How to make homemade Dulce de Leche or Confiture de Lait

I found myself with a lot of milk leftover this last week. We usually use up our weekly supply of raw milk from our cow share (from the lovely Nutmeg the Normande cow), but somehow we ended the week with nearly half a gallon of milk in the fridge still. Not wanting to throw it out to make room for the new supply – what a waste of a beautiful product it would have been – I decided to do something about it.

I've been wanting to try my hands at Dulce de Leche – the gloriously sweet, gooey, creamy caramelized milk from Latin America - so this seemed a fortuitous moment. Unfortunately, most Dulce de Leche recipes I googled gave instructions for making "homemade" Dulce de Leche from store-bought canned Condensed Milk. How that became "homemade" I'm not entirely sure. Even my dear friend David L. had his own Sandra Lee moment.

I needed to find one that uses whole milk so I turned to a different source. There is a similar product in French cooking called Confiture de Lait, or simply milk jam in English. There are plenty of Confiture de Lait recipes, calling for different proportion of milk and sugar, some call for using vanilla, or even the addition of rum.

A little confused, I had to figure one out for myself. Many recipes I saw add a whopping 500 grams of sugar to merely a litre of milk – that's only a quarter of a gallon or just four pints. That's just crazy. I didn't want to end up with caramelized sugar with a hint of milk. I wanted to preserve the creamy deliciousness of Nutmeg's milk, so I used only half that amount. I know I'd have to cook it longer to compensate for the missing sugar and to reduce the milk to the proper texture. I also knew I'd add a little salt, not to make it salty but just enough to round out the sweetness.

My experiment turned out beautifully, as you could see in the picture above. I wish you could taste it as well. Oh, wait, you could, you just have to follow to recipe and make it yourself!

Confiture de Lait - Dulce de Leche

2 litres of whole milk (1/2 gallon)
500g sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 vanilla pods (optional*)

Add milk, sugar, and salt into a pot large enough that there are a few inches between the level of the milk and the top of the pot. Cut the vanilla pods lengthwise, scrape the seeds from the pods and add everything into the pot. Turn the heat to medium high, whisk or stir the mixture constantly until it comes to a full boil. Turn the heat down to barely simmer, and continue to cook, uncovered, for 3 hours. When in doubt, turn the heat lower. If the heat is to high your milk will boil over and develop a rough skin on top, which won't dissolve no matter how much you whisk later. Whereas when the heat is too low you'll just have to cook it longer, no harm done.

Check the consistency of your confiture at about 2.5 hours. The consistency you are looking for is a loose caramel. (The confiture will thickens a bit after it cools.) This batch took just over three hours to reach the consistency I like. When it gets there, remove the vanilla pods, whisk the confiture until smooth. Pour into small jars and let cool. When the confiture cools down completely, put the lid on the jars and keep in the fridge.

Don't ask me how long it keeps. I have no idea. I'm sure it'll all be gone before it goes bad anyhow.

*The classic Delce de Leche doesn't have vanilla in it, but the classic Confiture de Lait does. I adore the beautiful flecks of vanilla in my confiture and love the aroma it adds to it. Whether you add it to yours is entirely up to you.

Comments

[Pille]

Looks and sounds wonderful, Pim! We often end up with too much milk ourselves, so this would be a great way to use the milk. Thanks!

Pim says...

It's a wonderful way to use up the milk. It would be heartbreaking for me to throw away Nutmeg's delicious milk.

[Bev]

Hello!

Just stumbled onto your blog, must say love it! I havde seen a few recipes I think I will try,and if I do will credit you for.

Bev x

Pim says...

Thanks, please do try and let me know how it goes.

[Maria]

In Cuba the thing made with canned condensed milk is called "fanguito" (that would be "mud" in English...) and the thing made with fresh milk is called "dulce de leche". My husband is Cuban and loves milk and sugar in all kinds of combinations. He swears that they are completely different things!

The "dulce de leche" is normally made with milk that has has gone slightly bad and starts to separate when heated. An old lady who made fabulous "dulce de leche" told me about her recipe: "You just boil the separated milk without a lid for a very long time...with a little bit of lemon zest and some sugar. And don't stir too much!" When asked how long the milk should boil she answered: "From morning until the evening."

