If you've never made sweetened condensed milk at home, let me be the one to tell you—it's incredibly easy and delicious. Made with just three ingredients you probably have at home right now. Homemade sweetened condensed milk can be substituted for canned in any recipe or use it anywhere you enjoy sweetened condensed milk.

Why make your own sweetened condensed milk?

I’ll tell ya—because I made the evaporated milk, which means I got to pick the dairy. I like that I can use high-quality, local dairy. Big plus, my evaporated milk recipe works with any milk—cow, sheep, goat, plant—what have you. So if it strikes your fancy, you could even make this recipe vegan.

My evaporated milk recipe blog here

I got to use raw organic cane sugar, which is my preference for almost any baking recipe at home.

I got to add vanilla, which—yes—is totally optional, but in my humble opinion, it elevates the end product by a noticeable degree. If you’re using this sweetened condensed milk as a coffee creamer, you could experiment with whatever flavor you like.

And let’s not forget: the flavor of homemade is incomparable to canned or store-bought. The best foods are often the simplest. The real secret to excellent cooking or baking isn’t adding a bunch of things—it’s taking your time with the best-quality ingredients.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Yields: ~500g or 17oz

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 recipe (12oz or 1.5 cups) evaporated milk or one 12oz can
1 ½ cups raw organic cane sugar (or preferred sugar)
Scrapings of 1 vanilla bean (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

equipment:

Medium Sauce Pan
Whisk
Heat safe spatula
16oz jar or other airtight container

Instructions:

Heat the Milk:
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the evaporated milk.
- Whisk continuously, slowly increasing the heat to medium-high as the milk becomes hot and frothy.
- Important: Start on low heat to avoid burning the milk on the bottom of the pan.
Add the Sugar:
- Once the milk is hot, add 1 ½ cups of sugar. Whisk thoroughly to dissolve.
Simmer and Reduce:
- The mixture will begin to bubble, foam, and boil vigorously.
- Lift the pot off the heat and whisk continuously to prevent it from boiling over. You can also lower the heat slightly if needed.
- Once the bubbling subsides slightly, return to medium-high heat and allow the mixture to reduce, whisking often.
Add Vanilla (Optional):
- Stir in the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for extra flavor.
Check for Thickness:
- The mixture is ready when it has thickened slightly, and you can briefly see the bottom of the pot when whisking. It should bubble gently, resembling candy.
- To test: Dip a spatula into the mixture. It should cling but still run off quickly. It will thicken further as it cools.
- Caution: Do not over-reduce, or you’ll end up with milk caramels instead of sweetened condensed milk.
Cool and Store:
- Remove from heat and allow the sweetened condensed milk to cool.
- Transfer to a jar or airtight container and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 4 weeks in the fridge.

Step 1

Step 1, cont.

Keep the milk moving from the beginning to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Step 1, cont.

The milk is now hot and frothy, so the temperature can be increased from medium low.

Step 2

adding the sugar

Step 3

The mixture can get very bubbly before the excess moisture has reduced, balancing with the sugars. Either reduce the heat, or take the pan off the heat momentarily. But making sure to keep it moving.

Step 4

Step 5

The sweetened condensed milk is now finished, and these are the tell tell signs. The bubbles are bigger and not as foamy.

Step 5, cont.

When you whisk, for a brief moment you can see trailing and the bottom of the pot.

Step 5 cont.

When you dip a spatula or spoon in, the mixture clings to it but runs quickly. It should seem thinner than its supposed to be but it will thicken after cooling. Do not take it past this stage unless you intend to make chewy candy.