This recipe for sweetened condensed milk works with whole milk, evaporated milk, and full-fat canned coconut milk, and is easy to make at home. It is used in many recipes from matcha fudge to coconut macaroons, and is a great sweetener to add to your matcha lattes and bubble teas.

Pouring thick creamy liquid into a glass bottle.

Both condensed milk and evaporated milk are made by reducing the water in the milk, but they cannot be used interchangeably unless a recipe states they can. The difference is that sweetened condensed milk has far more sugar added which allows it to reach a caramel-like consistency, while evaporated milk is thinner.

🌟Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Easy to make at home with just 2 ingredients.
  • This recipe works great with both dairy milk and full-fat canned coconut milk. It is helpful to have a dairy-free, plant-based version available for all my favorite recipes.

🧾Ingredients in this recipe

  • Full-fat coconut milk – I usually make this a non-dairy recipe, but it also works with dairy milk. It can be made with full-fat canned coconut milk, evaporated milk, or whole milk.
  • Sugar – Use granulated sugar to sweeten your milk. I find it yields the best final product thickness.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Buy it online

You can find sweetened condensed coconut milk online. This is the brand of sweetened condensed coconut milk that I like the best.

👩‍🍳How to Make This Recipe

This recipe is super simple with only two steps! First, add the granulated sugar and coconut milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to fully dissolve the sugar.

Coconut Milk Tip

If your coconut milk is a little chunky out of the can, use a whisk to break up the chunks and create a smooth liquid.

Milk being stirred in a saucepan.

Once the mixture comes to a very light simmer, cook the mixture gradually over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.

As the water content is removed, the mixture will reduce down until it is about half the volume of liquid. This should take about 35-45 minutes.

As it cooks, the coconut milk will darken slightly in color and this is normal. Let the mixture cool before storing in an airtight jar or container.

Pro Tip

The condensed milk will thicken as it cools. The best way to check if you have reduced it by half is to let it cool in a liquid measuring cup. If it isn’t half of your original volume, add it back to the saucepan and continue to reduce it.

When you continue to heat the milk, it actually continues to thicken and deepen in color until it becomes dulce de leche, or ‘cooked condensed milk.’ However, this is reliant on you cooking the milk slowly over medium heat. Turning your heat up too high too quickly will burn the mixture, or otherwise tamper with it and stop it from condensing properly.

Sweetened condensed milk in a measuring cup.

This will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. Unlike canned versions, homemade sweetened condensed milk does not have added shelf stabilizers that give it such a long shelf-life.

Drop of creamy liquid pouring out of a measuring cup.

Curious about making more homemade dairy-free milk and recipes that use this sweetened condensed coconut milk? Try these great ideas.

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Pouring thick creamy liquid into a glass bottle.

Sweetened Condensed Milk (Whole and Coconut)

5 from 1 vote
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This recipe for sweetened condensed milk works with whole milk, evaporated milk, and full-fat canned coconut milk, and is easy to make at home.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 11
Calories: 128kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups full-fat coconut milk or dairy whole milk
  • 2/3 cups sugar granulated

Instructions

  • Add the sugar and milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
  • Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until reduced by half, 35-45 minutes.

Video

Notes

This recipe can be made with full-fat canned coconut milk, evaporated milk, or whole milk.
With coconut milk, it will slightly darken in color as it cooks down and that is OK.
The condensed milk will thicken as it cools. The best way to check if you have reduced it by half is to let it cool in a liquid measuring cup. If it isn’t half of your original volume, add it back to the saucepan and continue to reduce it.
Serving size is calculated as 2 tablespoons.
This recipe was adapted from this AllRecipes recipe using evaporated milk.

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 91mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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