Looking for a substitute for sweetened condensed milk? Try this homemade recipe with 7 different sweetener options! An easy DIY that you can make ahead for the holidays. Plus a dairy-free & lactose-free option!
The temptation to buy canned goods and pre-packaged items tends to come in waves. Right now, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s a tsunami.
My half of the Thanksgiving menu is nailed down: smoked turkey, slow cooker cranberry sauce, healthier sweet potato casserole, homemade cloud rolls, vanilla bean cheesecake apples, and pumpkin pie. With six dishes to make within a 3-day window (and high standards set for every single one of them), taking the easy route and NOT making everything from scratch sounds really nice…
But this tugs a bit with my real food, make-things-from-scratch side. I want to take short cuts, but I’m learning more and more about those mystery ingredients. And what I do know scares me more than what I don’t.
So I thought this week would be a good time to make homemade sweetened condensed milk.
You know, that ingredient you don’t add to your grocery shopping list because you think you already have it at home… and then when you go to make a pie or candied yams, you realize you don’t have it after all.
Yep, that’s the one.
We’ve got nearly a full week until Turkey Day and with all the hoopy-do going on with the holiday and company coming in town, now is as good as time as any, right?
What is Sweetened Condensed Milk?
Sweetened condensed milk is basically slow-cooked milk. This makes the excess water content evaporate but doesn’t scald the milk. Sweetener is added to make it ready for recipes. It doesn’t take a long time to make, but it does take longer than it does to open a can.
Why Make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk?
Making food from scratch is often the best way to save money on real food. However, you also have to factor in whether it’s worth your time to make it. I don’t typically make homemade pasta because I can buy it for cheap and it takes way too long to make from scratch.
It’s also important to consider the ingredients in store-bought vs homemade foods. Like coffee creamer. We quit coffee creamer a long time ago because the ingredients are just too processed to be considered food. The cost to make homemade vanilla bean creamer is about the same or more than if I bought it at the store. But the health benefits weigh out the time and cost.
In terms of ingredients, the advantages of homemade condensed milk are huge. You have COMPLETE control over the ingredients you use and can make it yourself based on where you are in your real food journey, what you have access to, your dietary restrictions and what you can afford.
That’s why I prefer to make homemade sweetened condensed milk.
Sweetened Condensed Milk Ingredients
Sweetened condensed milk is essentially milk and sugar. When you make it homemade, you have the choice of what kind of milk and what kind of sweetener you want to use!
You can use whatever milk you have:
- Raw milk
- Non-homogenized milk
- Organic milk
- Conventional milk
- Powdered milk
- Dairy-free or lactose-free (here’s how I made it with coconut milk and almond milk!)
More on the difference between organic milk and conventional milk HERE.
You can use whatever sweetener you have (I tried all of these!):
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar (aka palm sugar)
- Sucanat (aka Rapadura, Demera or Jaggery)
- Evaporated cane juice (aka organic sugar, evaporated cane sugar)
- Granulated sugar (aka white sugar, we like turbinado)
- Brown sugar
Why did I make 7 different types of sweetened condensed milk? Well, I was kinda curious if using a different sweetener would matter in terms of taste and color. The color certainly changed with different sweeteners. But it won’t affect the look of your final dish.
The taste, oddly enough, didn’t differ much. You can taste a little difference between maple syrup vs honey, or brown sugar vs. evaporated cane juice, but in the end, they all taste like sweetened milk… and delicious!
How to Make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
Homemade sweetened condensed milk is the ideal multi-task project when you have spare time and the inkling to feel productive. Kinda like homemade yogurt. And both offer the “whoa, I just made that from scratch?!” feeling too.
No special cooking skills are required and you only need a few tools:
- A saucepan
- A whisk
- A jar (I like these)
- And a couple of hours of hanging around the house.
How to Use Sweetened Condensed Milk
The first thing that comes to mind is a traditional pumpkin pie. But there are other desserts like dulce de leche and pound cake. If you need a substitute for sweetened condensed milk, use the homemade version below. Or skip it and try a healthier pumpkin pie!