Hers turns out very dark in color, thick like toffee and with crunchy caramelized crystals in it. It is sooo sweet I always give my husband half my ration.

Pim says...

Thanks Maria for sharing this. Fanguito is a very cute name. I'm with your Cuban sweetheart. I love milk and sugar in practically any combination!

[Kate Hill]

mmmmmm. Pim, I just returned from lunch at M. Bras at the top of the world in the Aveyron with a jar of confiture de lait from his kitchen. Whew, now I can eat it all up at once knowing that I have a good recipe to replace it. Of course, getting those Aubrac cows in the back of my car won't be easy!

Pim says...

I love love love love that confiture. Breakfast at Michel Bras is almost better than dinner!

You have those gorgeous Blonde d'Aquitaine near you. How's their milk?

[David]

Silly girl...don't you know I do it both ways??

; )

Pim says...

Oh trust me I do darling. ;-)

[Antti]

A tip I picked up from Good Eats is to add a little baking soda into the mix. Without this I have trouble keeping the stuff from separating while boiling, but with a tad of soda it's silky smooth when finished. Probably depends on the milk you start with, though.

Pim says...

That's a great suggestion. I'm going to have to try it.

[GG Mora]

In addition to preventing separation, baking soda causes the dulce de leche to darken somewhat, so you get more of a rich caramel color. Also, milks with a higher protein content are less apt to separate (and make a more luscious product). Winter milk has a higher protein content than summer, Jersey cow's milk has more protein than Holstein's, and sheep's milk has the highest protein content of the Big 3 (cow's, goat's, sheep's). I've been making my dulce de leche with a 2:1 blend of Jersey milk:sheep's milk, and the results are the finest of any I've made. (Dulce de leche is one of the staples of my jam business; I make upwards of 100 jars a year.)

Pim says...

I haven't heard of baking soda in dulce de leche. Thanks for the tips, GG.

[GG Mora]

Oh, and P.S., Pim: have you tried making yoghurt with Nutmeg's milk? I bet it would be wonderful!

Pim says...

Not yet, but have been meaning to. Jean gave me some Kefir starter, which I still haven't used!

[Jean]

I am lucky enough to have tasted a sample of Pim's confiture. It is delicious! The creamy texture is better than any dulce de leche I have ever had.

GG Mora--the combination of sheep's milk and Jersey milk sounds like a wonderful idea.

Pim says...

Thanks Jean. I didn't do much, it's your Nutmeg who did most of the job! How does Bob like it?

[Casey]

Pim, I swear you have the greatest collection of elegant little containers I've ever seen! Your cabinets must be a treasure trove.

Pim says...

Shop at Ikea... ;-)

[PlazaJen]

Yes, I echo Casey's note - I just emailed my husband (Chief Canner in our home)"Where does she get those JARS?"
However, everything you put in said jars looks delicious. I have four posts kept as "new" (this one included) in bloglines because I like to visit them and salivate. :)

Pim says...

I'm afraid these jars are not great for actually preserving stuff. They have plastic lids and don't seal tight. They are just fine for something i know I'd use up quickly like this though.

...and they are from Ikea, don't tell anyone!

[kayenne]

oooooooooh... i've been having my share of dulce de leche(sorry, canned condensed milk) when i played with a version of leite's Alfajores for a client. leftover dulce de leche went into my morning coffee, while my brother and sister enjoyed it by the spoonful.

i can't wait to try your from-scratch version as soon as i get some raw carabao(water buffalo) milk from the market! i wonder if this will work with soymilk?

http://www.leitesculinaria.com/writings/columns/alfajores.html

Pim says...

Thanks for the link. I'm going to try Alfajores soon. I've never tried making it with soy milk, let me know how it goes if you try.

[kayenne]

btw, i pressure-cooked the cans(well-submerged in water, at least an inch over) for about 30 minutes. it seems to have done the trick as well as 3 hours stove-top.

lemme echo the above... lovely jars...!

Pim says...

I'm afraid of pressure cooker. I really am. I have a vision of it exploding in my face every time I go near one.

