DIY Dulce de Leche
An amazing one ingredient recipe that tastes like heaven- this slow cooker DIY dulce de leche will make all of your dessert dreams come true!
Update: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker version of this recipe HERE!

DIY Dulce de Leche.
Did you just shiver in excited anticipation? Because you should. I have been living in a dulce de leche dream world since stumbling upon this foolproof and non-explosive method of making dulce de leche.
I’m not kidding when I say that I’ve made a batch of this about every other day for the last week because I can’t stop myself from a) eating it by the spoonful and b) giving it away so I can win the friend-of-the-year award.
Listen, I’m not above bribing people to be my friends. Glad we got that out of the way.
Let me back up a bit. A week or so ago, a friend I’ve made through blogging, Amy M. (who has fantastic, impeccable food taste), emailed me to tell me she had boiled a can of sweetened condensed milk in water, stirred in a bit of vanilla, and made the best dulce de leche ever. I emailed her back and said I’d heard of this method, but like pressure cookers in general, it scared the bejeebers out of me to try it. I mean, I don’t know about you but the risk of exploding cans of hot sugar make me nervous. Amy assured me it wasn’t that big of a deal (probably rolling her eyes all the while) especially if you keep an eye on the water level and add water as necessary.
But I was still scared. So I did a little research and in doing so found I wasn’t so crazy about boiling the can for another reason – the possible (or real, whose to say for sure) risk of BPA toxins from lined cans leaching into the milk while boiling. Enter the canning jar theory. I have a ton of canning jars sitting in my basement so I decided to try it out in the slow cooker.
Toxin risk eliminated.
Explosion risk eliminated.
Now I just had to decide if it really was the stuff dreams are made of. So I opened up two cans of sweetened condensed milk, poured them equally into 3 (1/2-pint) canning jars. Capped them with lids and rings and set them in my slow cooker, covered with water by an inch and cooked the magical jars for 8 1/2 hours (another overnight solution, baby). And oh yes, my friends, the golden, glorious dulce de leche that was pulled from my slow cooker (with a bit of vanilla stirred in) truly is life-changing.
For a week or so now, we’ve been dipping apples like crazy into the silky, smooth dulce de leche, not to mention drizzling it slightly warmed over ice cream and…as I sheepishly admitted earlier…simply eating it by the spoonful (my husband insists I mention right here and right now how divine this is on bananas, also).
So what are you waiting for? Make some! It’s easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy and I’m left wondering how I’ve managed to live without a constant supply of dulce de leche in my kitchen before now.
Thanks, Amy, for getting the wheels spinning for some fantastic, homemade dulce de leche!
How can you resist a one (possibly two if you add the vanilla) ingredient recipe that tastes like heaven? Plus, you’ll want to have some of this on hand thanks to the dessert recipe I’ll be posting next week that utilizes the dreamy stuff.
DIY Dulce de Leche
Ingredients
- 2 cans (14-ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
- 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste, optional
- 3 1/2 pint each canning jars with lids and rings
- Water
Instructions
- Open the cans of sweetened condensed milk and portion them equally into the three canning jars. Wipe the tops and sides of the canning jars, if needed, in case any of the sweetened condensed milk spilled down the sides. Place a lid and ring on the canning jar and screw tightly to seal. Put the three canning jars in a slow cooker and cover with water by one inch. It doesn’t matter whether the jars are laying on their side or standing up straight – do what works best for the size of slow cooker you have. Place the lid on the slow cooker and set to low for 8-9 hours, until the dulce de leche is deep golden brown. Carefully remove the jars from the hot water and let them cool. If desired, open the jars and stir in 1/2 – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into each jar. Replace the lids and rings and store in the refrigerator. Supposedly it keeps in the refrigerator for up to a month – good luck getting it to last that long!
- The dulce de leche can be warmed up on low heat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan of water to be drizzled over ice cream, used as dip for apples, spread over crepes etc. We also enjoy it cold or at room temperature for a spread on bananas, apples, sweet breads (like banana or zucchini). The options are endless!
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: inspired by this post after Amy M. sent me an email regarding dulce de leche
The timing of this article was amazing. I think I accidentally made some an even easier way. I was just cleaning out my pantry and found a jar of sweetened condensed milk that ‘expired’ in 2009. I had to spoon it out of the can, but it was the same golden color and consistency of your photos here. And it was amazing. I made Vietnamese coffee by adding a large spoonful of it plus a teaspoon of instant coffee to a cup of hot coffee.
Sarah – P.S. I’d use about 1 1/2 cups of dulce de leche in place of the caramel in the brownies.
