Store-bought condensed milk often contains far too much sugar. With this recipe, you will be able to make your own, and easily control the sugar content.
- Prep time: 5 min.
- Cook time: 40 min.
- Yields just under 300mL of condensed milk.
Ingredients
- 1L milk
- 50g sugar
Equipment
- Pot with a wide base (inside diameter of ~24 cm)
- Wooden spoon or similar utensil to stir with
- Sieve (preferably one with a metal mesh)
- Container with a lid to store the resulting condensed milk
Preparation
At the end of the day, we’re just boiling milk with a bit of sugar. However, there is a little nuance here. The key to making this successfully is to have a pot with a wide base. For 1L of milk, a pot with an inside diameter of ~24 cm is sufficient. I have also used the same pot with 500mL of milk without issue.
The principle idea in this recipe is to let most of the water from the milk evaporate, until we are left with a slightly viscous, syrup-like consistency. This will take some time, so patience is a must.
Directions
- Measure sugar and milk and pour them into the pot as-is.
- Set the stove to use the highest heat and get the milk to a boil. At this stage, stir continuously until the milk reaches a boil.
- As soon as the milk reaches a boil, it will begin to rise very quickly. Immediately take the pot off of the heat before the milk has a chance to escape, and lower the heat of the stove to medium. Keep stirring until the milk settles again.
- Put the pot back on the hot stove, and get the milk to simmer. At this point, you should not need to stir the milk, and it should not rise from being too hot. If you find that the milk is still rising, continue to lower the heat until you are able to leave the milk simmering without it rising. No matter whether you are using a gas or electric stove, you should be able to find the right temperature.
- Occasionally stir to clear the build up of foam. You can optionally remove it, but I have not tried this myself. This is the longest part of the process. At this point, you can relax a little and check back on the milk every few minutes, taking care to clear the foam as it builds up.
- At some point close to the end of the cooking time (roughly 40 minutes for this quantity), the milk will begin to visibly thicken. You will know that you close to being done if, when stirring, you can leave a visible empty trail on the base of the pot with the spoon.
- Cook for a few more minutes if desired, taking care not to burn the mixture, but otherwise, the milk is now ready. Take the pot off of the heat.
- Sieve the milk into a bowl or container of your choice. The mixture may not pour smoothly through the sieve, use a teaspoon or tablespoon and stir within the sieve to let the contents through, until you are left with liquid in the container, and a chunky sort of residue in the sieve. The residue is a result of the foam.
- Transfer the contents from the bowl into your final container for storage. While hot, the mixture will be still be quite liquid, but worry not, it will condense as it cools.
- Serve on some bread, crêpes, or other food of your choosing, and enjoy!
Notes
- Larger quantities of milk will probably require a larger diameter pot and longer boiling times. Adjust accordingly.
- Yields just under 300mL of condensed milk following the above method. Of course, if you let more water evaporate, the quantity will be reduced.
Acknowledgements
This recipe was adapted from the following video:
КАК ПРИГОТОВИТЬ ДОМАШНЮЮ СГУЩЁНКУ?Домашнее СГУЩЁННОЕ МОЛОКО. Идеальный рецепт.