With this recipe, making dulce de leche is super easy! I’ll also share which delicious recipes you can make with this caramel spread and more coming up soon!
Making homemade dulce de leche is not only super easy to do, but it is such a great recipe to have under your belt. You can use dulce de leche in so many different ways.
From sprinkling over ice cream to making a banoffee pie to whatever else you can think off. It’s pretty versatile!
Making dulce de leche is a bit like magic. You turn a can of sweetened condensed milk into a can full of golden caramel goodness, without even opening it!
When my dad saw a can simmering in a pot on the stove the other day, he couldn’t believe it would actually turn into caramel. But once he tasted it, he immediately took back his words!
Still, dulce de leche tastes different from a traditional caramel sauce made with cream, butter, and sugar. The flavor is similar to bebogeen (a Dutch caramel spread), and the texture is more like a thick cookie or chocolate spread. You can easily spread it on toast, scones, or pancakes.
Making your own dulce de leche is incredibly easy, but it does take time. The can needs to simmer for about three hours. That’s why I usually cook several cans at once. As long as they stay sealed, you can store them for weeks or even months.
This caramel spread is very popular in Latin America and actually originates there. It’s not entirely clear which country invented it, since Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, and Peru have all tried -without success- to claim dulce de leche as part of their cultural heritage.
The name dulce de leche literally translates from Spanish as “sweet from milk.” Every country has its own version, but the way it’s used is pretty similar everywhere. From spreading it on cookies, cakes, and pastries to adding it to breakfast dishes.
Dulce de leche has a soft but firm texture when cooled. If you stir it well, it becomes smoother, and when you warm it, it turns pourable. That means there are endless ways to use it in recipes!
Over the years, I’ve baked so many treats with it. Here are a few of my where you can use it.
What would you make with dulce de leche?
If you really don’t have time to wait for 3 hours, you can go for store-bought or just wait until you do have the time. There is also an oven method, but at the end of the day, you will still need the same amount of time.
No need to worry! As long as you keep the top of the cans completely submerged in water the entire time. I like to use a tall stockpot with a lid, so I can fit several cans in at once and ensure they stay well below the water level. Keeping the lid on also helps reduce evaporation.
I haven’t tried it myself, but one of my readers shared that it worked for her using sweetened condensed coconut milk. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out. I’d love to hear your results!
According to readers, the results are the same no matter what type of stove or cooktop you have. Apparently, you can also make this in an Instant Pot, although I have not tried this myself.
In general, the longer you simmer the cans, the thicker the caramel will be. If you cooked it for the full three hours and let it cool completely, it might be quite firm. Stirring it well usually helps soften it, and if that’s not enough, gently warm it au bain-marie (in a hot water bath).
Opened: Lasts about a week in the fridge.
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