Dulce de Leche Recipe | What is Dulce de Leche? - Cook with Kushi (2024)

Dulce de leche is a rich, thick, sweet, and creamy caramel-like sauce made by heating sweetened milk. A very versatile sauce that you can use as a spread on bread, drizzle on fruits, or as a main ingredient to make ice creams, milkshakes, churros, cookies, cakes and cupcakes, pastries, and almost every possible dessert!!!

What is dulce de leche?

Dulce de leche is a very popular caramel-like sauce in Latin American countries pronounced as dool-say dee lay-chay, which translates to sweet milk in Spanish.

Dulce de leche is traditionally made by slow-heating sweetened condensed milk or regular milk with sugar until it caramelizes and thickens to a sticky and smooth sauce. This process also gives it beautiful caramel color and rich flavor.

Best dessert recipes to try with dulce de leche

Today's post is about making dulce de leche from condensed milk. But they are readily available in the baking aisle of grocery stores.

Ingredient

Sweetened condensed milk:Use any brand of your choice. Cans of these are available in the baking aisle of any grocery store. Make sure you are using sweetened condensed milk. EVoporated milk will not work in the recipe.

How to make Dulce De Leche?

Dulce de leche Stovetop Method 1

Prepare the can:If the outside of the can has a paper label, remove it else; you can immerse it directly. Ensure there are no dents or damage.(The final image is from the sauce that I made in the USA, and stepwise pictures are from the one that I recently tried making again in India)

Boiling the water:Fill a large pot with water. Ensure you add enough water atleast 1 or 2 inches above so that the cans are submerged completely.

Submerge the can:Place unopened cans of condensed milk in this pot of water.

Boiling process:Bring the water to a boil and simmer. You will cook for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the consistency and the color you prefer. For a lighter sauce, you will have to boil for 2 hours; for dark copper brown color, you may have to simmer for 3 to 4 hours.

Keep checking the water level and add more water as needed. For best results, see that the can is always submerged in water.

Cooling down:After the desired cooking time, use thongs or big spoons to remove the can from hot water. You must allow the cans to cool down to room temperature before opening. This helps prevent any splattering.

Homemade dulce de leche is ready:Open the can, and you will see thick creamy, and caramelized sauce. If you need uniform texture, transfer it to a bowl and give it a good whisk to eliminate any lumps.

Transfer and store:Unopened cans can be refrigerated for 3 months or poured into a glass jar or storage conatiner and refrigerated and used for upto 3 weeks. You may have to warm it up in a pan, microwave, or double boiler to soften the sauce and smooth it out.

Stovetop method 2 for beginners

• In a large pot, bring water to boil.
• Using the can opener,make small holes opposite each otheron the can's top side.(The two holes on top of the can help release the pressure that is developed when heating condensed milk, and you don't have to worry about any explosions)
• Place these cans upright in a large wide pot on high heat. Pour the boiling water slowly from the sides till it covers three-fourths of the can.
• Bring this to a rolling boil and then simmer (medium-low heat) uncovered for 3 ½ to 4 hours. Monitor the water level and top it off every 30 minutes.
• After 4 hours, carefully remove the cans using tongs and let them cool down completely.

Pro Tips to make dulce de leche at home

• The most attractive thing aboutcaramel is the color; you will have to experiment with different simmer times. You will not be able to see the color of the caramel as the cans remain unopened while cooking. It took about 3 hours on medium-low heat for the caramel to develop copper-brown color. But the last time I tried to get this color, it took me about 4 hours as the heat was set to the lowest possible setting.
• One more thing to watch out for is the possibility of cans exploding. YES, you heard it right!! I have tried preparing several times but never had any explosions till now. Ensure to maintain the water level steady at all times, ensuring even cooking and eliminating any danger of explosions. However, when you search the internet, you hear a few stories about explosions or popping. So be careful when you prepare this!

• If you havetime, patience, and caramel cravingor love experimenting in your kitchen, grab 4 or 5 cans of condensed milk and try this out. But if you just want 1 can to make your favorite dessert, then you should buy from the store!!!
• You may have to bear a series of rattling sounds as the cans bounce while simmering. The good news is the noise can be eliminated by placing a kitchen towel at the bottom of the pot before placing the cans and topping them with boiling water.

Dulce de Leche instant pot

• If the outside of the can has a paper label, remove it else; you can use the unopened can directly. See that there are no dents or damage.
• Place the unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in your instant pot and add enough water so that water is at least 1 to 2 inches above.
• Set the pressure on high for 40 minutes.
• Let the pressure release naturally. Remove the can and let it cool to room temperature before opening.

Dulce de Leche oven method

• If you want to make it in the oven, preheat it to 425 degrees F. Pour a can of condensed milk into your pie dish and wrap it with aluminum foil.
  Place this on a roast pan and fill it with hot water halfway up.
  Bake this in the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the color and texture you like.
• You can lift the foil, check the color and bake for additional time if needed. Make sure you fill the roast pan with enough water.
• You can use the sauce once it is out of the oven. Make sure you give it a good whisk so that it is smooth and there are no lumps.

Recipe FAQs

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Recipe card

Note: We originally posted this recipe in July 2018. It has now been modified in Aug 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.