refrigerate.
- Once the can is opened, transfer leftovers to a mason jar with a lid or a tupperware with a lid. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
- The consistency of dulce de leche after cooling is pudding-like. It is not thin or pourable. It is more like soft peanut butter. If you are storing in the fridge, you can warm it in the microwave for a minute or two to soften it. If you are pouring over ice cream, I like to stir in a bit of cream to the warm dulce de leche to make it even smoother. Because calorie restraint is not my forte :)
This did not work at 8 hours which is very disappointing. Maybe will try 10 but it’s so pale and runny.
I would be awesome to post some pictures of color variation like how big of a difference will it be from 8 hours cooked to 10 hours in the crock pot??
I did mine in the slow cooker. It turned out nice but quite firm Any ideas on how to get it a little more runny for pouring
Hi Lyn! That’s odd! Sounds like it cooked to hot or too long. Is your crock pot old? I would reduce the time next time. That’s a bummer!
Thanks. No it isn’t old but I will do it for less next time. I was also going to try and pressure cook it also. I want it pourable for gifts so I have time to experiment. Appreciate your answer
This recipe makes me think of vacations in Mexico. Yum!
Mine didn’t come out in the instant pot. I took it out after the pit depressurized. It’s still liquid milk inside. Any ideas as to why?
Thanks
I’m sorry Dc I don’t know what went wrong!!
Came to your page for a dulche de Lethe recipe and found myself vested in the next installment of baby vs Star Wars. So who won?
I love you Sally, haha! Star wars won, by just a few days. Here are some newborn photos if you’re interested 😍 he looks sweet but don’t be fooled. our little guy is two years old now and a holy terror these days, yesterday he got into my waterproof mascara and smeared it all over the mirror and his face, making him look like he has two black eyes. haha! Enjoy the Dulce de leche!
I opened my can after leaving it in the pressure pot for an hour and it wasn’t as dark as I wanted it. How do I fix this? Thanks!
Hi Farida! Once the can is open you can’t cook it in the can anymore, I’m sorry!
My son was born on Christmas eve. We always celebrated half birthdays in July!
This is the first I’ve heard of this recipe and cant wait to try it for the holidays this year.
Oh I love that idea Crystal!! I think we might try that when he’s older! Enjoy the pie and Happy Thanksgiving :)