Dulce de leche is a mixture of milk and sugar that is then caramelized. For most people, caramelization seems like tricky business. But caramelizing in a can is so easy that you won’t believe it. The only thing I must warn you about is that there is a possibility of the can exploding, and it takes a lot of water and time. But this is the easiest way to get a creamy dulce de leche without much work.

Any recipe that begins with fresh milk requires some technique to help you not crystalize the mix, it can get grainy fairly quickly and/or burn. Boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk solves that problem. There is also no mess to clean up.

This method produces with little work but it does lack a bit of flavor. This canned method is by far the easiest. But it produces the most flat dulce de leche that I have ever made. You can improve this taste by adding a splash of real vanilla.

I have a more in depth post on dulce de leche here if you are interested in learning more.

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opened can of sweetened condensed milk caramelized

Dulce de leche from a can of sweetened condensed milk

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 to 2 hours
  • Total Time: 41 minute
  • Yield: 1 can of dulce de leche 1x
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Description

Easy but might be dangerous way to make dulce de leche. 

Tools: large pot 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • big pot, enough to fit the can and space for the water to cover the can
  • Many liters of water, enough to cover the can and boil for 1-2 hours

Instructions

  1. Place the can of sweetened condensed milk in the pot, cover with enough water to go over the can and make sure the water is always above the can.can in a pot of water
  2. Boil for 1 to 2 hours. The longer you boil, the darker your dulce de leche will be. First can I removed after 1 hour and second can I removed after 2 hours. opened can of sweetened condensed milk caramelized
  3. When finished boiling let the can sit in the water until the water is cool, about 1 hour. 
  4. Remove can from pot and dry with a towel.
  5. Open the can and enjoy. 
  • Category: dulce de leche
  • Method: boil

Keywords: dulce de leche, caramel, sweetened condensed milk

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