Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe

Homemade Condensed Milk

The Spruce / Elizabeth LaBau 

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Sweetened condensed milk is an essential ingredient in a perfectly creamy key lime pie, a super-moist tres leches cake, and some sweet coffee and tea drinks. It's typically sold in the baking aisle of the grocery store in small cans.

Making your own sweetened condensed milk is fast and easy. You can whip up a batch in five minutes and use it for baking or candy making. All you need are four ingredients and a blender. The butter replaces the fat removed from the dry milk powder for a creamy, rich end result. Use the same amount of this homemade version in a recipe that calls for canned.

You can use sweetened condensed milk as a milk replacement in your daily coffee—just remember it will be pre-sweetened. It transforms the taste of your morning cup. It's also a key ingredient in richly refreshing Thai iced tea and Vietnamese coffee, and can also be used in dessert recipes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Place the dry milk powder, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup of the boiling water, and the melted butter in a blender. Blend all ingredients together until they are smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender occasionally to get all of the ingredients completely incorporated.

  3. Condensed milk typically has a thick, syrupy consistency, but if your homemade condensed milk is too thick to pour easily, add another spoonful or two of boiling water and blend to incorporate. Adjust the water until you are happy with the consistency.

  4. Use your homemade sweetened condensed milk right away or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. It will get thicker when it is refrigerated but will loosen up when stirred and brought to room temperature.

Recipe Variation

  • If you are dairy-free, you can prepare a dairy-free condensed milk by substituting coconut milk powder for the dry milk powder.
  • Add a touch of vanilla extract for a slightly sweeter flavor.

What's the Difference Between Condensed Milk and Sweetened Condensed Milk?

Condensed milk (also known as evaporated milk) is milk with most of the water removed, whereas sweetened condensed milk refers to the fact that sugar has been added to the condensed milk. Condensed milk can keep for years in the pantry if unopened.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
98 Calories
4g Fat
14g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 98
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 11mg 4%
Sodium 62mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 72mg 6%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 99mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)