Condensed milk is so easy and cheap to make, that I don’t purchase it in the can anymore. Instead, I use this home made sweetened condensed milk, especially for all those holiday sweet treats and beverages. It’s so easy to make and is creamy, thick and delicious! Choose which one of these three recipes suit you best and you will have condensed milk ready to use in a matter of minutes.
Home Made Condensed Milk
Note – You may find that the condensed milk thickens slightly on cooling.
Sweetened Condensed Milk or Evaporated Milk
Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are two different things that can be found in the baking aisle at the store.
- Both of these products have had over half of their water content reduced or evaporated, meaning they are moth reduced milk.
- The condensed milk has been sweetened while the evaporated milk hasn’t.
- When purchasing in a can at the store, they are both shelf-stable, though once opened they need to be used within a few days.
- These two products are NOT interchangeable in recipes.
- Evaporated milk can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes, while condensed milk is usually only used for sweet dishes.
- Condensed milk is thicker than evaporated milk.
- To make sweetened condensed milk from evaporated milk, add3/4 cup of sugar for 1 can of evaporated milk and boil until the mixture thickens.
Using Condensed Milk
- Make these delicious condensed milk biscuits
- Use in pie fillings such as this lemon meringue pie
- To make desserts that are no bake such as this Caramilk Cheesecake Slice, Chocolate Ice Cream Slice or this
- In no churn ice creams such as this No Churn Dalgona Coffee Ice Cream, or this Chocolate Swirl Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- In fudge such as this milk tart fudge, chocolate fudge or this Cranberry and Pistachio Fudge
- Use in rolls such as these Milk Bread Rolls
- In slices such as this No-Bake Lemon Coconut Slice, No Bake Caramel Slice or this Clinker Slice
- Stir a spoonful of condensed milk into your morning coffee for a creamy, sweet twist
- Add some condensed milk to your smoothie, with your fresh or frozen fruit
- Make bread pudding by whisking together condensed milk, eggs, and spices, then toss with cubes of day-old bread. Bake in a moderate oven until golden. Serve with a drizzle of caramel sauce and ice cream.
Storing Homemade Condensed Milk
Store this homemade condensed milk in a glass jar in the fridge for up to one month.
You can even freeze it for up to 3 months, though bring to room temperature before using.
Sweetened Condensed Milk Variations
- Substitute the milk with full-fat coconut milk or nut milk
- Instead of sugar, try coconut sugar, agave, maple syrup or honey – xylitol will not work as the sweetener needs to be able to caramelise and this doesn’t
- Soy milk or a non dairy alternative can be used instead of milk
- Use brown sugar instead of white sugar for a deeper colour and a slight caramel taste
- Try adding some rose extract to make a delicious flavoured condensed milk
Condensed Milk too Runny / Thick
If you find that your condensed milk is too runny, it means that it wasn’t reduced enough and still has a bit too much water content in it.
Pour the mixture back into a saucepan keep cooking it down until it thickens more.
If you find that the consistency is too thick, add a few tablespoons of warm milk and milk in a blender or with a hand blender until you get the consistency you desire.
Method 1 – Whole Milk Method
To make condensed milk using this method, you will need:
- 2 cups milk
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 3 TBSP salted butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Add the milk and sugar to a medium saucepan and gently mix together over medium heat.
Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the temperature to bring it down to a simmer.
Simmer, without stirring until the mixture is creamy and has reduced in size. This may take up to 40 minutes to complete.
Gently add the butter and mix through.
Remove from the heat and stir through the vanilla.
Let the mixture cool before storing.
Method 2 – Powdered Milk Method
To make condensed milk from powdered milk, you will need:
- 4 cups Full Cream Milk Powder
- 2 cups White Sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 TBSP butter
Add the butter and the water to a medium microwavable bowl.
Heat, in 30 second increments until the butter is fully melted.
Carefully pour the mixture into a blender.
Add the vanilla extract and then one cup of the powdered milk and blend.
Continue to add one cup of powdered milk, blending after each addition until all the milk has been added and the mixture is creamy.
Transfer to your jar, cover and store in the fridge.
Method 3 – Evaporated Milk Method
To make condensed milk using evaporated milk, you will need:
- 1 x 340ml can Evaporated Milk
- 1 ½ cups White Sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Add the evaporated milk and the sugar to a medium saucepan.
Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the temperature to bring it down to a simmer.
Simmer, without stirring until the mixture is creamy and has reduced in size.
Remove from the heat and stir through the vanilla.
Let the mixture cool completely before transferring to a jar, covering and storing in the fridge.
Other Recipes
- DIY Lemon Extract
- Homemade Mint Extract
- Homemade Ginger Kombucha
- How to Make Buttermilk
- Apple Turnovers
- Apple Crumble
- Banana, Mango and Raspberry Popsicles
- Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes
- Strawberry Coconut Slice
- Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
- Choc Chip Cookie Slice
- Chocolate Weet-Bix Slice
- Chocolate Mousse
- Churros with Hot Chilli Chocolate
- Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate Fudge Slice
- Apple and Sour Cream Slice
- Chocolate Cheesecake Slice
- Tim Tam Cheesecake
- Raspberry and White Chocolate Cheesecake
Homemade Condensed Milk
Ingredients
Method 1 - Whole Milk Method
- 2 Cups Full Cream Milk
- ¾ Cup White Sugar
- 3 TBSP Salted Butter
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Method 2 - Powdered Milk Method
- 4 Cups Full Cream Milk Powder
- 2 Cups White Sugar
- 1 Cup Water
- 3 TBSP Butter
Method 3 - Evaporated Milk Method
- 340ml Can Evaporated Milk
- 1 ½ Cups White Sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Method 1 - Whole Milk Method
- Add the milk and sugar to a medium saucepan and gently mix together over medium heat.
- Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the temperature to bring it down to a simmer.
- Simmer, without stirring until the mixture is creamy and has reduced in size. This may take up to 40 minutes to complete.
- Gently add the butter and mix through.
- Remove from the heat and stir through the vanilla.
- Let the mixture cool before storing in the fridge.
Method 2 - Powdered Milk Method
- Add the butter and the water to a medium microwavable bowl.
- Heat, in 30 second increments until the butter is fully melted.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a blender.
- Add the vanilla extract and then one cup of the powdered milk and blend.
- Continue to add one cup of powdered milk, blending after each addition until all the milk has been added and the mixture is creamy.
- Transfer to your jar, cover and store in the fridge.
Method 3 - Evaporated Milk Method
- Add the evaporated milk and the sugar to a medium saucepan.
- Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the temperature to bring it down to a simmer.
- Simmer, without stirring until the mixture is creamy and has reduced in size.
- Remove from the heat and stir through the vanilla.
- Let the mixture cool completely before transferring to a jar, covering and storing in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. The values may vary according to the ingredients and tools that are used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed information.
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