I recently shared on my Tiktok a video about making dulce de leche and I was surprised at how many people didn't realize how easy dulce de leche is to make. Several people also asked if this was the same as caramel. I quickly realized I needed to write a post on my process for making dulce de leche.
I've shifted the recipes I share on this blog. This is a recipe I never would have shared, but I now realize that recipes that seem "common sense" to me are not common sense to everyone else.
What is dulce de leche?
Dulce de leche is cooked sweetened condensed milk. Different countries call it by different names like manjar, kajmak, confiture de lait or arequipe. The sweetened condensed milk is cooked until it reaches a rich caramel color with a spreadable consistency.
Is caramel and dulce de leche the same thing?
No. Several years ago, I shared my salted caramel recipe. The process for that calls for caramelizing sugar then adding cream and butter. Dulce de leche is just caramelized sweetened condensed milk. Think of the two as cousins, they're in the same family but not the same.
What can you use dulce de leche for?
As a kid, I simply spread dulce de leche on a saltine cracker and called it heaven. Now, I drizzle this into my coffee, make it into a cheesecake, coffee cake and use it as a dip for my fried apple empanadas.
Instant Pot Dulce De Leche
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk of choice unopened can
Instructions
- Peel off the sweetened condensed milk can's wrapper completely.
- place your can in the center of your instant pot
- Add enough water to reach your instant pot's MAX fill line and close the lid.
- Set the instant pot to cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Once cooking has ended, hit the quick release to allow the steam out of the instant pot. Allow the can to cool completely before removing the can from the pot.
Notes
I've always made dulce de leche the slow way: on top of the stove in a pot of water. It takes about 3 HOURS that way. This is going to be my go-to from now on! Thank you!
I’ve been doing dulce de leche with condensed milk for 50 years now. Still, there’s a little secret after is cooked to have a real good one. You just not take it from the can and eat it!