Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in sweetened condensed milk? ›

Made with just two ingredients, fresh whole milk and natural sugar, CARNATION Condensed Milk makes it quick and easy to create delicious sweet treats from creamy cheesecakes to millionaires' shortbread.

Homemade condensed milk is not only cheaper, but it tastes more delicious, as making it requires less heat and sugar, allowing the flavor of the milk to come through. Also, canned condensed milk can contain preservatives or additives, while homemade condensed milk only takes two ingredients to make.

Condensed Milk Substitutes

If you don't have sweetened condensed milk, you can make your own using evaporated milk and sugar, or you can bring 3/4 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 1/8 cups of dry powdered milk to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

In a pinch, you can make sweetened condensed milk from evaporated milk. Mix 1 cup evaporated milk with 1 1/4 cups sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, then cool. For a better substitute for sweetened condensed milk, use powdered milk.

The approximate composition of sweetened condensed milk is 8–9% fat, 20–22% non-fat milk solids, 10–11% lactose, 43–45% sucrose, and 25–27% moisture. This high sugar content helps to maintain the quality of the product during its shelf life. Normally, sweetened condensed milk is packaged in metal cans.

Thick as traditional condensed milk, coconut cream is made from the white fleshy meat of coconuts. Another great non dairy substitute for sweetened condensed milk for those on vegan or non-dairy diets, coconut cream is made by blending 4 cups of coconut meat with a cup of water.

Making sweetened condensed milk at home means subjecting it to a far less heat-intensive process than commercially canned milk, which helps preserve a fresher dairy flavor.

For example, a single ounce (30 ml) of sweetened condensed milk has just over 15 grams of sugar, while the same amount of nonfat evaporated milk contains just over 3 grams (3, 4). Sweetened condensed milk has roughly five times the amount sugar of evaporated milk, as sugar is added during processing as a preservative.

The high sugar content in sweetened condensed milk can also trigger the risk of diabetes in children. High sugar levels in the body can cause a decrease in insulin hormone sensitivity in the body, leading to the risk of diabetes.

For the most part, if you find yourself without condensed milk on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of evaporated milk. The consistency will be the same, but since evaporated milk is unsweetened, you'll need to add sweetener to match the recipe's intended flavor profile or to suit your personal preference.

What can vegans use instead of condensed milk? ›

You can use most plant milk to make homemade vegan condensed milk, but I highly recommend soy milk or full-fat coconut milk. Some plant milks are more watery and thin than others, which will result in a thinner texture in the end result and may also require more sugar to achieve the right level of sweetness.

Condensed milk has signficantly more Vitamin A than white sugar. Condensed milk has signficantly more protein than white sugar. Condensed milk is an excellent source of calcium and potassium.

The sugar extends the shelf life of sweetened condensed milk. Sucrose increases the liquid's osmotic pressure, which prevents microorganism growth. The sweetened evaporated milk is cooled and lactose crystallization is induced.

The biggest difference between condensed and evaporated milk is the sugar content. Both are made by reducing a percentage of the water content from the milk but the condensed version has sugar added, which caramelized to thicken the milk, so it is called Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Due to the sugar addition, condensed milk is more durable than evaporated milk. The benefits of regular milk are boosted in condensed milk since it contains more sugar. Condensed milk is a good source of these nutrients in addition to calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, phosphorus, and protein.

More About Condensed Milk

This shelf-stable product is a form of concentrated milk in which about 60 percent of the water content has been removed, after which sugar is added before canning. Condensed milk contains 40 to 45 percent sugar. It's rich and thick, with a caramel color and a super-sweet flavor.

The main difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk is that evaporated milk is unsweetened while condensed milk is sweetened. Evaporated milk is simply fresh milk that's been heated until about 60 percent of its water content has evaporated.