How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (2024)

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ByCamila Hurst Posted on Updated on

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Hello friends! Today I will show you how to make dulce de leche without condensed milk.

Most methods and recipes for dulce de leche you will find out there are requiring a can of sweetened condensed milk.

There are different ways of making dulce de leche from a can of condensed milk. However, I know and understand some people might not feel it’s the best option to boil a sealed can of condensed milk, even though I think it’s perfectly safe.

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So I have a couple of alternatives for you!

First one is to purchase store-bought dulce de leche. On this Dulce de Leche Guide, I am giving you a lot of options on brands of dulce de leche and where to purchase them.

Second option is to learn how to make dulce de leche without condensed milk, from simply three ingredients: milk, sugar and baking soda.

Also check the video on this page, or on YouTube, showing you how to make dulce de leche without condensed milk. And watch the video where I taste test and compare the different methods of making dulce de leche.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (1)

So first, start by placing the milk and sugar in a large saucepan, over medium heat.

Once the sugar has melted, add the baking soda, and bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer.

Stir frequently, and keep the heat LOW.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (2)

The mixture will start to get yellow, then orange, and the color will begin to deepen.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (3)

Continue to cook for 2 to 3 hours. The longer you cook, the darker and richer the dulce de leche will be.

At the final stages, the foam from the top will disappear, and the dulce de leche will begin to thicken up.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (4)

When the sauce looks very dark in color, reduced, and thickened, remove from the heat.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (5)

Pour the sauce in a heat proof bowl. If you notice lumps in the sauce, pour it through a fine mesh sieve.

And then let the sauce cool down all the way in the fridge.

Why add baking soda to the sauce?

The baking soda will help with the reactions necessary to make the sauce thick and dark, with a rich taste.

As you cook the milk and sugar together, water will evaporate, making the solution more acidic, and proteins will begin to coagulate.

The baking soda is then used as an alkalinizer, to neutralize the acids present in the sauce. It will also help with the deep brown color achieved by the Maillard Reactions occurring in the sauce as the milk and sugar cook down.

Maillard reactions make the flavors and aromas in the food more complex and deep.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (6)

As you can see on the picture above, those are the different ways you can make dulce de leche. The stove top is the last one.

It’s not a pipeable dulce de leche, it’s more caramel-like than dulce de leche per say.

The taste of the dulce de leche without condensed milk is a mix between caramel and dulce de leche.

Also, I found the texture to be a bit gritty.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (7)

You can find more dulce de leche recipes here.

And check out my Dulce de Leche Guide to find out everything you need to know about dulce de leche.

Thanks for reading!

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (8)

Dulce de Leche without Condensed Milk

How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (9)Camila Hurst

How to make Dulce de Leche without condensed milk, with just 3 ingredients: milk, sugar, and baking soda.Recipe adapted from Alton Brown.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Latin

Servings 1 cup

Calories 50 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar 300 grams
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

  • Combine the milk and sugar in a large saucepan.

  • Place it over medium heat and stir occasionally, until the sugar has melted.

  • At this point, add the baking soda to the pan.

  • Continue to stir until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer.

  • Reduce the heat to medium-low, or low heat.

  • The simmer should be extremely gentle.

  • Stir frequently, while the mixture cooks down, for 2 to 3 hours.

  • Always keep an eye on the heat, if the mixture starts boiling, or if you don’t stir frequently, it will burn really fast and stick to the bottom of the pan.

  • Once the mixture is very dark in color, thickened, and reduced, remove from the heat and pour it in a heat proof container. If you notice lumps in the sauce, strain it through a fine mesh strainer.

  • Let it cool down all the way before enjoying.

  • Store in the fridge, covered for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

Vanilla: Alton Brown’s original recipe calls for a vanilla bean pod and seeds added to the sauce in the beginning of the process. At the 1 hour mark, you’d remove the vanilla bean pod.

Stirring: it’s not an overstatement when I say to really keep an eye on the mixture and stir constantly, if you fail to do so, it will burn.

Thickness: As it cools down the sauce will get thicker, but won’t be as thick as the dulce de leche made from sweetened condensed milk.

Keyword dulce de leche

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  1. How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (16)
    Que delícia!!!!!!

    Reply

  2. Hi! Hreat site! Usually this recipe for ddl without condensed milk is best with raw milk – have you tried it?
    Im trying to find a recipe for ddl with sugar substitutes. Any ideas????

    Reply

    1. I have never made this with raw milk, and I also dont know how to make this with sugar substitutes or if it would work.