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup sweetener
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (Here’s how to make your own)
- Combine milk and sweetener in a medium saucepan. Whisk stirring constantly to dissolve sweetener over medium heat.
- When the milk begins to steam, lower the temperature to as low as possible.
- Dip a straw into the milk and use a permanent marker to draw a line on the straw, just above where the milk hit.
- Allow milk to reduce to half in size from what it first was, periodically checking with the straw and stirring. This took approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes for me.
- When milk is reduced by half, remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract.
- Pour into a clean glass jar and allow to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator.
In general, these milks were thinner than conventional sweetened condensed milk. If this concerns you, allow milk to continue to reduce in size until all the water is removed.
I made it with whole milk and white sugar, and then I put the jars in the crock pot full of water, on high for 6 hours. Got ‘dulce de leche’ – and then, 1/2 cup of the dulce in 2 cups of half and half? Best coffee creamer ever. Tastes like melted ice cream. Hubby and I may have each had quite a bit straight off spoons lol
That just sounds too delicious to pass up. Trying it in the crockpot is next, as soon as my chicken stock is done!
Just so I wasnt confusing, i made the milk on the stove, then the caramel in the crock. I didnt add vanilla or butter, either. I had 3 cups of milk to 1 sugar, when condensed it went in two half pint jars
Did you have to skim off milk scum? Or, did you just stir it into the milk. I used lactose free whole milk, reduced it in half on low for 2hrs, skimming the milk scum off every 15 minutes or so. Then added 1t Stevia and 1t vanilla. Did not thicken at all. A little bitter, next time 1/2 t Stevia.
I stirred it all back in. Did it reduce at all during the 2 hours?
Do you think the milk can be made in a crockpot with the lid off?
Hmmm… maybe? Anytime I’ve used milk in the crockpot it’s scalded on me. Maybe my crock pot runs hot? It’s worth a shot to see!
How long will this last in the refrigerator?
Was going to ask the same question…
It should last one full month at least. While researching, I read that the heated sugar fights against bacteria so this milk really has a long shelf life. Keeping it in the fridge is my suggestion only because I’m not incredibly experienced in canning, although that can be done with it too.
Great idea!! I’m trying to cut fructose out of my diet, do you think this recipe would work with dextrose?
Hi Kat – what type of sweetener are you thinking of using?
Is there a way I can make this with 2% milk? Maybe just use more milk or something?
Lori – I think you can, but you’d likely have to cook it much longer to get it as thick as you’d like. If you must use 2%, I’d use only 1 cup and then add 1/2 cup heavy cream to thicken it first, before you cook anything.
Can you use splenda or something like it for diabetics? I bake out of my house as a small businesses and I try to accommodate different ppeople whilst keeping it as non-store-bought as possible. Would love to know! Thank you!
Also big thanks for tips!
Splenda is EVIL. Please, please do not use it! I am unusual in that it makes me very, very sick, but if it makes me that sick i can’t believe it is good for anyone! At least, if you do use this, please warn your guests.
If i was going to try to avoid sugar, i’d try evaporating the milk alone or with a tiny amount of sugar, then when you were done, add the vanilla and some stevia (probably only a teaspoon) at the end.
Best wishes.
To each his own but I LOVE Splenda! We started using it when my mom became diabetic. It taste just like sugar and you can cook with it.
I loved Splenda, too until I learned how it is digested. It is extremely hard on the liver. I hated giving it up but it was either Splenda or the hospital. So now, I use Stevia and Erythritol. NOt as easy to cook with as Spa but a heck of a lot less dangerous.
NO artificial sweeteners PLEASE!!
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/03/30/artificial-sweeteners-cause-cancer.aspx
I would never use splenda, either. You can evaporate milk on the stove, but without sugar and if you use a lower fat milk, it won’t be quite so thick. I would then add some stevia (powdered pure extract or a high quality liquid) and vanilla to taste.
Thanks Helen & Kat!
AM – I would never suggest using Splenda, but if you must, I’d start with whole milk and evaporate it until it’s the thickness you desire. Then add just as much as you need to sweeten (which won’t be as much since you reduced the milk first), then continue with the butter and vanilla.
