Dulce de Leche Recipe
An authentic dulce de leche recipe made from scratch with milk and sugar, slowly cooked into a rich, thick caramel using the traditional stovetop method.
Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed pot
- Wooden spoon
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole milk
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 vanilla bean split, or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Combine and Begin Cooking
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the milk, sugar, baking soda, vanilla bean or extract, and salt, stirring well to dissolve the sugar and baking soda completely.
- Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally to prevent it from scorching on the bottom.
Simmer and Reduce Slowly
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, letting the mixture simmer gently. Continue cooking for about 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes at first, and more frequently as the mixture thickens and reduces, to prevent it from sticking or burning on the bottom of the pot.
- As the mixture reduces, it will gradually deepen in color from pale white to a golden tan, and eventually to a rich caramel brown, thickening noticeably as the water content cooks off.
Finish and Strain
- The dulce de leche is ready once it coats the back of a spoon thickly and has reached a deep caramel color, which typically takes the full 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your stove and pot. Remove the vanilla bean if used, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any small lumps or bits of skin that may have formed during cooking.
- Let the dulce de leche cool to room temperature before transferring it to a jar or airtight container, where it will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
Notes
- Using a heavy-bottomed pot is genuinely important for this recipe, since a thinner pot is much more likely to develop hot spots that cause scorching during the long cooking time.
- Stirring more frequently as the mixture thickens toward the end of cooking is essential, since this is the stage where it's most likely to stick and burn on the bottom of the pot.
- The baking soda helps with browning and also slightly thickens the mixture through a chemical reaction with the milk proteins, so don't skip it even though the amount seems small.
- This dulce de leche recipe requires real patience, since rushing the process with higher heat will result in a scorched, bitter flavor rather than a smooth, evenly caramelized result.
- Once made, dulce de leche keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container, and can also be frozen for longer storage.