Homemade Argentine dulce de leche — milk and sugar slowly simmered into a thick, glossy caramel. Spread it, fill with it, or eat it straight from the jar.
Dulce de leche is South America's beloved milk caramel — milk and sugar slowly cooked down to a thick, glossy, golden-brown spread. Rich and deeply caramelly, it's wonderful on toast, swirled into desserts, or eaten straight from the jar.
Prep 5 min
Cook 90 min
Total 95 min
Medium
Video
Preparation
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, mix the milk, sugar and baking soda. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture becomes thick and caramel-coloured, about 1–2 hours.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Let it cool, then transfer to a jar — it will thicken further as it cools.
- Keep the heat low and stir continuously throughout to stop the milk catching, and add the vanilla at the end to enhance the flavour.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot and keep the heat low to stop the milk catching.
- Stir frequently (constantly near the end) — it scorches easily as it thickens.
- Stop when it's a deep caramel colour; it thickens further as it cools.
- A pinch of baking soda helps it caramelise to that classic rich colour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — gently boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for a couple of hours is a popular shortcut.
The sugar may have crystallised from too-high heat or insufficient stirring; keep it low and stir steadily.
In a sealed jar in the fridge for a few weeks.
