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Homemade Condensed Milk

Homemade condensed milk with a spoon in a jar.
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Learn how to make sweetened condensed milk at home with just two ingredients. This easy homemade condensed milk simmers on the stovetop in about an hour, turning milk and sugar into a thick, creamy, lightly caramel syrup, no cans required.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups + 2 1/2 tablespoons (500 ml) whole milk
  • 1/2 cup (110 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 good pinch of baking soda (optional)

*If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. Pour fresh milk into a heavy-bottomed pot and set it over low to medium heat. Once the liquid is slightly warm, add the sugar. Mix until sugar dissolves.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil. During cooking, the foam will form; scrape it from the sides back into the milk. Expert tip: if the milk isn't fresh (it usually takes longer than 24 hours to reach the supermarket shelf), add baking soda at this moment to prevent the milk from curdling. Reduce the heat to medium-low and, stirring constantly with a hand whisk or heat-resistant spatula, simmer the mixture for 1-1.5 hours.
  3. The water content of the milk will slowly evaporate. As a result, the milk will thicken, going from a syrupy consistency to a creamy texture. Its volume will drop by at least half, ideally to about a third of the original.  The final product has a creamy yellow tint. Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove possible lumps. Expert tip: Check the condensed milk's readiness by appearance and flavor. You will feel a slight caramel flavor. Also, the longer you cook the milk, the thicker, darker, and sweeter it will be.
  4. Let it cool to room temperature. To prevent condensed milk from forming a layer on top, cool it while stirring occasionally. Refrigerate for 12 hours to thicken. If necessary, remove the milk foam with a teaspoon.
  5. If the cooled, condensed milk seems still liquid, add 2 oz. (60 g) of sugar and cook it again. Stir constantly until the milk begins to thicken. Remove it from the heat as soon as it reaches the right consistency. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Notes

  1. Stir the milk constantly while cooking to prevent excessive foaming and burning.
  2. To make the finished condensed milk more homogeneous, beat it with a blender or whisk.
  3. Use an ice bath (if desired) to cool the finished product faster.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/homemade-condensed-milk/