[faustianbargain]

i agree re baking soda. i make mine in the slow cooker...it needs a quick whizz with the stick blender thingy afterward.

in mexico, they use i use full cream cow's milk and goat's milk. i use cream and cow's milk. in india, i used to make it with buffalo milk.(which makes me want to know..you get buffalo meat in the states..why not the milk?)..but the consistency is more cakey than confiture. we call it palgova/thiratipaal. i think it's the only indian milk dessert in which i dont care to use cardamom. and we use a lot less sugar as well. it's just milk and sugar. a lot less sugar because the milk is boiled without the sugar first...by the time it cooks down, the sugars of the milk has caramelised. the sugar is added at about half the cooking time.

in some parts of south america(and oddly, in one town /village in mexico whose name escapes my memory at this time) they use rice flour to thicken.

i like how you refer to nutmeg by her name instead of 'the cow'. our's was called lakshmi. she had beautiful eyes.

Pim says...

Nice tips, thanks. Have you got a picture of Lashmi? I'd love to "meet" her.

[faustianbargain]

p.s. sorry..flaky this morning..second sentence, second paragraph..should read .."i use full cream cow's milk and goat's milk"..gah!

Pim says...

fixed!

[Katie]

Faustianbargain, buffalo milk comes from water buffalo while buffalo meat comes from bison.

Pim, I agree with everyone here about the jars; I think my desire to taste your confiture is due in large part to how darned pretty it looks.

Pim says...

They are from Ikea. Cute and cheap! They're not great for actual preserves though. They have plastic lids and don't seal tight. But for something that I will use up quickly like these confiture they are just fine, and cute!

[Chubbypanda]

Sandra Lee is pure evil. I'll need to make lots of your confiture to keep her away. =)

Pim says...

Yes, this is good evil thwarting confiture.

[Chez Denise et Laudalino]

What a great idea, I am always looking for something to do with extra milk, as well! By the way ... where did you get those cute jars???

Thanks!

Pim says...

The jars are from Ikea!

[faustianbargain]

katie, thanks for that bit of info! altho' they could just call it bison meat? one learns something new everyday! thanks.

[Nan]

I guess you could do this with goat's milk, too? I would probably have a vastly different taste. My family always has tons of leftover goat milk and is looking for new ways to get rid of it!

Pim says...

Yes. I think it's called Cajeta in Mexico. I love it, though sometimes I found it a little too, well, goaty. But when I'm in the mood for it it's great.

[The Corkdork]

Pim,
Have you made Indian Paneer with this raw milk? It's super easy (I use the recipe in the original Julie Sahni book, Classic Indian Cooking. Using lemon juice makes an extra soft, nice paneer that you can use tossed into ginger stir-fried spicy spinach for an easy Saag Paneer...way better than most Indian restaurants.

Corkdork

Pim says...

No, I've never tried. I love paneer, saag paneer especially. I will have to try it. Thanks for the tips.

[B.]

For those among us who can't have delicious moo moo milk, I make "dulce sin leche" with the best soymilk I can get my hands on (homemade if I have the time!). I use equal parts "milk" and sugar, usually brown or turbinado, with salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and a tiny bit of freshly ground ancho chile. It's not quite as unctuous as real dulce de leche, even though I cook mine down a LOT more than you did yours, but it works for lactose intolerant and vegan milk jam lovers. :)

Pim says...

That's a very good tip, thank you.

[R]

Great photo! Can't wait to try this.

Pim says...

Do try.

[Charlotte]

I have some questions. Can you make this with pasteurized milk?

What do you do with it? I love it in ice cream but otherwise I don't know what to do with it (well, eat it with a spoon straight out of the jar, I know).

Pim says...

I'm sure you can. I don't see why not.

What do I do with it? What don't I do with it is a better question. You can top ice cream with it. You can eat it on toast like a tartine. You can make Alfajores with it (which I am going to very soon - and will post recipe!)

[the chocolate lady (eve)]

OMG, I need this to LIVE!

B. I am very interested to learn of the soy version. I wonder if other alternate milks (rice, hemp) would work too.

Pim says...

You and me both. I've been living on this stuff. My next post will be a post confiture de lait diet.

