Dulce de Leche Spread
If you're looking for a sweet, rich, and indulgent condiment, homemade Dulce de Leche spread is one of the easiest ones you can make. It's creamy, silky, deeply caramelized, and incredibly versatile.
You'll need just one ingredient- sweetened condensed milk and a bit of technique to transform it into a golden, caramel-like spread. Drizzle it over ice cream or caramelized banana yogurt bowl and spoon it onto pancakes and waffles.
I particularly love featuring this spread on my holiday grazing board alongside crackers, my almond flour gingersnaps, some classic vanilla wafers and cinnamon sugar tortilla chips and sliced apples.
The best part? You can prep this days ahead of time and store it until you're ready to serve.
Quick Look: Dulce de Leche Spread
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes
- 🔥 Cook time: About 90 minutes
- 🍮 Cooling time: Until cool enough to handle
- 🍽️ Servings: 6
- 🥣 Main ingredient: Sweetened condensed milk
- 👩🍳 Cooking method: Pour → cover → water bath → bake → cool
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🍨 Best served: Over ice cream, pancakes, banana donut holes, cheesecake, fruit (like Air Fryer apple wedges) or yogurt.
Jump to recipe
Why This Recipe
- You only need one ingredient, and there's no complicated caramel-making technique involved.
- It's incredibly versatile and works with everything from ice cream to cheesecake- like my honey butter spread.
- You can make it ahead and keep it ready for desserts and snacks. It's an easy recipe to keep in your back pocket when you want a quick dessert topping.
Recipe Ingredients
Sweetened condensed milk: The only ingredient you need to make rich, creamy Dulce de Leche. I like to buy cans of these in batch to make my holiday favorite condensed milk truffles.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use a full-fat sweetened condensed milk for the richest result. You can also make a smaller batch by using less condensed milk in a smaller baking dish.
- For a thicker Dulce de Leche, cook it for a little longer while keeping an eye on the water bath.
- Add a small pinch of sea salt after cooking for a salted caramel-style variation.
- Stir in a little vanilla after cooking for an extra layer of flavor, like I do with my honey walnut cream cheese dip.
How to Make Dulce de Leche Spread
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and pour the contents into a deep-dish pie plate or another heatproof baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place the covered dish inside a larger roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the smaller dish.
- Carefully place the water bath in the oven and bake for about 90 minutes, or until the condensed milk has thickened and developed a deep golden-brown caramel color.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the water bath. Let the Dulce de Leche cool, then whisk it until smooth and creamy.
Shahida's Tips & Tricks
- Use hot water when preparing the water bath so the cooking process starts evenly.
- Check the water level during cooking and add more hot water if necessary.
- Let the dulce de leche cool before transferring or serving. and make sure you whisk the finished sauce until smooth before using. I always do this when I make pecan pie dip too.
- Serve it warm if you want a thinner, drizzleable consistency. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.
How to Serve Dulce de Leche Spread
Dulce de Leche is delicious spooned over vanilla ice cream, pancakes (try my spaghetti pancake), waffles, cheesecake, brownies, banana custard or with fresh fruit.
You can also swirl it into yogurt for an easy sweet snack or use it as a topping for peanut butter chia pudding or Air Fryer baked apples. For a simple dessert, warm a little Dulce de Leche and drizzle it over ice cream with chopped brown sugar candied walnuts and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
It may simply need more cooking time. Continue baking it in the water bath and check the color and consistency periodically. It will also become thicker as it cools.
I wouldn't recommend publishing that method. Many brands claim their cans are not designed to withstand high temperatures and advises against heating the can, whether opened or unopened.
Transfer cooled Dulce de Leche to a clean airtight container and refrigerate it. When you're ready to use it, let it sit at room temperature briefly or warm it gently until it reaches your preferred consistency.
More Holiday Sweet Treats
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Dulce de Leche Spread
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a deep-dish pie plate or heatproof baking dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Place the covered dish in a larger roasting pan.
- Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the smaller dish.
- Carefully place the water bath in the oven and bake for about 90 minutes, or until the condensed milk is thick and deep golden brown.
- Check the water level during cooking and carefully add more hot water if needed.
- Remove the baking dish from the water bath and allow the dulce de leche to cool.
- Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Serve warm or cool over ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, or your favorite dessert.
Notes
- Keep the water bath from drying out during baking.
- The Dulce de Leche will thicken further as it cools.
- Whisk the finished sauce until smooth before serving.
- Store leftover Dulce de Leche in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
