How To Make Dulce De Leche: 3 Easy Ways

I’m so excited to share my fool-proof guide on how to make rich, ultra-creamy dulce de leche in 3 easy ways, all in your own kitchen so you don’t have to buy it! All you need is a can of condensed milk, and you’re half way there. You just need to pick one of three easy ways to cook it. Slow cooker (my fave) on the stove or in the oven! Drizzle it over desserts, add it to frosting, or layer it between cakes. And yes, you can just eat it with a spoon.

Hey team! I’m excited to share this base recipe today. Is it a sauce? Technically, kind of, yes. But it’s much thicker than a caramel sauce, making it perfect for stuffing in between cookies like my Chocolate Alfajores. You can use it to dip crispy churros in or mix it into frosting for a delicious creamy caramel flavor. I like stuffing in the middle of my Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes, but it’s also a great way to flavor Buttercream Frosting without thinning it out too much.

One of my favorite things, other than how simple it is to make, is how hands off it is when you make it in a slow cooker. Peel the label off the cans and pop it in the water filled bath. Leave it for 10 hours and you’ve got a smooth, luscious milk caramel!

Isn’t Dulce De Leche Just Caramel?

God, I’ve made that mistake 😂. For all that is good, don’t call Dulce De Leche a caramel sauce in front of Latin Americans (who’s desserts are amazing btw!).

• Caramel Sauce is all about melted sugar mixed with cream and butter. The result is a rich sweet kick with a touch of bitterness.
• Dulce De Leche is created by slowly heating up sweetened condensed milk. It results in this thick spreadable mixture which is creamy.

You’re essentially doing the same thing to the sugar though. You’re cooking it and caramelizing it. So they both have caramel flavor, but dulce de leche is a little more mellow and more creamy.

Let’s talk Sweetened Condensed Milk!

This recipe has literally one ingredient: Sweetened Condensed Milk! Sweetened condensed milk has a high amount of sugar, giving it a thick, sauce-like consistency before you cook it.. I use it in lots of caramel recipes as a way to stop the caramel filling or mixture from crystalizing. The awesome thing about Condensed Milk is that when it’s cooked, it thickens. That’s essentially what Dulce De Leche is.

3 Things You Should Know About Sweetened Condensed Milk

• Use full fat condensed milk for the best creamy texture.
• Submerge the cans fully in the water during the stovetop method to prevent overheating and bursting.
• For the oven method: Make sure the water is topped up in the water bath the entire time it’s in the oven to avoid the dulce de leche burning.

How To Make Dulce De Leche On The Stovetop – 2-4 Hours

You’re going to be cooking this in a pot filled with water on the stove. Water is used in all the methods in some way to help evenly regulate the temperature of the condensed milk while it’s cooking.

• Peel the labels off the cans.
• Place the cans in a large pot and fill with enough cold tap water so it’s an inch higher than the cans. Cook on low heat for 2-4 hours depending on how dark and thick you want the dulce de leche to be. I like mine on the darker side.

How To Make Dulce De Leche In The Slow Cooker (My Fave!) 10 Hours

This is my favorite method because it’s the most hands off!

• Place the cans inside the slow cooker and then fill with enough cold tap water so it’s an inch higher than the cans.
• Allow to cook for 10 hours, then use tongs to take the cans out. Allow to cool for 4 hours.

TIP: Make sure the water level never goes below the height of the cans otherwise the inside of the cans could overheat causing them to explode

How To Make Dulce De Leche In The Oven – 2-4 Hours

Pour the condensed milk into a large pie dish. Use something glass that is oven safe. Metal dishes can affect the flavor. Place in a large deep baking dish (glass or metal) and fill halfway with water. Cover with foil.

• Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Take out of the oven and stir. Cover with foil again and bake for another hour. Make sure you replenish the water about every 30 minutes.
• Repeat this for a total of 2-4 hours, depending on how dark and thick you want your dulce de leche to be.

After It’s Cooked

No matter the cooking method, it’s important to make sure you the cooked dulce de leche is cooled before using. This is especially important for the slow cooker and stovetop methods where you cook the condensed milk inside the cans. If you open the cans before they fully cool, they could explode. So I like to make sure they’re cooled completely, about 4 hours at room temperature before opening.

How To Use Dulce De Leche

There are so many great ways to use dulce de leche!

• Drizzle over desserts like ice cream, pancakes or fruits.
• Use it as a filling  for cakes, cupcakes, cookies or pies/tarts.
• Swirl it into brownies or blondies
• Mix it into buttercream frosting. The possibilities are endless.

How Do I Know When My Dulce De Leche Is Done?

This depends on how you cook it, and how long you cook it. If it’s being cooked in a can, cooking it for 2 hours will result in a lighter caramel color and 4 hours will give you a much thicker and darker caramel mixture. You’ll be able to see this progress if you’re cooking it in the oven, but you’ll have to purely go off time if you’re cooking it in the can.

How To Store Dulce De Leche.

Store it in the cans for up to 3 weeks in a cool, dark spot. Store the oven baked dulce de leche in an airtight container for 3 weeks in the fridge.

Can I Make This Less Sweet?

Add salt to the dulce de leche to even out the sweetness and make the mixture tastier! Add about 1/4 tsp salt and stir into the dulce de leche in a pot on low heat for about 3 minutes to help dissolve the salt.

Why Is My Dulce De Leche Grainy?

This happens because the dulce de leche was cooked at too high a heat. Make sure that you use the correct temperature in your oven for the oven method. If you’re unsure if your oven temp is right, use an oven thermometer to check. For the stove top method make sure it’s cooked on low heat.

Tried this recipe and loved it? Awesome! Drop me a comment below and tell me about it! Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you! You can also keep up to date with me during the week by joining me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!