[faustianbargain]

i think nut milks will work better instead of soy or rice milk. of course, more nuts than water. it wont have the caramelisation effect because the milk sugars get caramelised and of course, the texture of dulce de leche will be slightly off.

we can do two things..flaxseed as a binder to bring together everything..altho' if the nuts are going to be made into a paste at home(needs to be a fine paste) i suppose this can be avoided..altho' remember the nut oils and the solids will usually seperate. the second one is lecithin that will act as an emulsifier. i am not sure flaxseed can deal with high heat, so it will have to go much much later. and then the sugar etc.

on the other hand...i'd also like to try mashed banana to add texture. hazelnut milk and banana 'dulce de leche' sounds plausible.

Pim says...

interesting ideas, thanks

[Ann]

I've been wanting to try this for a while too. Thanks for the nudge! Yours looks fabulous!

Pim says...

anytime

[veron]

I've been wanting to make dulce de leche for some time now. I'm glad that this real version does not call for boiling a can of condensed milk.

Pim says...

Thanks.

[Marisa]

Pim: This looks beautiful and sounds delicious. I can't wait to try making it!

@GG Mora: Any chance you could post some suggestions for canning it? I'm just getting started with canning, and this would make a fantastic Christmas gift...

@Faustianbargain: How long do you usually let it go in the slow cooker? Do you use low or high heat?

I'm way too excited about giving this recipe a try :-)

Pim says...

Thank you. Let me know how it turns out for you.

[Amy]

One word: YUM!! I'm so glad you posted a recipe that uses milk and not sweetened condensed milk. Nutmeg is so cute! I want a cow too... :)

Pim says...

Nutmeg said thank you....er...I meant...moooo.

[sam]

I don't think using sugar from a packet is much more homemade than using condensed milk from a can.

it takes 3 hours to cook those cans of condensed milk, don't you know...???!!!

Next time I wan't to see you processing your own sugar cane, young lady.

Pim says...

I'll do it if you join me darling.

[faustianbargain]

marisa..cook on high and uncovered. re timing..it depends on your slowcooker. its something you'd know by checking the consistency at regular intervals. go by the smell. there is a thin line between caramelisation and burned food.

one problem you'll have is that there will be crusts along the edges of the slowcooker...you'd have to scrape them off. remember tho' that it will thicken as it cools down. so, when you think you have achieved the dulce de leche consistency, add some full cream milk(warmed close to the temp of the dulce de leche) and use a stick blender to make it smoother. 'finish' on stovetop to make sure that the additional milk gets along fine with the finished dulce de leche. if there are still burnt crusts, strain it while still hot.

(digressing a bit)

personally speaking..if you are canning it and using it right away..and if there isnt any hardened/burnt crusts, i wouldnt bother with the blender to make it smooth. the little bits add texture..topped with pistachios/almonds/rose petals...saffron(its ok if its added towards the end..the heat will draw out the warm goodness) and a bit of powdered cardamom(again towards the end because this spice is kinda made of volatile oils), it's a spoonable/toothsome dessert by itself!

cooked to a cakey/fudgey consistency, it has longer shelf life and no need for canning etc because it has little to nil moisture. we call that palgova. the version in the previouos paragraph, i call the above payasam(south indian kheer) on steroids...of course..sans rice.

paal payasam is a traditional south indian drinkable dessert. its rice pudding..only more sublime. a short cut is to use a pressure cooker and its cooked again to caramelise the milk sugars. its thinner in consistency. paal payasam is legendary and has some interesting mythology behind it..found ambalapuzha paal payasam link here in wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambalappuzha

sorry for the longish comment and distraction..what can i say...i like dairy and sugar...

Pim says...

Mademoiselle Faust,

Thanks for sharing.

[Single Guy Chef]

I always loved the color of dulce de leche, and yours looked perfect. So what did you end up using them on? I'm curious to see your dulce in action! :)

Pim says...

My friend GG thinks it's a little blond. I suppose gentlemen do prefer blonds. ;-)

She suggested a bit of baking soda. I might just give it a try and see how I like it.

