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 Sugar has been replaced by Swerve and a few other useful sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit.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 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Bocha Sweet OR powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 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 1/4 tsp xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Let cool 10 minutes. If it's not quite thick enough, whisk in the additional xanthan gum.
Shannon says
Sounds like this would be delicious! I do have a question though… you have listed 1/4 cup Bocha Sweet OR powdered Swerve Sweetener as well as 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener. Does this mean just a 1/4 cup of sweetener all together? Or do you need 1/2 cup of sweetener? Thanks!
Carolyn says
No, it means it’s 1/2 cup total, no matter whether you use all Swerve or if you use 1/4 cup Swerve and 1/4 cup Bocha
Brenda King says
the recipe says 1/4 boca sweet or swerve confectioners.. and 1/4 swerve confection.
If i only have the swerve confection, would I use 1/2 cup or is that too much sweet?
Carolyn says
Yes you would use 1/2 cup Swerve Confectioners but your condensed milk will re-crystallize as it cools.
Patti G says
If using full fat coconut milk do you use the cream and water? The whole can?
Carolyn says
You can but it’s definitely thinner. If you can just use the thick cream on top, it works better.
Spicie says
Thank you for a Great Recipe. Do you think I could can it with a pressure cooker or in a hot water bath to make more to have on hand longer?
Carolyn says
I cannot recommend it as canning requires a certain level of acidity for things not to go bad. You can try but I personally take no responsibility for spoiled milk.
bree says
I was just wondering what exactly the reduced heavy cream is supposed to look like before everything is added. I’m working on it right now and it looks oily and separated, almost like cheese (except it’s just the cream lol) so did I do something wrong?
Carolyn says
Yes, it sounds like your heat might have been too high… but what sweetener did you use?
Kim says
I am making homemade baileys and my recipe calls for condensed milk. I’m excited about trying your recipe for it. I was wondering how long will it last once I mix it with my alcohol and other ingredients? My other ingredients are only alcohol & a Irish cream essence. The essence calls for the condensed milk Thank you
Carolyn says
I’m honestly not sure. It should last in the fridge for at least a week.
Matt H says
Thanks for this great recipe (and others)! This was super easy to make, and allowed me to finally make my Irish Cream Liqueur recipe that I’ve avoided making for the last few years because it was loaded with sugars!
Sharon Webb says
Can this be used in making pumpkin pie?
Carolyn says
Sure!
Karla says
I can’t get over how delicious this is! I have a weakness for condensed milk and really missed it. This recipe is so simple to follow and absolutely delicious! I used 1/2 cup of powdered serve since I didn’t have the Bocha one. I am currently drinking my coffee with a bit of condensed milk in it. so yummy! thank you so much!
stacy l varon says
I need the equivalent of a 12-oz can of sweetened condensed milk, is that how much this makes?
I can’t figure out how to tell if it’s the same amount and I don’t want to waste ingredients by making it wrong.
Carolyn says
Sorry, I only measured this by cups, not by ounces. It makes about 1 1/4 cups. To be honest, I have used it to replace a can of condensed milk and it works like a charm.
Ida says
Love ALL your recipes Carolyn and I use your cookbooks daily😊This one is amazingly delicious. I’m planning a fruit(berry) salad for Thanksgiving. Do you think I could use the condensed milk in my berry salad? Thank you again🤗
Carolyn says
I’ve never really done berry salad but it sounds good to me.
Elizabeth Hill says
I am from UK – we have double cream and whipping cream – which would be the correct one ?
Carolyn says
Whipping cream.
Austin says
“1/4 cup Bocha Sweet” is it powdered Bocha or regular Bocha?
Carolyn says
I would specify if it needed to be powdered. 🙂
Austin says
i remember that, but it says “1/4 cup Bocha Sweet OR powdered Swerve Sweetener”
CA Taylor says
Help!! I mad a single batch a month ago and it turned out GREAT! But it was done in 20 min (On our gas stove, “low” seems to be hotter than it should be). Last night, I made a double batch so I could make key lime bars for my elderly dad’s birthday today and I cooked for 25 min. I THOUGHT it was the same consistency and reduction but after it cooled, I realized that it wasn’t thick enough. I added more xanthan gum and still after being in the fridge overnight…nope! What can I do? Can I cook down some more with the butter and sweeteners in it? Do I need to start over?
Carolyn says
Strange. Maybe you mismeasured something? No I don’t think you need to start over. Just get it back in a pot, bring it to a simmer, and continue to cook it and reduce it a bit more.
Allison Buda says
Just curious if I used your condensed milk in a cheesecake recipe that has lemon juice in it, if you think it might curdle? Thank you, Allison
Carolyn says
No, I don’t think it would curdle.
Shirl says
I made this once about 3 weeks ago and made a doubled recipe. I wanted to use part of it for your vanilla ice cream recipe and the first batch of ice cream was so good (made lemon raspberry to use up raspberries instead of vanilla) that I made another batch of ice cream again! Here I am back making another double batch ! So many things to use this in! You are my favorite blog and you are my “go to” as I learn how to use the different sugar substitutes and keto recipes! Thank you for what you do. I spend hours reading thru the different recipes! I think I may try to find some BochaSweet as I haven’t tried it. The powdered Swerve works terrific in this recipe but would like to compare the recipe when using BochaSweet! God bless for all your yummy recipes!! To me, I was raised that dharing food is love. Now I have diabetic or prediabetic friends who still get “awesome desserts” thanks to you!
Debra Holeman says
This stuff is fantastic! Tastes just like the “evil” kind. I will be using it for a lot of things. Thank you!
Marcia Daniels says
Not that you haven’t already done enough here in creating this recipe, but I have a question that I did not see. I was wondering if this could be prepared in the microwave to shorten the cooking time. I have successfully micro-cooked many recipes. If I were to try it, what should I take into consideration before beginning? I would guess uncovered to aid in evaporation. It seems that most who overcooked this just ended up with dulce le leche or a more solid product, so that is not a concern for me.
Carolyn says
I really don’t know, I can’t advise without trying it myself.
Belinda Lee says
As Swerve Sweetener is made from three ingredients: erythritol, oligosaccharides and natural flavo, why can’t I just use eruthritol?
Carolyn says
You can… but your condensed milk will recrystallize as it cools. That’s one of the main drawbacks of erythritol based sweeteners.
Sarah Lee (Lee Lee) says
Have you tried canning this?
Carolyn says
I have not… but having canned many other foods, I know you need to be careful here. Unless you have a pressure canner, many foods made in a conventional boiling canner can go bad without the right amount of acid to keep them from spoiling. So I urge you not to do this without researching it fully.