What Is Dulce de Leche? Here's Everything to Know About This Caramel-Like Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is dulce the leche? ›

Dulce de leche, which literally means "candy made from milk," is a thick and sugary caramel-like sauce that's made by slowly heating sweet milk. The Latin American confection is found in desserts like cakes, cookies, and flan. It's also often used as an ice cream topping or spread for toast or crepes.

Caramel and dulce de leche might look and taste somewhat similar, but they are actually pretty different. While caramel is made from slowly simmering water and sugar until it caramelizes, dulce de leche is made from simmering milk and sugar super slowly until it turns into a creamy, caramelized substance.

Spanish dulce de leche and Portuguese doce de leite mean "sweet [made] of milk". Other names in Spanish include manjarblanco ("delicacy"), arequipe and leche quemada ("burnt milk", a term popular in Mexico); also in Mexico and some Central American countries dulce de leche made with goat's milk is called 'cajeta'.

It will thicken more as it cools, but you'll need to thicken it even more if you want it to be more of a spread than a syrup. Tip: To thicken stovetop dulce de leche, make a slurry of 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 1/4 teaspoons milk.

Dulce de leche can be spread on toast for a nutritious breakfast or snack (so the advertisem*nts tell us), and there are infinite versions of dulce de leche ice cream. But the most authentic way to eat dulce de leche is by the spoonful.

Primarily it's a dessert and baking ingredient, but it can also be eaten on its own just with a spoon! Dulce de leche is often paired with ice cream, spread on bread, and used to fill cookies and cakes.

Your dulce de leche will last about two weeks in the fridge if kept in a sealed container or three months if left in the unopened can. If you're employing the boiling method it's better to use the cans that do not have tab openers.

Can I Use Dulce De Leche and Caramel Interchangeably? Technically, if you see dulce de leche in a recipe, you can instead use caramel, and vice-versa. However, there will be a slight variance in taste and texture, and the recipe will no longer be authentic to the specified region.

Butterscotch is made from cooking down brown sugar with butter, and its flavor is sweeter and softer than that of caramel. Dulce de leche is made from slowly cooking cow milk and sugar together. Dulce de leche made with goat milk is known as cajeta.

You could say that cajeta (pronounced kah-Heh-tah) is Mexican Spanish for what other Latin American countries call dulce de leche. The word means “little box,” which is what the confection was stored in back in the 1500s.

What is store-bought dulce de leche? ›

Eagle Brand ® Dulce De Leche Caramel Flavoured Sauce is a pre-cooked and blended combination of milk and sugar, making baking easier! Instead of heating up regular Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, use this to add a caramel flavour and smooth creamy texture to your favourite desserts.

Its name translates from Spanish as “sweet from milk”, referring to the fact that it is made by heating sweetened milk slowly until it caramelizes. It is one of the most popular confections in South America, often spread over breakfast foods like toast or added to desserts like cakes.

What's the difference between wet caramel and dry caramel? Wet caramel is made by combining sugar and a liquid and cooking them together, while dry caramel is made from just sugar, heated in a dry pan until it liquefies and browns.

Is it safe to boil my can of sweetened condensed milk to make caramel sauce? No. For safety reasons, we do not recommend heating a can of our condensed milk, opened or unopened. The current can is not designed to withstand high temperatures.

To use dulce de leche, open can when completely cool and scoop out; reheat in a double boiler to soften dulce de leche to spreadable or drizzle-able consistency. Dulce de leche can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

“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.

Technically, if you see dulce de leche in a recipe, you can instead use caramel, and vice-versa. However, there will be a slight variance in taste and texture, and the recipe will no longer be authentic to the specified region. That is why we always recommend differentiating between dulce de leche and caramel.