Once you try this simple sugar-free condensed milk recipe, you’re going to want to have it on hand at all times. Believe me, it’s going to be a low carb baking staple from here on in. A useful ingredient for so many other great keto dessert recipes!
It was time to give my sugar-free condensed milk recipe a little update and its own landing page.
For about as long as I can remember, I’ve had a full kitchen cupboard dedicated to baking supplies. And I am not talking about a weeny little half-section either. I mean a full cabinet bursting at the seams with all of the baking staples I need on hand at any given moment. Because you never know when the urge to bake will strike and you never want to be unprepared.
This was the case for me even in my pre-keto life. The only thing that’s really changed is the actual ingredients that fill the cupboard. I’ve traded all purpose flour for almond flour, coconut flour, and a few other “flours”. Sugar has been replaced by Swerve and a few other useful sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit. I keep sugar-free chocolate chips and baking chocolate on hand at all times. I just need these things around me for a true sense of well being.
But now I have another staple to add to that list: sugar-free condensed milk.
I always had a can of sweetened condensed milk around in my non low carb days, as I found it to be incredibly useful. Alas, there are no low carb commercial options out there so of course I had to go and make my own. Thankfully, it’s ridiculously easy to make your own low carb sweetened condensed milk with three simple ingredients. I bet most of you have these on hand already.
Truth be told, I already have a sugar-free condensed milk recipe here on All Day I Dream About Food. It’s been around for many years and I used to make it all the time. But while relatively simple to make, it was time consuming as it involved reducing cream and milk together for about 2 hours. And since it contained milk, it wasn’t quite as low carb as I would have liked. So I decided to revisit the issue and see if I could make it simpler and more in line with keto.
How To Make Sugar Free Condensed Milk
Use heavy cream. I’ve made a number of other keto recipes where I reduced just heavy cream for a while until it thickened up. That’s what I did here and that’s what makes it so darn simple. It thickens up much faster than my previous recipe and really only takes about 30 minutes, start to finish.
Use low carb sweeteners. I tried this same recipe with two different sweeteners. On the first go, I used powdered Swerve and it worked perfectly. I can’t say for sure it won’t recrystallize a little again if you refrigerate the condensed milk, because that is one of the downsides to erythritol sweeteners. I also tried this same recipe using Bocha Sweet and it was fantastic and didn’t recrystallize at all, even being refrigerated overnight.
Because Bocha Sweet is quite expensive and because it can make things almost too goopy, I’ve found that using half Bocha and half Swerve Confectioner’s gives me the best results. I add the Swerve after most of the reducing is complete, as I find it helps keep it from re-crystallizing as much.
Thickeners to use. Using a bit of xanthan gum helps give the keto condensed milk the right gooey consistency while also inhibiting recrystallization. You could also try gluccomannan.
What about dairy free? Yes, this recipe works with coconut milk! I’ve done it a few times now and it’s delicious. Be sure to use the canned full fat coconut milk for best results. And you may need to add a bit more thickener at the end.
So there you have it. I’ve perfected a sugar-free sweetened condensed milk recipe, making it easier and faster to make. This will become a staple in your keto baking repertoire too, I am sure of it! And there is more to come based on this recipe because it’s ridiculously useful.
Recipes for Sugar-Free Condensed Milk
Perfect Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream
No Churn Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Sugar-Free Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup Bocha Sweet or allulose
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
- In a large heavy saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Watch carefully as you want it to simmer but not continue to boil. There should be little bubbles along the edges the whole time.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the sweetener and butter until dissolved. Sprinkle the surface with ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Let cool 10 minutes. If it's not quite thick enough, whisk in the additional xanthan gum.
Chip Booth says
I would like to double this recipe to use for ice cream. Can you tell me how may ounces I should separate into to make two batches? Thank you.
Amy says
Is the butter required or is it to make keto-friendly? I made it with the butter and have little chunks of solidified butter. I followed the recipe. Perhaps it is to be used for cooking where the butter would melt? I was trying to make Vietnamese coffee, which is done over ice. I ended up throwing it away due to the butter pieces. 🙁 If the butter is not strictly necessary, I’ll omit it and have another go!
Carolyn says
That’s very odd that it didn’t incorporate properly. Did you use xanthan gum? What sweetener did you use? The butter makes the condensed milk a bit thicker and richer.
Patricia says
Hi!
Can l replace both sweeteners with allulose?
Thank you
Carolyn says
You can try but you may find it that the allulose browns a bit as it’s cooking.
Angela says
This is absolutely perfect for my sugar free Persian ice cream! I’m making some for my daughter’s birthday celebration tomorrow (actual birthday is the 14th but, you know, weekends work better). She’s going to be so surprised because I haven’t mentioned I’m serving this. Oh, and the hubby will be pleased as well.
Leslie Collins says
I am going to make it now and I’m sure it’s Awesome!
Could I use part heavy whipping cream and part full fat coconut milk/cream excluding the water?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Yes, as I note in the blog post, coconut cream works.
Sue says
Is there any possibility that I would be able to can this and add it to my pantry?
Carolyn says
I really can’t say… unless you have a pressure canner, you risk illness from bacteria. Water canning requires a certain amount of acidity to kill the bacteria and introducing acid into this would change the flavor tremendously.
Laura says
Could this recipe work with monk fruit sweetener?
Carolyn says
Monk fruit sweetener is usually mostly erythritol. So you can use it to replace the Swerve but not the BochaSweet.
Kim says
Since the recipe does not mention stirring while cooking, do you just leave it undisturbed while it simmers for 30 minutes?
Carolyn says
Pretty much… you can give it a stir once in a while but it doesn’t need any constant stirring.
Denis says
Does this need to be refrigerated or shelf stable after its made and how long will it keep either way?
Carolyn says
Definitely refrigerated! Should last for a week.