Sarah – you could definitely try it. Kim (a commenter above) mentioned her favorite way to use dulce de leche is to drop it by spoonfuls over brownie batter, swirl it in and bake. The difference is that dulce de leche isn’t quite as chewy as caramel – it’s more smooth and creamy and unless it is fresh and warm, I don’t know that you’d be able to spread it on the brownies like you do the caramel. But you could definitely dollop it on and I think the results would be delicious.
Mel,
I’m wondering if you think this could replace the caramel in your Caramel Brownies recipe? If so, how much would you use?
I added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon to each can of milk. The salt gave it more of a salted caramel taste and cut some of the sweetness. This is a great recipe!
so i tried this before I read your post about how to do it in a water bath. The pie plate in the over covered w/ foil and set in another pan filled w/ water was a flop. Just wasted two cans of milk I am now trying to rescue. Seems the steam goes up under the foil and I ended up w/ twice as much as I started w/ because it filled up w/ steam which then turned to water. I sucked about two cups of water out of my dulce de leche, and now have it in a jar w/ no lid in a water bath trying to heat the rest of the moisture out of it. the milky water I took off the top was very sweet and milky but since hubby does not take anything in his coffee I just dumped that part. Next time I will deff. do the water bath method. wish I had found your page sooner. Thanks for the great info.
Made your sweet and sour chicken twice in the last week, it is our new family favorite!! Even the grand kids were talking about it and cannot wait to have it again ! Thanks so much for sharing , we all truly loved it .
The bonus with this method (besides the non exploding, lol) is that you can stir in the vanilla before and cook it together!
I’ve made this before by just boiling the sweetened condensed can of milk for 4 hours..you have to keep adding water, and then after the can has boiled for 4 hours, open and serve with fruit or bread or a spoon. =) I’ll have to try your recipe, anything with sweetened condensed milk is amazing.
I used this recipe last month to make the best caramel pie you could ever ask for! Just pour the caramel into a graham cracker crust, top with whipped cream and chopped pecans. You might want to hide it from the rest of your family, because once they find it, good luck getting a slice!
YUM!!! I love sweetened condensed milk in anything or just by itself from the can! 🙂 I lived in Portugal and they call this “baba de camelo” which translates to “camel spit”. Nice, eh? I have done the boil-the-can method, but now I’ll try it this way. Thanks for all the great recipes!!!
Tracey – I’ve only ever used the regular (read: full fat) sweetened condensed milk. I guess my mentality is go big or go home, right? 🙂 But hey, it’s worth a try with the fat-free…I just can’t guarantee the results since I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you do!
Laurie – to be honest, I have no idea since I haven’t tried it. Looks like an experiment waiting to happen. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!
Luda – yes, canning jars/mason jars – same thing. I use the smaller jelly/jam jars (they are 1/2-pint in size) but any canning-safe jar will work here.
I tried this last night and, um, had to taste a little when I cut up some pears for breakfast. It was delicious. This is like alchemy in a crockpot!
You’ve opened up a whole new world of recipes for me with this one, as I’ve ignored Dulce recipes because it’s hard to find or too expensive. Now I’m just going to be looking for excuses to make some more of this . . .
I am so glad you tried and liked this! I never even thought of the scary BPA toxin possibility so I’ll be using your method going forward for sure. Your method is easier anyway….I’ve got better things to do than to watch a pot of boiling water for three hours. I can’t wait to see what kind of recipe you’ve come up with that utlizes this stuff!
This looks fantastic! I love the idea of using the slow cooker – hands-off and little chance of screwing it up. Yum! I’ll be trying this one soon…
I’ve also seen this idea on Pinterest, and wanted to try it. It looks positively heavenly! I am wondering though if you have been using regular sweetened condensed milk or the fat free kind. Do you think it would make a difference?
tried this first thing after reading it yesterday and it turned out delicious! I have tried the boil the can version in the past, and although it took pretty much all day, it was nicer to not have to sit over the stove while worrying it will blow up.
Turned out delicious!!!
Thanks for the idea!
LOVE your blog, btw!!
I don´t know how the condensed milk version works, but the regular supermarket ddl behaves pretty much like honey when it´s refrigerated. Only that it´s consistency is denser. Once it´s out of the fridge it should come back to a normal spreading consistency. And it takes a long time to get rock hard; that´s due to the enormous amount of sugar that crystallizes. And while it´s getting harder it´s like eating chewy ddl caramels. I particularly like that to happen!
Mel-I have never canned anything, so when you say canning jars, do you mean mason jars? I am assuming they are the same thing based on your picture, but just want to double check.
I’ve stopped buying canned sweetened condensed milk and making my own in a blender with powdered dry milk and hot water. Do you think I could have success using that type of sub with this recipe?
Charlie – I think if the dulce de leche becomes rock hard it may have been overcooked. When I make it in the slow cooker like this, it is spoonable from the refrigerator (not pourable, but it can be easily spooned out). I reheat it on low by either microwaving the jar on low in the microwave or setting the jar in a pan of simmering water (kind of like warming up honey).
