This truly is the best recipe for dulce de leche from scratch, that wonderful sweet milk jam from Argentina, where I'm from. In this post, you'll find the traditional way of making it, and the most useful tips ever that were handed down from generations in my family making it.
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Are you familiar with dulce de leche?
Let me start by saying this is an area I'm familiar with.
Dulce de leche arguably hails from Argentina (we have an ongoing discussion with our neighbor Uruguay about that, but today, I'm standing my ground) and generations before me have made it from scratch, perfected the recipes, and understood its ins and outs.
Our most traditional desserts are made with it, like alfajores, and we add it to almost everything, from banoffee pie to carmelitas.
What can I say about dulce de leche? I'm a huge fan. Most of us are here.
Several recipes use it, but this is the first time I've posted the from-scratch recipe. I can't believe it took me so long!
Let's start with the basic recipe, the one my grandmother and many others before her made. It's a simple process, and I have the best tips to make it easier.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Whole milk.
- White granulated sugar: I tried it with powdered sugar, but the result is grainy. Brown sugar might work, but sometimes the consistency is not correct.
- Baking soda: This ingredient is crucial if you want a brown color. Use more for a deeper caramel color and less for a more tea-with-milk type of hue.
Kitchen Notes
- Saucepan: It should be deep because the milk can creep up quickly when it boils, and you don't want it to spill. And heavy-bottomed because there's way less possibility of it scorching or sticking.
- Ingredients: use whole milk and white sugar. They work much better than any other variation. Don't be tempted to use powdered sugar, as the final result will be grainier. I know, it sounds like the opposite will happen as powdered sugar is so soft, but it doesn't work.
- Ice water: cooling the dulce de leche over a bowl with ice water will not only help it cool down faster but also avoid crystallization, so the jam has less chance of being grainy. If you skip this tip, you'll also make a great batch of dulce de leche, but the details help.
Variations
- For darker dulce de leche, use more baking soda, up to a teaspoon per 4 cups (1 liter) of milk.
- Cream: I sometimes add cream, 1 tablespoon per cup of milk. It renders the jam somewhat creamier and more unctuous.
- Sweeter: you can add up to ¼ cup more sugar per cup of milk.
From scratch
This is my favorite way because, as with anything made from scratch, you know the quality of your ingredients.
- You need a large pot with a thick base.
- You have to be present and stirring often.
- It's a matter of waiting for the ingredients to thicken than anything else.
From sweetened condensed milk
This is an easy alternative to the from-scratch method in this recipe. And the results are fantastic.
The first time I made it from a can, I was an anxious teenager who didn't let it boil enough and removed it halfway. The result was part dulce de leche and part thick condensed milk.
- Boiling the can: this is a super simple step where you simmer the can of condensed milk for 2 and ½ hours. Our recipe for making dulce de leche from a can works great and has all the details.
- In the oven: the David Lebovitz homemade dulce de leche recipe is the best alternative in my opinion, and stands the test of time because it doesn't matter if your condensed milk comes in a can or a plastic container, and it can be made in an oven.
- In the microwave or stovetop: I tried both, and it doesn't work. The dulce de leche doesn't happen before the milk boils or becomes a solid mess.
Storing
- Refrigerator: this is the best way to keep dulce de leche, and it keeps indefinitely, or pretty much. I never saw a dulce de leche go bad. What does happen is that it will eventually turn grainy due to crystallization and dry out. But for this to happen, it usually takes months.
- Containers: I like glass jars with tight fitting lids, they are the best way to keep it. Plastic containers also work.
You can, in theory, freeze it. But there's no point since it keeps for so long in the fridge.
Uses for dulce de leche
- On its own: a spoonful of dulce de leche as dessert is common among fans, especially my father.
- Banana or apple slices: serve them alongside a dollop of dulce de lehce or drizzled on top, and you're in for a treat.
- Fillings for chocolate and vanilla cake: these flavor pairings are fantastic, and you should try them asap!
- Sauce: thin it slightly with water, milk, cream or liquor and use it to top ice cream, apple crumble, granola, pancakes, waffles and French toast.
- Cookie sandwiches: almost any cookie can be filled with dulce de leche, from chocolate chip to walnut to chocolate butter cookies.
- Toast: slather a piece of homemade bread with butter and dulce de leche.
- Old-fashioned desserts: from flan to rice pudding and floating island or bread pudding, dairy-based desserts turn extraordinary when served with this sweet jam.
- Substitute: most peanut butter or Nutella recipes can be made with dulce de leche. I regularly make the chocolate oat bars, carmelitas and our wildly popular peanut butter brownies with it (same volume).
For fillings
There are two types of dulce de leche: regular and pastry dulce de leche (repostero in Spanish), which is thicker and made especially for fillings.
- Regular dulce de leche doesn't have the right consistency for filling. You should always use pastry dulce de leche. For example, when you make the cornstarch Alfajores recipe or this easy banoffee cake, the dulce de leche is too thin, and it drips down the sides, making a mess. Not good.
- Pastry dulce de leche is thicker, similar to commercial peanut butter, and used for fillings because it stays put and doesn't drip. You can buy it online, and you're good to fill whatever you want. Amazon sells the most popular one here, dulce de leche repostero Vacalin
- Thickening regular dulce de leche: but I also devised a way to thicken it without changing the flavor much. And that is by adding cornstarch. It's all explained in the recipe. And there is a shortcut that works as far as thickening goes, but the flavor is mellower, which might be completely fine. Also, I haven't tried it, but I think dulce de leche La Lechera, which comes in a can similar to condensed milk, is quite thick.
