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    Home » Recipes » Desserts » Dulce de Leche

    Dulce de Leche

    Published: April 28, 2020 · Modified: Sep 14, 2020 by John Kanell

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

    Make your own dulce de leche at home! 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. You can't find it in many markets so I wanted to show you a couple very easy ways to make it at home!

    Golden dulce de leche in a glass jar next to a pink napkin.
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    glass bowl filled with dulce de leche
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    glass jar of dulce de leche on counter
    glass jar of dulce de leche
    glass jar of dulce de leche
    can of sweet and condensed milk after baking into dulce de leche
    glass pie dish full of dulce de leche
    glass jar of dulce de leche
    glass jar of dulce de leche
    open can of dulce de leche

    While QUITE popular across Latin America, dulce de leche is not as common in the U.S. You can sometimes find it in the Latin aisle or baking section of the supermarket but after moving away from a major city I realized I would need to make it at home. The process is quite easy, you could make it from scratch with milk and sugar but cooking sweetened condensed milk is much easier and hands off. 

    What You’ll Need for This Recipe

    A can of sweetened condensed milk on a marble counter.

    Sweetened Condensed Milk: You can use any brand to achieve the same results. Sweetened condensed milk can be found in the baking aisle at your local supermarket. If you’re boiling the can it’s a best practice to use the type of can that does not have a pop top.

    How to Make Dulce de Leche

    Method 1: Boiling

    Sweetened condensed milk in a can going into a pot of water to make dulce de leche.

    Remove the label from your can and place in a large pot. Fill with water until the cans are covered with 1-2 inches of water.

    Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. You’ll be cooking this for 2-3 hours, less time for a lighter caramelization and vice versa. Basically the can is acting as a pressure cooker so and the water is keeping the temperature constant. 

    Keep an eye on your pot and add water as needed, for best results you want the cans submerged.

    Freshly cooked dulce de leche in a can.

    Remove from water and allow to cool before opening. It’s ready to use but if you’re piping it or need the texture to be totally uniform then transfer it to a bowl and give it a good whisk. 

    Method 2: Baking

    Sweetened condensed milk getting poured into a pie dish.

    Preheat oven to 425F. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a pie dish and wrap tightly with foil.

    Water pouring into a roasting pan before it goes into the oven.

    Place into a deep roasting pan and fill with hot water until the level is about halfway up the pan. Place on middle rack of oven and bake at 425F for about 1 hour and a half to an hour 45. You can lift the foil up and peak at the color and add more water if needed.  

    The dulce de leche is ready to use right out of the oven but in most cases you will want to let it cool to room temperature. Just like in the previous method you may want to give it a good whisk to work out any lumps.

    Dulce de leche in a metal in can.

    Pro Tips for this recipe

    • If you’re boiling the cans then it’s important to monitor the water level as you want them to stay submerged.
    • Your dulce de leche will last about two weeks in the fridge if kept in a sealed container or three months if left in the unopened can. 
    • If you’re employing the boiling method it’s better to use the cans that do not have tab openers although I have not had an issue with them personally.
    • You will need to give it a whisk to smooth things out and get rid of some lumps.

    dDulce de leche in a pie crust for banoffee pie.

    As soon as it’s ready you can spread that creamy dulce de leche over almost anything and of course use it to make a delicious Banoffee Pie as you can see above.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is there a difference between caramel and dulce de leche?

    Caramel is made primarily of sugar with some butter and cream added at the end. Dulce de leche is milk with some sugar added. Both are caramelized but the ingredient proportion and flavor are quite different.

    What is it made of?

    Dulce de leche is made with milk and sugar. You can add vanilla and salt if desired.

    What is the flavor?

    It has a wonderful caramel flavor but it is not as sweet as caramel and has a creamier taste and mouthfeel.

    What can I use it in? 

    This stuff is amazing in cupcakes and as a cake filling. You can use it in tres leches cake instead of the sweetened condensed milk and you can use it in cookie sandwiches. It also tastes great in coffee, on ice cream, and by the spoonful.

    If you love this recipe try these out!

    • A jar of homemade caramel with a giolden spoon in the foreground.

      Caramel

    • A photo of a piece being removed from a Dulce De Leche Cake.

      Dulce De Leche Cake

    • A piece of delicious banoffee pie in the foreground with the whole pie behind it.

      Banoffee Pie

    • A stack of magic cookie bars next to a glass of milk.

      Magic Cookie Bars

    • A slice of caramel cake on a plate with the rest of the cake on a stand in the background along with coffee.

      Caramel Cake

    If you’ve tried this recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! 

    Silky dulce de leche getting spooned out of a glass jar.
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    5 from 169 votes

    Dulce de Leche

    Dulce de leche is a perfectly sweet, super-creamy milk-based caramel. It's wonderful on cakes, cupcakes, cookies and by the spoonful!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine argentina, latin, Mexican
    Cook Time 3 hours
    Total Time 3 hours
    Servings 1 batch
    Calories 1274kcal
    Author John Kanell

    Ingredients

    • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

    Instructions

    Method 1: Boiling

    • Remove the label rom your can. You can use more cans if you'd like more dulce de leche, you're just limited by the space In your pot.
    • Place can(s) In a pot large enough to accommodate them. Fill with water so the cans are submerged by 1-2 inches and place over medium high heat. As soon as the water comes to a boil reduce to a simmer then just keep an occasional eye on the water level and refill as necessary. 2 hours of simmering will give you a light golden color while 3 will yield a darker amber color with a richer flavor.

    Method 2: Baking

    • Preheat oven to 425F. Pour your sweetened condensed milk into a pie dish or cake pan and cover tightly with foil. Transfer to a deep roasting pan and fill with hot water so you have about an inch of depth.
    • Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes. You can add or subtract bake time depending on the depth of color desired. Allow to cool and whisk to smooth out and get rid of any lumps.

    Video

    Notes

    • If you're boiling the cans it's important to monitor the water level, you want them to stay submerged.
    • Your dulce de leche will last about two weeks in the fridge if kept in a sealed container or three months if left in the unopened can. 
    • If you're employing the boiling method it's better to use the cans that do not have tab openers.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1batch | Calories: 1274kcal | Carbohydrates: 216g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 1472mg | Sugar: 216g | Vitamin A: 1060IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 1127mg | Iron: 1mg
    *Nutrition Disclaimer
    Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @preppykitchen and tag #preppykitchen!
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    Thanks for stopping by! I’m John Kanell, a husband, dad to twins Lachlan and George, Los Angeles native, and an avid baker and cooker of all things delicious thanks to a life long education from my mother. This blog is where I share all of my kitchen creations!

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