I’d be interested in knowing why Spenda in particular for diabetics… is it a glycemic index issue? Hmmm… maybe a future post!! 😉
great recipes….I have done this with coconut milk to make a clean coconut macaroon!
One word: YUM!
what type of sugar did u add to the coconut milk? i am going to try coconut cream & coconut sugar…has anyone done this combo? thanks!!!
Yes! I did coconut milk with coconut sugar, just to see if it was extra coconutty. The coconut flavor wasn’t prominent at all, but the condensed milk was delicious!
I know. I hate Splenda too. But I cant seem to avoid it for diabetic recipes. Equal is worse. But thank you for the responses! (And so quickly too!)
I would reconsider your stance on using Splenda or any artificial sweetner, as they are all without exception neurotoxins (think rat poison), they cause nerve damage and brain damage. One can use smaller amounts of natural healthy sugars, like the pure maple syrup or honey, along with some liquid SweetLeaf Stevia. I have found maple syrup is sweeter than honey. Honey needs to be RAW; unprocessed, unheated to have all the health benefits. We should educate people to understand that small amounts of a good natural sweetner, is better any day that ingesting poisons. IMHO
Hi Katie! I mentioned in a another comment that I would never recommend using Splenda, or any artificial sweetener for that matter, but I know that some people still choose to use them for various reasons, including diabetics. As for raw honey, I’d LOVE to use some, but my budget can’t afford it. 🙁
I find that raw, unprocessed honey is more affordable at Trader Joes, or off of an Apiary if there is an independent beekeeper in your area.
True that! I never use artificial sweeteners. They are poison!
Would it be a waste to use raw milk with this because we’d be heating the milk? Or does it not kill all the good stuff in the raw milk?
It wouldn’t kill ALL the bad stuff, so you can use raw. You’re not bringing the temperature to boiling (212F) and not even a simmer (approx. 180). However, my lowest setting on my stove make my milk bubble slightly on the edges, and I’m not sure what temperature that was. So while you won’t kill ALL the good stuff, you might kill some of it if your stove is similar. Then again, if your raw milk is affordable, I’d always choose that in a heartbeat. 🙂
Be careful heating raw milk. If it gets too hot or is heated for too long, it can separate into mozzerella cheese. I found this out when trying to make custard ice cream from raw milk. I called the dairy and they enlightened me about the enzymes in raw milk easily turning into cheese if not careful when heating it.
This is great! You are my savior! We are a dairy free house and when I make my husband’s favorite pumpkin pie, the taste and texture is always off because it lacks the very important SCM. Will it be a big deal if I don’t use the butter while finishing? Also, have you used rice or coconut milk and if yes, which do you prefer?
It’s not a big deal Cheri to omit the butter, and in fact, it was an error to include it in the first place! I’ve tried both homemade rice and homemade coconut milk and prefer the taste of coconut a bit better. For making SCM, I’d use coconut b/c it’s a bit thicker in the first place. Enjoy your pie!
Tiffany, I love how you give options in your recipes! I “need” some SCM stat (so I can satisfy an urge for cookies ;)) and I need to rely on what I have on hand. Voila–here’s your recipe! Thanks, and happy holidays to you and yours!
Love the idea of SCM instead of cookies! Glad you found what you needed Marie – Merry Christmas to you and your family! 🙂
What is SCM
Salted Caramel Mocha 😉
… or Sweet Condensed Milk ?? this could be confusing 😉
would be a lot easier to spell out at least one word when you abbreeveeate{haha} than 5-10 min. of googling
Trying to figure out what brand of stevia to use(or not use)? The labels on different brands seem to have all different ingredients. “Stevia in the Raw” is very bitter. Need something to bake with suitable for a type 2 Diabetic. Through the years since my childhood so long ago, I’ve seen the progression from saccharin to sweet & low to equal to splenda. They’ve all gone from being considered a great new product to being bad for you. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
I personally use NuNaturals Stevia. I’ve tried Stevia in the Raw too and wasn’t a fan. NuNaturals has several different flavored stevias that I like to use in my coffee, plus some options for baking (although it’s definitely not a 1:1 ratio because of the rise). Read more about the brand here: https://nunaturals.com/ 🙂
NuStevia is blended with erythritol and Lo Huan Go. Both healthy and good tasting. When was baking “sugar-free” I found that blending Stevia with erythritol together neutralized the unwanted bitterness of Stevia and the cold mouth feel of erythritol alone. It tasted and acted closer to real sugar than any other non-sucrose sweetener. Stevia’s sweetening power combined with erythritol’s cartelizing power made the perfect combination for baking and candy-making.
