How to Make Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk: 5-Minute Recipe (Just 3 Ingredients)
Need sweetened condensed milk for a recipe and don’t have any at home? No need to run to the store. With milk powder, sugar, and hot water you can make homemade sweetened condensed milk in 5 minutes, with no cooking and no saucepan. It comes out thick, glossy, and tasting just like the real thing and you know exactly what’s in it. And if all you have is regular milk, we’ll also show you how to turn it into condensed milk (that method does require cooking).
At home we use it for ice cream, cakes, flan, café bombón (a Spanish espresso layered with condensed milk), and our Sunday rice pudding. After lots of testing, this is the formula that works best for us, with exact amounts in grams.
How We Make It at Home, Step by Step
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk (5 Minutes, No Cooking)
Ingredients
- 65 g whole milk powder (dry whole milk) (½ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 110 g sugar or panela (unrefined cane sugar) (½ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 60 g hot water (¼ cup)
- A pinch of salt (optional)
Instructions
- Dissolve the sugar. Mix the sugar or panela with the hot water and stir until completely dissolved. The water should be very hot (freshly boiled) — that's what lets the sugar dissolve without leaving any graininess.
- Add the milk powder. Add it to the sugar water and blend (regular or immersion blender) until you have a smooth, lump-free cream. Doing it by hand is a struggle: the blender is what makes the difference here.
- Let it rest. Wait a few minutes: it thickens quite a bit as it sits. If you want it even thicker, half an hour in the fridge and it's ready.
Notes
- Use whole milk powder if you can (sold as dry whole milk — Nido is a common brand in the US). Nonfat works, but it’s less creamy.
- Prefer to start from fresh milk, or want it organic? The traditional stovetop version is further down in the post.
- Keeps 5–7 days in a sealed jar in the fridge. All the tips and FAQs, below.
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Why This Recipe Works
Store-bought sweetened condensed milk is simply milk that’s had most of its water evaporated off, with sugar added. Here we take the reverse path: instead of removing water from milk, we start with milk powder (milk that’s already dehydrated) and add back just the right amount of water. Same result, but in 5 minutes instead of an hour.
The Traditional Version with Fresh Milk (Ideal for Making It Organic)
If you have time and prefer to start from fresh milk, you can also make it the classic way, slowly reducing the milk on the stove:
- 2 cups (500 g) whole milk
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (110–115 g) sugar or panela
- A pinch of salt (optional)
Put everything in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. It’s important that it never comes to a hard boil: just gentle little bubbles. You need to reduce the mixture down to about 230–240 g total (roughly ¾ cup) — almost a third of the starting volume. It takes around 45–60 minutes. It thickens more as it cools.
This version also has an advantage we think matters: it’s the only way to get organic sweetened condensed milk. Organic whole milk is in every supermarket, while organic milk powder is hard to find and organic canned condensed milk barely exists. If you buy organic milk at home, this is your recipe.
Tips for Perfect Results
- If it’s too runny: it’s almost always the proportions or the resting time. Stick to the gram amounts (that’s why we give them exactly) and give it time in the fridge before judging it.
- If you notice graininess: it needs more blending. One more pass with the blender and it turns silky.
- If you want it less sweet: you can go down to 100 g (½ cup) of sugar, but not much further: sugar doesn’t just sweeten — it gives the mixture body and helps preserve it.
- With panela it takes on a toastier color and a slight caramel note that we love in coffee.
FAQ
How long does homemade sweetened condensed milk last?
In a sealed glass jar in the fridge, it keeps well for 5–7 days. It doesn’t go through the preservation processes of the store-bought kind, so don’t treat it like a canned product. If the smell or appearance changes, toss it.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Thanks to its high sugar content it never freezes completely solid, so you can use it almost straight from the freezer. Freeze it in small portions (an ice cube tray works great) and you’ll always have “half a can” on hand.
Can I use nonfat or low-fat milk powder?
You can, but it loses creaminess: the fat in whole milk is part of the texture. If nonfat is all you have, add 1–1½ tablespoons (15–20 g) of butter to the hot water and you’ll make up for it in part.
Can I make it lactose-free?
Yes: use lactose-free milk powder and it comes out exactly the same. It’s one of the big advantages of making it at home.
Can I make it with less sugar or with sweetener?
With less sugar, yes — down to about 100 g (½ cup). With sweetener it will come out much runnier, because the sugar is what gives it its characteristic body. If you use sweetener, expect a texture closer to a light cream than to condensed milk.
Can I turn it into dulce de leche?
The homemade version can’t be boiled “in the can” like the store-bought kind, but you can put it in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring, until it darkens and thickens: you’ll have a quick dulce de leche.
Can I use it as coffee creamer?
Absolutely — sweetened condensed milk makes a wonderful coffee creamer: it sweetens and adds creaminess in one go. Use a tablespoon per cup, or thin it with an equal part of milk and keep it in a jar in the fridge for an easy pourable creamer. The panela version is especially good here.
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