      Reply

  3. How to Make Dulce de Leche Without Condensed Milk (17)
    Hi Camila! Here in Argentina we add some glass marbles to the pot so DDL doesn’t burn… If the fire’s not at minimum but a medium, with the bubles the marbles also mixed the mil a little bit. So… Yo don’t have to be there with a spoon all the time!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, that’s a wonderful tip!!!!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Camila

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FAQs

What is a substitute for dulce de leche? ›

Caramel is a good substitute for dulce de leche. If you want to give it a more dulce de leche-like taste and texture, mix the caramel with cream, half and half, milk, or butter.

Can I use milk and sugar instead of condensed milk? ›

You can make a sweetened condensed milk substitute on the stovetop as well. In a saucepan, whisk together 2 cups milk and 1 cup sugar. Heat the mixture on medium to allow the sugar to dissolve. Reduce the temperature just before the milk begins to boil, and then leave it to simmer on low.

Why add baking soda to dulce de leche? ›

The baking soda is then used as an alkalinizer, to neutralize the acids present in the sauce. It will also help with the deep brown color achieved by the Maillard Reactions occurring in the sauce as the milk and sugar cook down. Maillard reactions make the flavors and aromas in the food more complex and deep.

What do I do if I dont have condensed milk? ›

Condensed Milk Substitutes

If you don't have sweetened condensed milk, you can make your own using evaporated milk and sugar, or you can bring 3/4 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 1/8 cups of dry powdered milk to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

How do you turn evaporated milk into condensed milk? ›

While we don't recommend substituting condensed milk for evaporated milk or vice versa, you can make your own condensed milk when you're in a pinch. Simply heat together 1½ cups of sugar and one can of evaporated milk until the sugar has fully dissolved.

What two basic ingredients does dulce de leche contain? ›

Unlike caramel sauce, which is made by browning sugar and then adding cream and butter, dulce de leche is made by gently simmering milk and sugar together for over an hour until it's thickened and golden (swap out the cow's milk for goat's milk and you have cajeta).

Is dulce de leche just caramel? ›

Caramel and dulce de leche might look and taste somewhat similar, but they are actually pretty different. While caramel is made from slowly simmering water and sugar until it caramelizes, dulce de leche is made from simmering milk and sugar super slowly until it turns into a creamy, caramelized substance.

What is the same as dulce de leche? ›

Caramel. Caramel sauce and dulce de leche look and taste extremely similar. In fact, they can be interchangeable in certain recipes.

Can you use milk instead of condensed milk in caramel? ›

Is it okay to substitute some of the sweetened concentrated milk with regular milk when making caramel filling? Yeah, you CAN do that, but it will take much longer to cook down into caramel and you'll need about 3 times as much milk as you would sweetened condensed milk to get the same amount of caramel.

How to condensed milk at home? ›

firstly, in a bowl take 2 cup full cream powder, 1 tsp corn flour, 1 cup sugar, ¼ tsp baking soda and 1 cup milk. whisk and mix well until everything is well combined. now pour the milk mixture into a large kadai and keep stirring. keep the flame on medium and keep stirring.

How much milk is in a can of condensed milk? ›

When poured into a liquid measuring cup, one 14oz can (shown as “Net Weight”) of sweetened condensed milk is 10 liquid ounces. Most recipes call for one 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, but some call for a smaller amount like 1/2 a cup or a 1/4 cup.

Why isn't my dulce de leche thickening? ›

Thickness: in order to obtain a really thick dulce de leche, you have to bake it for a really long time. However, the longer you bake it, the more scorched it gets. Frosting use: if the dulce de leche is too lumpy it won't work well for frosting.

Why is my dulce de leche not turning brown? ›

As long as you stir regularly – and continuously towards the end – it turns a nice even brown color. By continuously stirring the mixture you also influence the consistency of the dulce de leche. You prevent a firm gel from forming during cooking.

Why is my dulce de leche watery? ›

The longer you cook, the thicker and darker the dulce de leche will be. For a light and runny dulce de leche, cook for 2.5 hours, for a dulce de leche that is easy to pipe and holds its shape, cook for 3.5 to 4 hours.

How do I substitute heavy cream for sweetened condensed milk? ›

Can you substitute sweetened condensed milk for heavy cream or half & half in recipes? Simply mix 1 cup of heavy cream with ¼ cup of sugar to get a creamy rich alternative. You can use this as a 1:1 exchange for sweetened condensed milk in any recipe.

What is a substitute for Nestle condensed milk? ›

Nestle Plant Based Condensed Milk Alternative is made from rice flour and oat flour and is perfect ingredient for delicious vegan baking. It is a great ingredient for creating tasty dairy alternative sweet treats such as cakes, cookies, brownies, cheesecake, caramel slice and more.

What does condensed milk do in baking? ›

Underrated but definitely not underused, sweetened condensed milk is as much of a backbone in classic baking as sugar is. The thick syrup contributes both the sweetness of sugar and the benefits of milk without adding too much liquid since condensing milk removes moisture and concentrates the natural sugars.

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