Can I use Almond milk? or does the milk have to be dairy for this recipe?
Yes, you can use almond milk. There’s a dairy free version here: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2013/11/dairy-free-sweetened-condensed-milk/ 🙂
Oh this is so wonderful! I just found it- but we are a sugar free and dairy free home. Can I make it with almond milk and Stevia? How much stevia should I use? I too use NuNaturals. TIA!
Hi Tina!
I haven’t tried it w/almond milk, but it’s worth a shot. An easier solution might be to make your own almond milk and just use very little water. Add the stevia at the end, since that won’t cook down and dissolves pretty much instantly. It’ll be easier to judge how much to use too.
I have a recipe that calls for chocolate sweet and condensed milk. I cannot find it in the stores. Is there a way to make it using the plain sweet and condensed milk? What can I add to it and how much to make it chocolate?
Hi Deb! I think you can do it. Try adding 2oz of chocolate (your choice) to a small pot of sweetened condensed milk, warming over low and stirring often to melt the chocolate. Taste, add more chocolate if necessary. 🙂
I like to buy low pasteurized milk, so I have to shake the cream back in, do you think this would have an adverse effect on the final product??
Good question – and to be honest, I don’t know! You’ll be heating the milk, and possibly destroying enzymes in the process, so if you pay more for low-temp milk, I’d just go with regular. If you don’t pay more, the worst that will happen is the cream will separate from the milk again… in which case you can bring to room temp (from the fridge) and shake back in! If you’re cooking with it anyway, it probably won’t make much of a difference!
I like to buy that milk for pureness, although the dairy doesn’t pay for the organic label they say they feed their cows untreated grass, and I has a really good flavor as well so I doubt I’d buy store milk, I’ll just have to give it a go. I’ll call the dairy and ask their opinion as well : ) thanks for the article tho, I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for being our test cook October – please let us know how it turns out!!
No problem : ) that sounds like a great idea… It’s going to be used in a recipe for tres leches cake with dulce de leche glaze I stumbled across on the Internet & for whatever reason feel brave enough to tackle… I just need a fresh jug of milk, a small bottle of rum & a standing mixer & I’ll let you guys know!
Pasteurizing doesn’t effect the cream separation. Do you mean unhomogenized milk? I get “cream at the top” milk from Trader Joes. It is Pasteurized but not homogenized. I used to use raw milk but the price went up to $9 a half-gallon so I had to stop buying it.
May I leave out the butter? What happens if i do?
Probably nothing. 🙂 Yes, you may leave it out. I believe it’s used to add the richness that sweetened condensed milk is known for, but yes, you can omit w/o affecting the final turnout.
Have you ever made magic bars with the homemade sweetened condensed milk? The bars with a graham cracker crust, condensed milk and then whatever toppings like chocolate and nuts etc and bake. Just curious if it would work if the homemade doesn’t come out as sweet.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried magic bars, but homemade sweetened condensed milk is just as sweet as store-bought. Just be sure to cook it down enough so it gets extra thick and you’ll be good!
It only took me an hour and 15 minutes to reduce the milk by half. hehe Nice recipe. Tastes way better than the store-bought condensed milk. 🙂
Nice! I’m glad you’re enjoying it Louie!
Can you use homemade SCM to make a Key Lime Pie?
I haven’t tried it personally Cynthia, but you should! Be sure to cook the milk so that it gets EXTRA thick for a better pie.
How do you preserve your sweetened condensed milk? Is it possible to use pressure canner or water bath canner to preserve it? I would guess that freezing is not an option because of how it changed the texture of some dairy products.
