Have you ever wondered how to make sweetened condensed milk? With just a few simple ingredients, you can make this Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe - it's easy and tastes so much better than what comes out of a can.
I came across a recipe that I wanted to try for coconut macaroons, but didn't know of a substitute for sweetened condensed milk since I didn't have any on hand. What I did have was a cookbook that I'd checked out from the library, BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks.
The book is a treasure trove of recipes for making everything from Homemade Twinkies® and Snickers® bars to perfected pie crust and fudge brownies. I say perfected because this cookbook feels like a mouthwatering science textbook. Who knew that could be done? And, as you've guessed, she included a very precise sweetened condensed milk recipe.
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I decided to try it and what a revelation! Maybe it's the heavy cream in addition to the milk (to help keep the mixture from curdling), but the texture and, more importantly the flavor, is far superior than anything I've poured from a can. I chose not to add any aromatics like cinnamon or vanilla bean, but I may in the future for making no churn ice cream or some other treat.
Ingredients You Need to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Milk: whole milk
- Heavy Cream
- Sugar: granulated white sugar or superfine sugar
- Kosher Salt: or ½ the amount of fine sea salt
Recipe Tips
Also I found that it took a bit longer on my stove for the mixture to reduce by half, but appreciated her advice to pay attention to how long it takes your dairy mixture to come to a simmer: shorter than 12 minutes, turn the burner down slightly; longer than 12 minutes, turn it up slightly. She also warns against using sweeteners like agave, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar and even raw cane sugar as their higher acidity may cause the dairy to curdle. See what I mean? Science textbook!
The version of the recipe I'm posting here is slightly simplified from the original, skipping the instruction to weigh on a digital scale before and after simmering. You can certainly go that route if you like and will find her instructions to do so here.
Evaporated Milk vs. Sweetened Condensed Milk
Note that sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are not the same. Both are heated until reduced by about half of their original volume, evaporating off water content. But evaporated milk is not sweetened and can't be used in recipes interchangeably.
More Better-Than-Store-Bought Recipes to Try
- Easy Coconut Macaroons (uses Condensed Milk)
- Homemade Marshmallows
- Homemade Almond Joy
- Homemade Salty Black Licorice
How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk
Combine milk, cream, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to simmer, about 12 minutes.
Stir and simmer until mixture has reduced by half, about 30 minutes more. It will foam suddenly just before it's finished. Let the foam subside and transfer to an airtight container. Let cool completely; refrigerate for up to a month. Bring to room temperature before using.
Recipe Video
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk 32 ounces
- ¾ cup heavy cream 6 ounces
- 1 cup granulated white sugar 7 ounces
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a 5-quart saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar and kosher salt. Place on stovetop over medium heat; stirring occasionally with a silicone or other heat resistant spatula. The mixture should begin to simmer at about 12 minutes, if much faster, reduce heat slightly; much slower, increase heat slightly.
- Stirring constantly, simmer for another 30 minutes, scraping the sides often. When the mixture has reduced by about half it will suddenly turn foamy. Keep stirring until the foam subsides and pour mixture into a glass measuring pitcher. You should have 2 cups, if less, you can top with milk and blend to emulsify. If you have more than two cups, return to pan and continue to simmer until reduced to 2 cups.
- Store in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. Bring to room temperature before using.
Notes
- This makes about 2 cups, or 16 2-tablespoon servings.
I’m going to try this recipe, because I want to start making my own flavored coffee creamer. It had to have sweetened condensed milk. Could I use stevia in place of sugar? If so would the measurement be the same as regular sugar?
Hi Crystal! I haven't tested this with alternative sweeteners. Stevia is about 30x sweeter than sugar, so you'll want to greatly reduce the amount. If I were making it this way, I'd make an unsweetened version of the milk and sweeten to taste once it cooled a bit. I hope that's helpful!
I’ve been using your recipe for over a year and I can’t even bring myself to use the canned stuff anymore! Me and my 3 yr old granddaughter eat it right out the jar!!! Soooo easy and soooo YUMMY!!!! Works beautifully with my Tres Leches Cake!! Thank you for this wonderfully tasting and easy recipe!
This is wonderful to hear, Rhonda! So glad you're enjoying the recipe and I'd love to try your Tres Leches Cake!
Can I use straight half and half to make condensed milk?
Hi Jaci! Sure, that should work just fine.
I use sweetened condensed milk in recipes a lot and I don't know why I never thought to make my own. Now I will! 🙂 ~Valentina
I love to hear that, Valentina!
Hi Marissa, random question: do you happen to know where you got that glass pitcher you use in the first couple of photos? The one that says 0,5l at the top?
Hi Dimi! I don't remember where I bought the pitcher in the photo, but this one is very similar. Hope that helps!
Making this for a 2nd time using A2 milk and A2 cream. Then using it in homemade Irish cream for St. Patrick’s Day. We did this over Christmas and it was well received by all. Slainte ☘️
I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying the recipe!
This is so great. I can't wait to try it. Using all my own ingredients is key, and I can avoid those nasty metal cans. Thank you!
My pleasure, Maria! I hope you'll love it.
Hi! Absolutely fantastic, it came out perfect!
Also a quick note, not sure if this is a typo but in step 1 it states the following:
In a 5-quart saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar and kosher salt. Place on stovetop over medium heat; stirring occasionally with a silicone or other heat resistant spatula. The mixture should begin to simmer at about 12 minutes, if much faster, reduce heat slightly; much slower, decrease heat slightly.
Should it be:
, if much faster, reduce heat slightly; much slower, INCREASE heat slightly.
So glad this is a hit for you, Rick! And yes, that's a typo - thank you so much for pointing it out. Fixed now.
Hi Deniece from Dalton,Ga
I made this using half the regular white sugar and half truvia and it worked. Made homemade cherry ice cream with fresh cherries and it was so deevviinneeeee. Made a custard
Using truvia The whole thing was less than half of the sugar.
My family all loved it so much.
Thanks for your tasty recipe. Who knew. Homemade s. Cond. milk 🧐
My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed and made it your own!