Oh, boy this sounds too good to be true…guess I’ll have to try it!
i made this once before and i’m wondering how you keep it? When i made it, it was so yummy but then i hardened so so quickly. Then i put it in the fridge and it becomes rock hard and i couldn’t eat it and i had to throw the jar away with it because i couldn’t get it out. Also, microwaving wont work :/
Oops! Just read comments! Sorry!
Just checking. Are you filling the water PAST the jars by one inch? Or, are you only putting one inch of water in the crock?
Mel, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog.
I’ve made this, poured into graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream and mini-chocolate chips. Tastes just like O’Charley’s Caramel Pie.
Your dulce de leche looks heavenly – I am yet to make it at home but you certainly are giving me incentive 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Latest: Lemon Polenta Raisin Cookies + Mini Berry Citrus Yoghurt Bundts
I have made this before too using the method by boiling the can. Will do it this new .way from now on. I poured the finished product in an already baked pie shell, topped with homemade whip cream, and garnished with shaved butterscotch bark and called it butterscotch pie. Veeerrryyyy Rich, but much yummy
2 words…… Banoffee Pie 🙂
I’m terrified of baking a can, too! I might be able to try the jar method, but I’ve used David Lebovitz’s method (check his blog) in the past and it works well. You pour the sweetened condensed milk into a baking dish and then bake in a water bath. No stirring, super easy. Voila, no fear of exploding anything. 🙂
Your dulce de leche looks delicious, in any case!
I just saw this on pinterest the other day and was so intrigued–thanks for sharing your experience!!
Haha! Thanks! I’m glad I asked. I would have had a disaster! : )
I love to make dulce de leche using the microwave. It’s super fast and there are no worries about explosions or BPA.
Patti – it means completely cover the jars with water and continue to add water until there is 1-inch of water above the jars.
I haven’t even had breakfast yet but I am now certifiably, undeniably craving something with this poured all over it. Yum! Great recipe, Mel!
When you say “cover with water by 1 inch” do you mean put only 1″ of water in your crockpot or fill with water up leaving 1″ of the jar exposed?
I admit, it sounds a bit scary to me too. I might just live vicariously through your pictures 🙂
Trina and Jeni – a couple of times I’ve made this, I’ve used new canning lids and the other times, I’ve reused lids from another canning purpose. With the new lids, the jars did seal (obviously they didn’t with the reused lids); however, I still wouldn’t recommend them being “shelf-stable.” Canning relies on specific temperature (as you probably both know) and I didn’t test out the reliability of the sealed jars and how shelf-stable they are…so to be safe, I just keep them in the refrigerator. It might be worth looking around online to see if anyone has had luck actually “canning” the slow cooker dulce de leche.
OMG!! There goes my diet. I’ve wanted to try this for a long time, but just like you I was scared it would explode. This sounds like an easier and safer way. Thanks. (Although my hips aren’t saying thanks. he! he!)
Did u use new canning lids.?
Will definitely try this method. Looking forward to your Easter entries.
Ooohh, this sounds great! And dangerous! I can’t imagine having an entire batch chilling in my apartment..
I love, love, love dulce de Leche! I use it in so many recipes, but a favorite is to stir it into brownie batter before baking. OMG- you won’t believe what it does to brownies! Boiling cans of milk in a pot has always scared the bejeebers out of me, too, not to mention the BPA toxins. Making it in canning jars in the slow cooker is genius, Mel! Genius, I say! 🙂
Yes! I love this stuff! You’re right in that you wouldn’t be a good friend if you didn’t share this recipe with the world 🙂 My favorite is to sauté some apples and pecans (or any nut) in a teeny bit of butter, then stirring some dulce de Leche over it to warm and pouring this over vanilla bean ice cream…heaven!
I had never heard of cooking it in a glass jar – great point about the chemicals from the cans, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m definitely going to give this a try. I LOVE dulce de leche!!
Have made this dulce de leche before (although didn’t add the vanilla – that seems like it would take it to the next level!) and its WONDERFUL!! I actually made it this past fall, and sold it at my children’s fall fundraiser at their primary school. I placed a whole apple on top of the sealed jar, wrapped it in clear cellophane and tied with a raffia bow. Kind of like a “deconstructed caramel apple”. They flew off the “bake sale” table! Great for little gifts as well! Another great recipe!
I am OBSESSED with dulce de leche. The Girl Scout Dulce de Leche cookies are pretty good… but the creamy goodness of sweet, sweet heaven is unbeatable. Thanks for this recipe!
I’ve yet to make my own. Must do this soon!
I like this idea, as opposed to cooking the milk in the can. I was wondering…did the jars seal during the slow cooker process?