Recipes with dulce de leche
This dulce de leche is not the type you use for fillings, as it's too fluid. For that, you need to buy the thicker type that holds well and doesn't drip. I always use dulce de leche repostero Vacalin.
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Homemade Dulce de Leche (authentic recipe)
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This truly is the best recipe for making dulce de leche scratch, that wonderful sweet milk jam from Argentina, where I'm from. In this post, you'll find the most useful tips ever that were handed down from generations in my family making it.
Ingredients
For regular dulce de leche:
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream, optional; I use it because it makes a richer dulce de leche
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- pinch of salt, optional
For thicker dulce de leche:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon milk
- 1 cup regular dulce de leche, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
For regular dulce de leche:
- Heat 4 cups whole milk (and 3 tablespoons heavy cream if using) over medium heat in a large saucepan with high sides and double or triple bottom.
- Add 1 cup white granulated sugar when it's warm and mix. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda and stir until it dissolves.
- When it starts to boil, lower the heat to a minimum but keep it simmering.
- Let it reduce, stirring every so often, about an hour, or an hour and a half. This depends on the amount of milk you're using and the amount of heat.
- It darkens from the bicarbonate and thickens. If you added a plate you can stir once in a while, but it not, you should stir more often.
- At some point, usually an hour from the moment it starts to simmer, it gets quite dark and thickens. At this point, it's almost ready. Maybe a few minutes more. Make sure you take out the plate and stir constantly during these last moments.
- If you put a little on a plate it will run immediately, be quite liquid. It will thicken a lot as it cools and even more in the refrigerator.
- Remove from the heat, add ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract and pinch of salt if using, transfer to a bowl and let cool. If you stir over a bowl with ice water it will cool faster and generally makes it creamier because there's a smaller chance of crystallization.
- Whisk at the end before refrigerating to make it as creamy as possible.
- Fill a jar and keep refrigerated.
For thicker dulce de leche:
- Option 1: Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ½ tablespoon milk in a small bowl or cup. Put 1 cup regular dulce de leche in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly, and when the dulce de leche becomes more liquid, add the cornstarch slowly while stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Bring the mixture to a slow boil, stirring all the time. You don't want the mixture to stick. Boil for about 2 minutes, being careful it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Check that it has somewhat thickened, but remember it will completely set after it's cooled and refrigerated. Let cool completely and refrigerate for 1 hour before using, or for several weeks in a closed jar.
- Option 2: Melt 50g (3 ½ tablespoons) butter in a medium saucepan. Add a can of condensed milk (400g / 14oz) and 200g (7oz) regular dulce de leche. Stir over low heat until it thickens and let cool before using. Stir over low heat until it thickens and let cool before using.
Notes
Milk - use whole milk for the best results. This is a jam and the richness and fat in regular milk make for a more luscious product.
Cream: It adds even more richness, so I hardly make it without it if I have some at home.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is what you want. I did try it with powdered sugar, but the result is grainy. Brown sugar might work, but sometimes the consistency is not right.
Baking soda: This ingredient is crucial if you want a brown color. Use more for a deeper caramel color and less for a more tea-with-milk type of hue.
Vanilla and salt: These can be categorized as optional, but I think a few drops of vanilla and a small pinch of sea salt deepen the flavor and make this milk jam so much tastier!
Saucepan: it should be deep because the milk, when it boils can creep up quickly and you don't want it to spill, and heavy-bottomed because there's way less possibility of it scorching or sticking.
Did you try this recipe?Mention @vintagekitchennotes or tag #vintagekitchenrecipe on Instagram and I'll share it!
Aaron says
Hi there! I'm afraid I'm having the same issue as Ersi a couple of years ago: I can see a video previewing additional recipes, but not the one for dulce de leche, and the link from your response just kicks me to the top of the page. I've tried a few different browsers, all with your site excepted from ad blocking, and I'm at a loss. I normally prefer reading instructions, and wouldn't mind working from your write-up, but it and some of the comments make mention of plates and marbles that apparently are covered exclusively in the video. Given the reviews, I'll give the recipe a whirl regardless, but any help would be appreciated. Take care!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Aaron! Thanks for your comment. I'm in the process of reshooting the video as the old one includes a plate and marbles, which was the old-fashioned way of preventing it from scorching without having to stir constantly. And it's confusing, so I momentarily took down the old video. Nowadays, pots are made of better materials, so it's easier to make it without constantly stirring.
The new one will be up in the coming weeks. I'm emailing the old one to you as I write this; it's still a great guide.
Prerna Seth says
Hi Paula! Could you please email me the old video as well? I plan on making this tomorrow and am curious to know how you use the plates and marbles.
Thanks!
Prerna
Paula Montenegro says
Yes Prerna, no problem! Sending it now.
Prerna Seth says
Oh and one more question - if I want to make the thicker version at home, can I add the cornstarch mixture after step 6 at low heat? I'm in India and cannot get store bought dulche de leche here. Thanks again!
Paula Montenegro says
Yes, it should work.