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dulce de leche
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How To Make Dulce De Leche

Made by slowly heating sweetened milk, this Latin American caramel is rich, creamy & super versatile. To make it at home, all you need is a tin of condensed milk & a little time…
Dulce de leche has loads of uses in baking. Drizzle it over ice cream, use it in tarts or even eat it on its’ own!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: South American
Yield: 300 g
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Large Saucepan
  • Roasting Tin
  • Small Ovenproof Dish

Materials

  • 397 g Condensed Milk 1 Tin

Instructions

  • Method #1 - On The Stove.
    Remove the label from the tin of condensed milk then lay it on its’ side in a large saucepan. Fill the saucepan up with water, making sure that the tin is completely submerged (the water level should be several inches above the top of the tin).
  • Bring the water to a boil over a high heat then immediately reduce to a low heat so that the water is at a gentle simmer. Leave to simmer for 2-4 hours. If you prefer a lighter, runnier caramel, simmer for 2.5-3 hours. If you prefer a dark, thicker caramel, simmer for 3.5-4.
    It is important that the tin stays fully submerged in water at all times. If the water level gets too low at any point, top the saucepan up with boiling water.
  • Once cooked, remove the pan from the heat & leave the tin to cool to room temperature in the water.When cool, take the tin out of the water & place it in the fridge, to set overnight.
    The next day, open the tin & use the dulce de leche as required.
  • Method #2 - In The Oven.
    Preheat an oven to 170°c.
    Open the tin of condensed milk & pour it into a pyyrex dish/baking tin. Place the dish of condensed milk into a roasting tin then fill the tin up with boiling water - the water level in the roasting tin should be at the same level as the condensed milk in the pyrex dish.
  • Cover the tin with foil & bake in the preheated oven for 2-4 hours or until the condensed milk is the desired colour & consistency . Make sure to give the condensed milk a good stir every 30-45 minutes & top the water up if necessary.
    If you want the dulce de leche to be thick & a dark golden brown, cook it for 3-4 hours. If you want it to be light & runny, cook it for 2-3 hours. I like mine to be fairly dark, so I’ll cook it for roughly 3.5 hours.
  • Once cooked, remove the dish of dulce de leche from the water bath & give it a good whisk to get rid of any lumps.
    Leave to cool then refrigerate until needed.

Notes

Cooking In An Aga (Method #2)
Cook on the bottom set of runners in the baking oven.
The dulce de leche is best eaten 2-3 days after being made. Keep refrigerated.