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Most of the time, people cook caramel by heating up regular or brown sugar until it turns into a smooth and creamy substance. However, you can also make caramel out of sweetened condensed milk, creating the same great sauce with a unique, extra-sweet kick.
Ingredients
- 1 14-oz. can (396 g) sweetened, condensed milk
Steps
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Remove the label from the can. Only use a can of condensed milk that has a sealed lid for this method: do not use a can with a pull-tab lid. [1] X Research source There will be a fair bit of pressure building up inside the can as you boil it, and you don’t want the lid popping off. -
Fill the saucepan with room temperature water. Make sure the can is fully immersed and that there’s an extra two inches (five cm) of water covering the can. [2] X Research source This will prevent the can from overheating and possibly exploding, and prevent the milk from burning.Advertisement
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Place the unopened can in a medium or large saucepan. By placing the can on its side, you will prevent it from bouncing around as the water boils.
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Bring the water to a simmer over high heat. When it begins to simmer, turn it down to medium heat and allow to simmer for two to three hours (two hours for a lighter dulce de leche, or three hours if you want the sauce thicker and darker). [3] X Research source
- Check on the can every 30 minutes. Turn the can every half hour to prevent scorching. Top up the water as needed to ensure there’s always one to two extra inches (two-and-a-half to five cm) of water covering the can.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat. When two to three hours are up, remove the can with a slotted spoon or tongs and place it on a wire rack. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Don’t open the can until it has fully cooled.
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Prepare your double boiler . Fill the bottom of a double boiler with about two inches (five cm) of water and bring it to a boil. Open a can of sweetened condensed milk and pour the contents into the top portion.
- Use a saucepan and a glass bowl if you don’t have a double boiler. Half fill a small or medium saucepan with water, and set a large glass bowl inside the saucepan, making sure it doesn't touch the water (if it does, empty out some water). Make sure the glass bowl is big enough to form a seal with the saucepan.
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Heat the milk. 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.
- Use aluminum foil to create a lid if you are using a saucepan and glass bowl.
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Remove from the heat. As it cools, whisk the dulce de leche until it is smooth and free of lumps. Allow it to cool for about 20 minutes before serving or using in a recipe.
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Preheat your oven to 425 F (218 C). Open a can of sweetened condensed milk and pour the contents into a nine-inch pie plate. Cover the pie plate with foil.
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Place the pie plate in a larger baking dish. A larger pie plate or large roasting pan will do. Add hot water to the baking dish until it comes halfway up the pie plate.
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Bake for one hour. After an hour, remove the baking dish (with the pie plate inside) from the oven. Remove the foil and whisk the milk. [4] X Research source
- Check the consistency and color. If the milk hasn’t achieved the desired thickness or caramel color, cover it with the foil again and return the pie plate and water-filled baking dish to the oven. Top up the water if necessary.
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Check every 15 minutes. After the first hour, check on the confection frequently until it reaches the desired consistency and caramel color. Remove it from the oven when you are happy with the dulce de leche, or until it has achieved the color of peanut butter. [5] X Research source
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Transfer to a mixing bowl. As the dulce de leche cools, whisk it until it’s smooth and creamy, about three minutes.
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Prepare the can. Remove the label from the can of sweetened condensed milk. Place the unopened can on its side directly on the bottom of the pressure cooker. Fill the pressure cooker with enough water to fully immerse the can and cover it with an extra inch (two-and-a-half cm) of water. [6] X Research source
- Do not exceed the maximum fill line on your pressure cooker.
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Secure (lock) the lid and heat. Heat on high until the pressure cooker reaches the proper pressure. Immediately lower the heat slightly, but keep the temperature high enough that the pressure cooker maintains pressure.
- You want the heat high enough to simmer the water, but not so high that the pressure cooker whistles.
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Continue cooking for 40 minutes. When the 40 minutes are up, remove the pressure cooker from the heat. [7] X Research source
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Release the pressure. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release its steam and reduce its pressure, or with the quick release valve. Do not open the pressure cooker until all the steam has been released and the pressure has dropped.
