Homemade condensed milk is a recipe you can easily make, with milk and sugar, and store in glass jars when needed. It is a fluid and delicate mixture, very sweet, which can be used in various recipes, such as milk shortcrust pastry, ice cream, semifreddo, and creams, or simply to enrich coffee or spread over a toast.
Making condensed milk just requires a bit of patience to cook the milk with sugar, letting it condense by evaporating the water present in the milk. I’ve seen that some recipes add butter, but I don’t see the necessity to add other fats, while others add cornstarch to speed up the condensation process, but this too is unnecessary.
I’ve tried making it in all ways, but simplicity always wins; milk, sugar, and vanilla extract for flavoring are enough to obtain excellent homemade condensed milk, just like the one you buy in a can. The only consideration is the cooking time, which will influence the concentration’s thickness: the longer you cook it, the denser it becomes.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Portions: about 14 oz
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk (fresh)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 packet vanilla extract (powder)
Steps
In a non-stick pan or a high-edged sauté pan, place all the ingredients, the milk, sugar, and powdered vanilla extract.
Mix with a whisk and place on the stove over medium-low heat.
When the milk starts to boil, lower the heat; it should be very low, and continue cooking while stirring until the mixture reduces by 65%.
It will take about 30 minutes to see that the mixture’s consistency has changed; it will be thicker and will leave a mark on the pan.
Consider that it should be fluid because after cooling, the mixture will be even thicker.
Turn off the heat and pour the still warm condensed milk into a sterilized glass jar. Close the lid and let it cool, then store it in the refrigerator for 10-15 days.
Alternatively, you can also freeze it in ice cube trays.
