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Crock Pot Dulce de Leche is the easiest way to make a thick, sweet, rich and delicious caramel sauce.
I became a big fan of dulce de leche about 8 years ago when we traveled to Argentina. They serve just about everything with dulce de leche in Argentina – they know how to eat! I remember at breakfast there would be big bowls full of caramel and I would pour it over my fruit. Yum.
It is next to impossible to find dulce de leche in the stores here in Portland so I have to make my own. The first time I made it, I made it on the stove top. You can read how to do it here. That method involved boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk in a pan of water on the stove top for several hours. It works but it takes some watching and you need to make sure the water doesn’t boil away.
I discovered that making crock pot dulce de leche is the way to go. No watching required.
How to Make Dulce de Leche in a Crockpot
I did three 14 oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk at one time but you could probably do 4 if you wanted. You just don’t want the cans to touch. The more cans, the longer it will take.
- Remove the labels from the cans and place them in the crockpot. Fill your crock pot with enough water that it covers about 1/2 inch over the top of the cans.
If you prefer, you can open the cans of sweetened condensed milk and pour it into half pint size jars with lids. This allows you to see how thick the dulce de leche is getting. Two 14 oz cans will make three half pint jars crock pot dulce de leche.
- Place the jars or the cans into the crock pot and then fill with water. The water should totally cover the jars, about 1/2 inch over the top.
- Place the lid on the crock pot and put it on low and allow it to cook for 10 hours. I have only done it on low so not sure how it would work on high. But if someone tries it let me know.
Easy Dulce De Leche
- After eight – ten hours remove the jars or cans from the crock pot and allow them to cool before opening. Trust me on this one or you will end up with a big mess. You will have the most amazing, thick, rich, caramel sauce. Grab a spoon and scoop yourself out some. Really, you want to do this.
- I cooked my crock pot dulce de leche for 8 hours so it wasn’t quite as thick as it would have been if I’d cooked it for 10 hours. We were planning on making these amazing Carmelitas so we wanted it a bit thinner. If you want it thicker, cook for a few more hours.
- Believe it or not it’s pretty darn good spread on toast! I store it in the refrigerator. Not sure on the shelf life as it never lasts too long at my house. It also makes a great little gift, especially in the 1/2 pint sized jar.
Besides eating it straight out of the jar there are lots of other fun ways to use dulce de leche:
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Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche
Ingredients
- 42 oz sweetened condensed milk 3 (14oz) cans
- water
Instructions
- Remove labels from cans and place into crockpot.Option 2: Open cans of sweetened condensed milk and pour into three half pint jars, dividing evenly. Put on lids and rings and place in crockpot.
- Fill crock pot with water so that it covers about 1/2 inch above the top of the jars.
- Turn crock pot onto low and set timer for 8-10 hours, depending on how thick you want it..
- After 10 hours and remove jars from crock pot. Allow cans to cool a while before opening.
- Open the lid and grab a spoon!
Kristy says
Yum! Dulce de leche brings back memories of my time spent in Argentina on a mission. We ate it on everything! I’ve never tried it in a crockpot, so I might try that method next time. Because it is a long process, lately I just buy it at WalMart. It is fast and cheap, comparable to what a can of sweetened condensed milk costs, and still tastes similar to what I had in Argentina.
Carrie says
This is great!!!
My mom used to make “dulce de leche” for me when I was a little girl (in the 70’s) using a pressure cooker. She would place a couple of cans directly in the pressure cooker and cover them with water. In about 30 to 40 minutes we would have cooked condense milk or “dulce de leche”. As an adult I have never tried to make it because I don’t like using a pressure cooker, but now that I have read this blog….I will.
Thanks for sharing and bring back some wonderful childhood memories. :0)
Leigh Anne says
Pressure Cookers scare me too!
Cami says
I do mine in the pressure cooker. It gets really thick and brown… delicious! my grandma, and my mom were used to do it like that in Peru, but then we were able to find the “ready to eat” one. When I moved to Canada, Oh My!! I missed it! so I got courageous and did my own in the pressure cooker (I had to admit that my hubby thought I was crazy… but there is a reason for insurance right?)…. absolutely gorgeous! I prefer the brand of President’s Choice, as it turns more brown and thick than the others, but works with all of them. Peel the paper of the can, cover it with water 5 extra cm of water on top of the lid, close your pressure cooker and boil for an hour. Take cans (do several! you will not regret!) COOL DOWN OVERNIGHT!!! this is very important!!! it is really hot inside the can, and you can burn yourself with exploding caramel. Open the can, and enjoy!!
Donna says
Do you put a lid on the crock pot while cooking? Sounds wonderful!
Leigh Anne says
Yes the lid goes back on.
Amy's Cooking Adventures says
I have never made dulce de leche because I was terrified of boiling a can – I am so giving this one a try!
Lynn says
Would this work with homemade sweetened condensed milk? I have recently learned how to make my own and it’s so cheap I don’t know if I can ever buy store-bought again!
Leigh Anne says
I have no idea as I have never made homemade sweetened condensed milk but maybe I should!! Think it’s worth a try
Phatgirlontherun says
Lynn, Please share with us your home made condensed milk recipe? Really interested in trying it! 🙂
If you could email me your recipe, i would really appreciate it?