How to Make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Do you know how to make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk? This recipe is so easy to make and it is fail-proof even for a beginner in the kitchen. With only 4 ingredients you can make a nice condensed milk yourself!

You can create many things with homemade condensed milk. You can put it in you tea, coffee, make it into ice cream, bread and anything.

The taste of homemade condensed milk is a little bit different from the one you buy in grocery store. I think it is fuller in cream and it tastes of real milk.

There was one time in Indonesia, when people were so shocked about the news of store-bought condensed milk not using real milk. It was because the label still wrote milk in it, even though there is no milk in the ingredient list.

Some people stop buying condensed milk, but so many recipes have this ingredient in it. What to do?

This recipe is a savior! You can make your own condensed milk and you really put milk into it!

You can make your own condensed milk, keep a few jars in the fridge and use it whenever you want. And it is healthy and safe since you know all the ingredients used.

You can control the sweetness and you can even play around with many different kind of sugar like palm sugar, coconut sugar, or sorghum sugar.

What is Condensed Milk?

Condensed milk is milk that has its water content reduced by heating. The heating process reduces the water and thickens the consistency of the milk, making it thick liquid and sweetened with sugar.

The taste of condensed milk is rich and flavorful. You can use it in tea, coffee, ice cream, or make homemade bread, cake, donuts, or simply apply it on your toast.

Sugar Content

The good thing about making your own condensed milk is you can control the amount of sugar. If you like it very sweet, you can add more sugar to the recipe mentioned here.

I find that the amount of sugar I used is just enough.

Another thing is that you can use regular white sugar, organic palm sugar, coconut sugar, sorghum sugar, or even erythritol if you are on a special diet. It is all up to your preference.

Healthwise, it is definitely worthwhile to make your own homemade sweetened condesended milk.

Ingredients

Homemade condensed milk is made with just four simple ingredients that you can easily get in any grocery store.

Milk

If you have your favorite brand, you can use that. You can use dairy or non-dairy milk based on your preferences. You can even use almond milk or oat milk. I find that full cream dairy milk turn to be the most delicious homemade sweetened condensed milk.

The flavor will be different depending on the milk you use. The more fat the milk, the creamier the condensed milk.

Sweetener

As I have mentioned before, you can use regular granulated sugar, or any other favorite sugar of your own. Honey, maple syrup, palm sugar, coconut sugar or erythritol. Of course, the end flavor will be different depending on the type of sugar you use.

I find that granulated sugar, palm sugar and maple syrup are my favorites.

Butter

If you use a pinch of salt in the milk, then you can use unsalted butter. Butter will add smooth texture to the condensed milk. It adds richness to the milk and I think it adds buttery smell and taste in the condensed milk.

The down side is if you put the condensed milk into your coffee, you will see the coffee a little bit greasy or oily. But since the butter in the recipe is only 10 grams or 2% of the total recipe, it will not be a big greasy problem.

Of course if you prefer not to have butter, you can just delete it from the recipe.

Salt

Salt is used if you choose unsalted butter. If you already have salted butter, please omit the salt in the recipe. Otherwise, it will be a little bit too salty.

Vanilla extract (optional)

If you like vanilla extract, you can add some to add the fragrance and taste of vanilla.

The Recipe

• 300 gr full cream milk
• 125 gr sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 10 gr unsalted butter

How To

1. Pour milk into a pan. Use a wide pan, this will help the process faster.

2. Add sugar into the milk. Turn on the stove on medium heat.

3. Keep stirring with a spatula while cooking. Let it simmer.

4. The cooking time takes around 30 minutes to make it thicken.
5. When it boils, turn down the heat a little.
6. Continue stirring and turn up the heat again until it boils.
7. Keep doing that until the milk thickens.

8. Turn down the heat to low heat when you see it gets thick.
9. Put in the unsalted butter.

10. Stir until the butter melts. Add a pinch of salt.

11. Turn off the stove when you it is already thick like in the video.

10. Strain the milk so you will have a smooth texture.

Bottling

1. Heat a glass jar in a container of the oven for 5 minutes or cook in a boiling water for 5 minutes to kill the bacteria.
2. Use oven mitt to hold the glass jar. Be very careful because it is hot.

3. Pour the condensed milk into the jar while it is still hot. Put on the lid. Turn it upside down to kill the bacteria in the space under the lid.

4. This way of bottling will keep your condensed milk shelf life longer.

Is Condensed Milk Gluten-Free?

Condensed milk is gluten free since it does not use any gluten product. It is suitable for people with celiac disease or other gluten-related diseases.

Can This Recipe Replace The Store-bought Condensed Milk?

Of course! I think this recipe even tastes better than the store-bought one. You can make a few jars to keep in the refrigerator if you use condensed milk a lot.

I usually double this recipe to keep a few jars in the chiller. I can use the homemade sweetened condensed milk to make bread, cake, ice cream, or just for coffee and tea companion. You can even give one as a gift to your neighbour or friend.

Storage and Shelf Life

In the video, I give you some tricks to keep it longer. Get a glass jar and the lid, wash and dry them. Heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Be very careful. Use a kitchen glove to handle the jar.

Pour the thick milk into the jar while it is still hot. Close the lid and then turn the jar upside down. This way the bacteria in the space between the lid and the top surface will be killed off. You can keep it longer.

Homemade condensed milk can stay up to 10 days in the chiller. If you put it in the freezer, you can have it up to three months. Simply transfer the jar to the chiller one day ahead if you want to use it.

There are many baking products or desserts that you can make out of this condensed milk.

You can use it in Assam Milk Tea, Rose Milk Tea or Oolong Milk Tea. They taste wonderful.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: Can I make condensed milk without sugar?

A: Yes, it is possible to make condensed milk without sugar, but it won’t be as thick and sweet as traditional condensed milk. You can use natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup as a substitute, but keep in mind that the flavor will differ.

Q: What can I do if my condensed milk isn’t thickening?

A: If your condensed milk isn’t thickening, it might need more time on the stove. Ensure that you are cooking it at a low enough temperature to prevent burning, and be patient as it reduces.

Q: Can I double or halve this recipe?

A: Yes, the recipe for homemade condensed milk can be easily doubled or halved to suit your needs. Adjust the cooking time accordingly, as a larger batch may take longer to reduce and thicken, while a smaller batch may take less time. I have done three batches of this recipe when my online customers ordered this.

Q: How does the taste of homemade condensed milk compare to store-bought?

A: Homemade condensed milk tends to have a fresher, richer taste compared to store-bought varieties, which can sometimes have a canned or processed flavor. Additionally, when you make it at home, you have control over the ingredients, allowing you to adjust the sweetness and flavor to your preference.

Conclusion

This is a super easy recipe to make homemade sweetened condensed milk in your own kitchen with only three simple ingredients. Make one for your family and you will love the taste so much you want to put it in every dessert you have!