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Open the pressure cooker and remove the can. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the can from the water and place it on a wire rack. Allow it to cool to room temperature, and don’t open the can until it has.
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Prepare the can. Remove the label. Place the unopened can on its side on the bottom of the slow cooker . Fill the slow cooker with enough water to fully immerse the can and cover it with an extra two inches (five cm) of water.
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Heat on low for eight to 10 hours. For a lighter dulce de leche, cook for eight hours; for a thicker and darker sauce, heat for ten hours. [8] X Research source
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Turn off the slow cooker and remove the can. Use tongs or a slotted spoon. Allow the can to cool on a wire rack to room temperature before opening. [9] X Research source
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Caramel from Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I make two cans at the same time? Does the cooking time increase?Community AnswerYou can make two cans at once, but it may take longer to get to a simmer. After that, the same time counts as they will both be the same temperature. This applies to as many cans as you can fit in any particular vessel.
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QuestionWill this be the right consistency to use for caramel-filled donuts?Community AnswerYes, only not right away. Transfer the caramel to a glass jar and refrigerate overnight. It will get thicker.
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QuestionCan you use already caramel flavored condensed milk instead of doing the water bath method?Community AnswerSure, but it will still be condensed milk instead of caramel.
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Tips
- Unused portions of dulce de leche should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.Thanks
- Cooled dulce de leche will thicken up. To return it to a sauce consistency that can be poured or drizzled, heat it slowly in a double boiler.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- For a shorter method, melt 150g of butter and stir in 150g of dark sugar. Pour in your 400g can of condensed sweetened milk then bring it to a boil, stirring continuously for around 3 minutes. After it thickens and darkens, you're done!
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References
- ↑ https://preppykitchen.com/dulce-de-leche/#recipe
- ↑ https://preppykitchen.com/dulce-de-leche/#recipe
- ↑ https://www.foxyfolksy.com/dulce-de-leche/#recipe
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/homemade-dulce-de-leche-395011
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/homemade-dulce-de-leche-395011
- ↑ https://www.foxyfolksy.com/dulce-de-leche/#recipe
- ↑ https://www.foxyfolksy.com/dulce-de-leche/#recipe
- ↑ https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-dulce-de-leche-1-ingredient-caramel-sauce/
- ↑ https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-dulce-de-leche-1-ingredient-caramel-sauce/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
Remove the label from a sweetened condensed milk can and place it in the center of a pan. Fill the pan with lukewarm water, then bring the water to a simmer. Let the can sit for 2 hours to make a light sauce or 3 hours to make a thick sauce, and be sure to check on the can every 30 minutes to prevent scorching. Once it’s finished, remove the can from the water and let it cool down before opening. For tips on making caramel in a boiler, oven, pressure cooker, or slow cooker, read on!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 3,006,449 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I grew up eating pie made from milk prepared this way, best pie ever. But I would add, I always put a cup towel over my can to begin opening it, in case it squirted out and burned me. We opened the can pretty hot so it would not set before we put it in the cookie pie shell. Then cover with toasted coconut and refrigerate until cool." ..." more
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"I grew up eating pie made from milk prepared this way, best pie ever. But I would add, I always put a cup towel over my can to begin opening it, in case it squirted out and burned me. We opened the can pretty hot so it would not set before we put it in the cookie pie shell. Then cover with toasted coconut and refrigerate until cool."
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"I remember when my dad blew me away by boiling a can of Eagle brand evaporated milk for hours! He made caramel pie. So I needed to know exactly how long to boil it in order to get the consistency of caramel that I would like, to make a snickers recipe."
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"All I had was the pull tab cans, so I used the oven method. Super easy, I added a little bit of vanilla after it was done, delicious on ice cream and mixed in homemade hot cocoa instead of using sugar."
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"I liked the pictures. They really helped me to understand the recipe. In addition, I liked the Q&A and the fact that you can choose between different ways. Great site and awesome article!"
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"Terrific. Used the bake in the oven method and have lovely thick caramel. Very pleased, as I only had can with ring pull and thought I would not be able to use it to make the caramel."
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