Why Buy A Can Of Sweetened Condensed Milk When You Can Easily Make It At Home?

Sweetened condensed milk, which may be one of Latin America's favorite baking products, can be used to make anything from homemade dulce de leche to two-ingredient soda-flavored ice cream. Or you can eat sweetened condensed milk straight out of the can – it's okay, everyone secretly does this. The store-bought kind is convenient, but it can be fairly pricey, especially if it's one of your go-to pantry staples. There is a way to have your sweetened milk and save some money, too, and that's to make it yourself.

At its simplest, sweetened condensed milk is made from nothing more than milk and sugar, which are simmered together for about 40 to 45 minutes until the mixture thickens. To boost the flavor, you can also add salt and vanilla extract, while mixing in some heavy cream can help to prevent curdling if the heat gets too high. It also makes the flavor slightly richer.

Besides saving money, one big advantage of DIY sweetened condensed milk is that you can easily make a vegan version by using plant-based milk (and skipping the butter and cream, of course). Coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup can also be substituted for the sugar. Non-caloric sweeteners, such as stevia, allulose, or xylitol, won't work since they're unable to caramelize and help the milk thicken, but you can create a decent stand-in if you use all heavy cream instead.

Some people may look down on powdered milk, and indeed, this all-purpose baking ingredient is not the kind of thing you'd expect to see Ina Garten endorsing. I'm no contessa, barefoot or otherwise, so I personally swear by the stuff. But not to drink on its own — I don't drink regular milk, either, since I hate the taste. Instead, I like the fact that I can always have milk on hand for cooking purposes without having to worry that it'll spoil, since powdered milk can last for several years. 

My all-time favorite thing to use it for, which is something I've been making for years, is a ridiculously fast and easy version of homemade condensed milk. (To be honest, until researching this article, I hadn't heard of making DIY condensed milk with the liquid kind.) All you need to do is combine powdered milk and sugar in the blender with hot water, butter, and vanilla. In my experience, sweetened condensed milk made from powder tastes exactly like the store-bought kind and works the same way in recipes.