What Is Dulce de Leche?
Everything you need to know about this creamy confection, plus some recipes to make it and put it to good use.
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By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
Perhaps you're familiar with this Latin American confection, or maybe you've seen it called for in dessert recipes. But what exactly is dulce de leche? For more info, we consulted Barbara Sibley, CEO and chef-owner of Mexican restaurants La Palapa and La Palapa Taco Bar and creative director of Holiday Cocktail Lounge in New York City.
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What Is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche, which means “milk sweet” in Spanish, is a sweet Latin American confection that’s made by slowly boiling milk with sugar until it turns into a thick, caramel-like sauce.
“This milk and sugar combination is often boiled with bicarbonate, which makes the mixture caramelize, and sometimes other flavorings such as vanilla or the addition of liquors,” Sibley says.
Dulce de leche’s ingredients and uses vary among communities and from country to country. In Argentina and Uruguay, for instance, dulce de leche is made from cow’s milk. In Mexico, it is primarily made with goat’s milk and is called cajeta. Both are popular across Latin America. “Cajeta and dulce de leche are used to sweeten cookies, cakes, flan and even eaten out of the jar with a spoon,” Sibley says. “In Argentina, dulce de leche is sandwiched between two cookies to create alfajores which come individually wrapped in bright foil and are a regional specialty. In Mexico, cajeta in candies has been traditional and commercialized since the 1960’s. Typical sweets are wafers stuffed with cajeta, chewy sweets mixed with pecans, and morelianas, which are crisped wafers of reduced cajeta that are sold roadside in Central Mexico.”
At La Palapa, Sibley serves crepas con cajeta, in which warm cajeta and toasted pecans are spooned over tender crepes. Dulce de leche and cajeta also make delicious ice cream flavors or can be used as an ice cream topping.
Dulce de Leche History
“Dulce de leche was not only a delicious, sweet treat but also a way of preserving and transporting milk from the 1600’s onwards,” Sibley says. Many countries lay claim to the origin of dulce de leche. “It’s most likely that it originated in Indonesia or the Philippines and spread to South Asia and to Latin America following the Manila Galleon Trade Route or Nao de China of Pacific trade routes between Asia and Latin America, primarily by Spanish traders and colonialists,” Sibley says. “As the Spanish Colonizers brought milk producing large mammals to the Americas, they also brought the cultivation of sugar cane. The fact that dulce de leche and cajeta are primarily sweets of Latin America and not Spain speaks to the historical accuracy of provenance being from trade with Indonesia and the Philippines.”
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Dulce de Leche vs Caramel
Dulce de leche and caramel may look similar and are often used interchangeably in recipes, but they differ in origin, preparation, appearance, taste and texture. Here, Sibley helps break down the differences between dulce de leche vs caramel.
Origin: Dulce de leche associated with Latin America, whereas caramel sauce is believed to be of French origin.
Preparation: Dulce de leche is made by heating milk with sugar and then slowly reducing the liquid until it reaches a thick, sauce-like consistency. Caramel is made by caramelizing and browning sugar, then adding butter and milk or cream over high heat.
Appearance: Dulce de leche achieves its warm, brown color by adding bicarbonate of soda or by slow-cooking canned condensed milk. Caramel gets its amber hue from the caramelization of sugars.
Taste: Dulce de leche tastes similar to caramel, but is considered richer and creamier.
Texture: Dulce de leche and cajeta are smooth, glossy, thick and unctuous. Caramel can be thin and syrupy, or cooked down to a soft- or hard-ball stage to make candy.
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What Does Dulce de Leche Taste Like?
Dulce de leche tastes like a sweet, milky caramel with rich, caramelized notes. Sibley describes the texture of dulce de leche as “creamy, silky with a slight chewy stickiness.” She notes that cajeta and dulce de leche taste slightly different due to the different flavor profiles between goat and cow’s milk. “Goat’s milk is more acidic, so in cajeta there is a slight tang that balances the very sweet concoction,” Sibley says. And dulce de leche can taste different depending on if other flavorings are added. “Dulce de leche can be flavored with vanilla, coffee and flavored liqueurs."
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Is Canned Dulce de Leche the Same Thing as Sweetened Condensed Milk?
Canned dulce de leche and sweetened condensed milk are not the same thing. “The difference between condensed milk and dulce de leche is the caramelization of the sugars that are both added and part of milk,” Sibley says. “Typically, condensed milk remains white and has a lighter consistency and taste than dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is thicker, has a warm, brown color and the taste profile is of a rich, layered and delicious caramelization.”
It’s easy to see why dulce de leche and sweetened condensed milk are often confused, however, because canned condensed milk can be used as a shortcut to make dulce de leche. “When canned condensed milk was invented in the mid 1800’s, a new way of caramelizing the milk was created,” Sibley says. “Slowly cooking canned condensed milk completely submerged in a hot water bath effectively caramelizes due to the effect of pressure on the milk and sugar combination.”
Dulce de Leche Recipes
This easy recipe turns sweetened condensed milk into homemade dulce de leche in just a few simple steps. Enjoy it drizzled over ice cream, sandwich it into cookies, dip apple slices into it or eat it with a spoon.
KATE MATHIS
For a hands-off recipe for homemade dulce de leche, use your Instant Pot! Sweetened condensed milk and vanilla team up to create a short-cut recipe that comes together in 45 minutes.
This riff on a classic Latin American dessert gets baked into a tube pan for a new shape. The sweet, creamy and custardy texture of the cake is complemented by a whipped meringue frosting and drizzle of dulce de leche.
Two irresistible Latin American sweets team up to create a warming, comforting dessert that’s ideal for capping off chilly evenings. Keep canned dulce de leche on hand for upgrading your hot cocoa all winter long.
Armando Rafael
Traditional sour cream coffee cake gets a texture upgrade with a layer of cornflake crumbs and a drizzle of sticky, creamy dulce de leche.
This easy, super sweet cookie bar recipe is sure to become a baking go-to. It features a rich dulce de leche mixture on top of a tender butter cookie crust, plus a crunchy-sweet topping of chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
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