Homemade Dulce de Leche (slow cooker)

This Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche recipe is better and cheaper than store-bought! Even better, it’s some of the best milky smooth caramel you’ll ever eat. You only need one ingredient to make it, and there are about a thousand ways to use it – my favorite is straight from the spoon!

Easy Crockpot Dulce de Leche Recipe

Years ago, I attended a conference and, on every menu, there were different kinds of dulce de leche desserts, and I fell in love with the rich caramel sauce. Since then, I’ve been obsessed.

For a long time, I bought dulce de leche at the grocery store and tried to look past how pricey it is – like three to four bucks a can! Finally, I decided to make my own homemade dulce de leche and, you know what? It’s pretty easy!

Well, it’s easy if you use condensed milk – I’ve tried different from-scratch recipes, and they’re always high maintenance and error-prone. That means I’ve burned my fair share.

But making dulce de leche from sweetened condensed milk and with a crock pot means it is so easy, and it’s fantastic. I am going to show you how to do it!

I’ve known for years about making your own dulce de leche using sweetened condensed milk. People do it in the oven, in a pot, in a slow cooker. With the can, without. Every recipe is pretty much the same: cook the SCM for several hours, and it turns into dulce de leche, like magic.

Why THIS Recipe is the BEST

I’ve tested all kinds of methods, and hands-down, the easiest is in the slow cooker. I love it for a few reasons:

• Because the heat is easy to control, making this crock pot dulce de leche is practically fool-proof.
• Unlike the stove or oven method, you don’t need to babysit it. I never leave my house with the oven or stove on, but the slow cooker? No problem. When I make a batch, I pop them in, leave them, and then hours later, they’re ready without any work from me.
• It’s so much cheaper than buying prepared dulce de leche, so I just load up on the sweetened condensed milk and make a batch in the crockpot whenever I want some.

What is Dulce de Leche

Okay, so if you’re not familiar with this magical thing, all you really need to know isdulce de leche is quite possibly the best stuff ever.

It’s Mexican caramel that is creamy, milky, and so, so good. It’s also pretty simple – just sugar and milk boiled down until it’s thick, sweet, and rich.

There are so many ways to use it – use it to make desserts, spread it on graham crackers, dip fruit in it, warm it up and use it as an ice cream topping. Or, my favorite, enjoy it straight from the spoon!

Instead of using milk and sugar, there is an easy shortcut: sweetened condensed milk. It already has both ingredients, so all you have to do is cook it. As I mentioned, there are several ways you can do this, but the easiest way is in the crock pot.

In addition to a slow cooker, you’ll need some mason jars with lids. You can use 8-ounce jars or 4-ounce jars. Just make sure they fit in your slow cooker.

From there, you are all ready to make the best easy dulce de leche!

ONE Ingredient Dulce de Leche

You just need ONE ingredient: Sweetened Condensed Milk. Grab 2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk – not low fat.

How to Make Dulce de Leche in a Crock Pot

1. Divide the milk evenly among the mason jars. Seal the jars with clean rings and lids and then place them, spaced apart, in the crock pot.
2. Add enough water to the crock pot to cover the jars by one to two inches. Place the lid on top.
3. Cook them on low for 10 hours.
4. Once they are done cooking, remove them with tongs. Be very careful because the water will be hot. Leave the jars at room temperature until they are cooled.

Why This Recipe Works

Now that I’ve spilled the beans on this super easy dulce de leche recipe, let me share why it’s so perfect:

• It’s so easy. I mean, it’s one ingredient, dulce de leche – just add some jars and a slow cooker, and you are ready to go.
• It’s foolproof as long as you follow the instructions and the instructions are so easy.
• You don’t need to worry about exploding cans. Yes, this is a thing that can happen when you cook the milk in the cans. That’s why I like making dulce de leche in a mason jar

How to Store Dulce de Leche

Keep the caramel in the mason jar you cooked it in. Once they are at room temperature, store them in the refrigerator, and they will keep for up to four weeks.

Can You Freeze Dulce de Leche?

Yes, you can freeze it for up to three months.

The only difficult thing about this dulce de leche crock pot recipe is not eating the entire batch within a few days! It’s happened at our house, but luckily, it’s so easy to make I whip up another batch. Give it a try, and you’ll skip the store-bought stuff – homemade is so much better!

Recipes That Use Dulce De Leche

• Dulce De Leche Revel Bars
• Dulce De Leche Gooey Bars
• Dulce De Leche Ice Cream
• Homemade Dulce De Leche Coffee Creamer

Dulce de Leche {slow cooker}

4.75 from 4 votes

Make homemade dulce de leche in the slow cooker! Crockpot dulce de leche is so easy to make with just ONE ingredient – it's a rich caramel that goes in so many recipes.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 hours

Total Time 10 hours 5 minutes

Yield 24 servings

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ 2 14 ounces cans sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 3 8-ounce jars with rings and lids or 4-6 ounce jars
• ▢ Water
• ▢ Slow Cooker

Instructions

• Divide the sweetened condensed milk among the 3 or 4 jars. (Make sure the jars you choose will fit in your crockpot with 1-2 inches of water covering them.) Seal the jars with clean rings and lids. Place in your slow cooker, making sure they do not touch.
• Fill the crockpot with water to cover 1-2 inches above the tops of the jars. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.
• When they’re finished cooking, remove the jars carefully with tongs (they and the water will be HOT!) and place them on your kitchen counter to cool to room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate until using. Will keep for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
• Some of the rings may get little rust spots from being in the water all day. Just wipe the rust off with a kitchen towel.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Dorothy Kern

Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below

Make homemade dulce de leche in the slow cooker! Crockpot dulce de leche is so easy to make with just ONE ingredient – it’s a rich caramel that goes in so many recipes.

Last Updated on March 24, 2022