5-Minute Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
This homemade sweetened condensed milk comes together in a blender in about five minutes. It’s made with powdered milk, sugar, butter, and boiling water, so there’s no need to simmer milk on the stove.
The recipe makes about 1 ¼ cups, which is equal to one standard 14-ounce can. It’s an easy sweetened condensed milk substitute when you run out in the middle of a recipe.
I keep dry milk powder in the pantry for exactly this reason. My cream of chicken soup substitute and homemade Bisquick mix are two more handy backups when I’m missing an ingredient.
How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk with Powdered Milk
Most homemade condensed milk recipes use milk and sugar that cook slowly on the stove until much of the liquid evaporates. This version uses powdered milk, so there’s nothing to reduce.
Add the dry milk powder, sugar, melted butter, and boiling water to a blender. Make sure your blender is designed to handle very hot liquids before you begin.
Blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Stop and scrape down the sides if any of the milk powder sticks to the blender.
Pour the condensed milk into a heat-safe jar or container right away. It may look a little thin at first, but it thickens considerably as it cools and chills.
No Blender Method
If you don’t have a blender or have one that can’t handle hot liquids? Make the condensed milk on the stovetop instead.
Add the boiling water and sugar to a small saucepan, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low, then gradually whisk in the powdered milk until smooth. Add the melted butter, and continue whisking for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy and well combined.
Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as the mixture is smooth. Don’t let it boil, or the powdered milk may clump. Pour it into a heat-safe jar or container and let it cool. It will thicken as it chills.
If the Condensed Milk Is Grainy
A grainy texture usually means some of the sugar hasn’t dissolved. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and warm it over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes while whisking constantly.
Remove it from the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves. Avoid letting the mixture get too hot because the powdered milk may begin to clump.
How to Store Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
Let the condensed milk cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it for up to 7 days. It will continue to thicken as it chills.
Recipes That Use Sweetened Condensed Milk
Use your homemade sweetened condensed milk in our tres leches cake, iced coffee, or cherry fluff. It’s even great in a our Lucky Charms ice cream!
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
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Instructions
Blender Method
- Make sure your blender is designed to handle very hot liquids before beginning.
- Add the dry milk powder, sugar, melted butter, and boiling water to the blender.1 cup nonfat dry milk powder⅔ cup granulated sugar⅓ cup boiling water3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has completely dissolved. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender if needed.
- Immediately pour the sweetened condensed milk into a heat-safe jar or airtight container. It may look thin at first but will thicken considerably as it cools.
- Let it cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Stovetop Method
- Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves.⅔ cup granulated sugar⅓ cup boiling water
- Reduce the heat to low, then gradually whisk in the dry milk powder.1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- Add the melted butter and continue whisking for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the mixture is smooth and creamy.3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Remove it from the heat before it begins to boil. Pour it into a heat-safe jar or container and let it cool.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 1 ¼ cups, which is approximately equal to one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.
- The mixture will be thinner while warm and will thicken as it cools and chills.
- If the condensed milk is grainy, warm it in a small saucepan over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes while whisking constantly. Remove it from the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves.
- Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- The recipe can be doubled or tripled, provided your blender is large enough to hold the ingredients safely.
looks good and easy
Hi Lori!
Thanks so much! We appreciate the comment and the star rating. Have a fantastic evening! 🙂
Wow! SO easy and delicious. Other recipes take almost hour. This took me less than 5 min! Thank you!!!
Thank you Em! Kim and I are glad you like the sweetened condensed milk. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day 🙂
Hello about the condensed milk, at first ingredients u listed melted sugar, granulated sugar, milk and hot water. At the bottom u listed milk, sugar, hot water and melted butter. So my question is which one is the real ingredients.
Hi Aisha!
I’m not sure if you’re referring to the order of the ingredients or a typo in the post, so I’ll answer both. 🙂
The order doesn’t matter (or doesn’t in our blender at least). It may be best to check the manual for your blender and see if there’s a specific order for liquid vs. solid ingredients. My preference is to place liquid on the top to keep the dry ingredients from flying up to the blender lid.
If you’re referring to where it says “melted sugar” in the post, that’s a typo. Great catch! I’m going to change it now. It should say “melted butter.” Hope they helps. We hope you have a wonderful week! 🙂