[Marisa]

@Faustianbargain: Thank you so much for your suggestions! I will check back to let y'all know how my experiments turn out :-)

[Vida]

Paul at www.eatmefood.blogspot.com gives his recipe from Argentina and he uses milk, sugar and baking soda. Hope that helps. Vida x

[maria luisa]

Hi Pim.
We love Dulce de Leche in Venezuela. It's also called arequipe. Never heard of "fanguito". It's great in a spoon, by itself. Also in alfajores as you mentioned. We also eat it in "obleas".

Will mail you a recipe for making hard dulce de leche. It's great.

[maria luisa]

Hi Pim.
We love Dulce de Leche in Venezuela. It's also called arequipe. Never heard of "fanguito". It's great in a spoon, by itself. Also in alfajores as you mentioned. We also eat it in "obleas".

Will mail you a recipe for making hard dulce de leche. It's great.

[Kevin]

Really cool. Well done.

[maria luisa]

I'm sure you will like...

Papitas de dulce de leche
2 Cups of powder milk
1 can of condensed milk
1 ½ cups of powder sugar
Cloves for decorating

Mix well powdered milk with condensed milk with a wooden spoon. Add little by little the sugar and mix with your hands until you have a soft mixture. Make small round balls and decorate each one with one clove.

You can see the picture and the recipe in Spanish here:http://www.encasadekristina.com/cms/sin_complicaciones/sin_complicaciones/papitas_de_leche.html

[Lori Lynn @ Taste With The Eyes]

Hi Pim - I just read your post, the photo is beautiful. I had just posted about my favorite Peruvian cookies, Alfajores, made with dulce de leche. I love how the simplest of ingredients become something so sublime.

[Diana]

Hi there I just found this site and lucky me. I always waited for someone from Domingican Replubic to bring me this Dulce de leche cramy bar. I realize now that's its all over the world. I am openning a coffee shop and want to blend it with the coffee or add it separatly.Any one out there have any good coffee and dolce de leche drinks.

[Ita]

Oh my, I am delighted to learn how to make dulce de leche without sweetened condensed milk. I gave up the dark rich Vietnamese coffee I absolutely loved because sweetened condensed milk contains trans fats. Gave up my favorite dessert of all time, key lime pie, for the same reason. Couldn't even look at recipes using dulce de leche, etc etc. Trans fats do such serious damage to our bodies that even I, who have virtually no will power, had to pay attention. No more sweetened condensed milk. So you have put a smile on my face with this post. If I can make dulce de leche without sweetened condensed milk, well, hey! I can still pig out on sinfully rich desserts! May kill myself with sugar ;-)), but can't see that I could possibly eat enough sugar to even begin to compare to the destructive effect of trans fat activity in the body.

[ber]

yours should be called confiture de leche. ;) and it sounds very good. i'll try it someday. it looks thinner than the dulce de leche i know of, though.

[elyse]

hm, i must have done something wrong. i tried this this afternoon, and i boiled it and then let it simmer very low for about 3 hours and it was still totally liquidy. i found another recipe that said after you boil it to leave it higher, so i turned it up and now it finally changed color, but its all lumpy and curdly. not sure what's going on here but i think i can say this was a failure, just like the first time i tried making caramels. caramels must have it out for me, haha. any ideas what went wrong?

[Angela Gonzalez]

Hola Pim,
I love your site! I am from Colombia, over there we call it arequipe and we eat it right out of the jar with fresh cheese, also with guava paste. I am now a pastry student and for my final project I am planning to use dulce de leche, guava and make something special. Do you have a good recipe for alfajores?
Thanks so much

[AJ]

Hi Pim! Thanks so much.
I have long loved the flavour of dulce de leche, but never met it in person. Made this up. Works well! Thank you for the recipe.

Just a comment for other newbie Dulce cooks: I cooked it until it got foamy, and the colour of a roasted peanut butter. As it cooled, it became very taffy-like. Not spreadable at all. I should have been testing little drips on a cool spoon or plate on the way. Will know better next time, so I can learn the right moment to stop cooking.

[Laura]

WOW!!!!
I LOVE confiture de lait!
I have not had the real stuff since I bought it in France...by the case...and gained like 20 pounds...
Well, I will try out your recipe-
Thanx!!!
Laura