Hi Anita! Sweetened condensed milk will keep for a LONG time in the fridge thanks to the sugar. Last year I kept mine for 6+ weeks without any issues. I wouldn’t freeze it, so if you don’t need much, I’d halve the recipe.
I was just on another website (www.kitchenstewardship.com) looking at sugar and substitutions that are healthier, etc. Someone brought up a product called Wheylow which is being used by diabetics and others interested in non-GMO, better tasting, low calorie substitutions. I looked at the Wheylow website (www.wheylow.com) to learn more. It is extremely expensive but the testimonials say consumers can taste no difference and the glycemic index for Wheylow is extremely low when compared to various sugar products and substitutes. Don’t know if it will help your readers but it would be interesting to try. By the way, both type 1 and 2 diabetics have been using this products as well as others just trying to use a healthier substitute.
Why wheylow is not healthy: it’s just sugars: sucrose, fructose and lactose. A study reported in Nutrition and Metabolism said: “A high flux of fructose to the liver, the main organ capable of metabolizing this simple carbohydrate, perturbs glucose metabolism and glucose uptake pathways, and leads to a significantly enhanced rate of de novo lipogenesis (fat creation) and triglyceride synthesis… These metabolic disturbances appear to underlie the induction of insulin resistance commonly observed with high fructose feeding in both humans and animal models.” It’s bad the same way agave is bad, it doesn’t spike your blood sugar because it’s going directly to your liver and gets turned into fat, and puts you at risk for fatty liver disease. Here is an interesting study about diabetics and honey: Bahrami, mohsen, Asal Ataie-Jafari et Al. “effects of natural honey consumption in diabetic patients: an 8-week randomized clinical trial”.international Journal of Food Sciences and nutrition, november 2009; 60(7): 618-626. There are other studies to be found online as well, showing that modest amounts of honey would be better for diabetics.
By the way, has anyone used evaporated milk in this recipe instead? I’m wondering if it would speed up the process. I like the taste of evaporated milk in cooking and had seen another recipe that used it but didn’t see any feedback on how the final product worked and tasted. Would love to hear about it if someone has tried it. Thanks!
I made a version of this recipe with canned coconut milk (honestly, just because that’s the only milk I had on hand) and liquid stevia. It tastes SO good! I started reducing it on low heat after I got home from work and 3 hours later, it had reduced less than half. If you like yours thicker, leave it on longer and don’t rush it…it has a tendency to overflow.
1 can whole fat coconut milk (I used organic)
1/4 tsp liquid stevia
2 Tbl butter (I used unsalted because that’s what I have on hand)
1 tsp pure vanilla
I literally have eaten spoonfuls..I added it to my coffee JUST to have more…and at least “look normal” at work.
Just curious…If I make this with 1 1/2 cups of whole milk & 1/2 cup white granulated sugar approximately how much should the final product yield???
Anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 cup, depending on how thick you want it.
Did you freeze your extra batches? I’m loving the options you gave us. I used honey and pure maple syrup in combination for a double batch because I didn’t have quite enough honey. It’s going to be wonderful!
Could you reduce down in a slow cooker?
You probably can Roni. Prop the top open with a couple chopsticks and stir now and then to ensure the milk doesn’t burn. I haven’t done this myself, but that’s what I would do if I was going to give it a try.
How long does it take to condense. does it condense as it is cooling ?
Hi Brook – it condenses as it cooks, slightly thickens as it cools. It takes awhile – over 2 hours for me. How long it takes you will depend on a few factors, including how hot your stove cooks, but the best gauge is the eye!
Is this something that can be processed? I dont use SCM often, but I would like to have some in my storage.
THANKS!
Good question! I don’t know for sure Carrie, but you could probably freeze it. The consistency MIGHT change, but then again, it might not with all the sugar.
I just tried this using honey….I thought I would speed up the process a bit with more heat and the milk instantly CURDLED…..Wonder if it was just the too high of a temperature that might have caused this???
High heat will make milk curdle (that’s why the recipe says to use low heat 😉 )