Dulce de Leche

★★★★4.9· 876 ratings

·Serves 4

About this Dish

Argentina's national obsession — a thick, rich caramel made by slowly heating sweetened milk until it turns deep amber and intensely sweet. Eaten on toast, spread on alfajores biscuits, swirled into ice cream or eaten directly from the jar with a spoon. Argentina produces more dulce de leche per capita than any country and consumes almost all of it domestically.

IngredientsServes 4

🥛Whole full-fat milk, 1 litre

🍬White granulated sugar, 300g

🧂Bicarbonate of soda, 1/4 teaspoon

🫙Pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon

🌿Cinnamon stick, 1 whole (optional but traditional)

Method

Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the sugar, bicarbonate of soda, vanilla extract, and cinnamon stick if using. Stir everything together over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved before the milk comes to a boil.

Once the mixture begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low. The bicarbonate of soda will cause it to foam up — this is normal and helps prevent crystallisation, so don't be alarmed.

Cook the mixture uncovered on a gentle, steady simmer for 1.5 to 2.5 hours, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent it from catching on the bottom. The mixture will slowly turn from pale cream to a deep amber brown as the sugars caramelise.

You'll know it's ready when the dulce de leche is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it holds its shape. Remove the cinnamon stick at this stage.

Pour the hot dulce de leche into a sterilised glass jar — it will thicken further as it cools to room temperature. Once cool, seal and refrigerate for up to three weeks, if it lasts that long.

Pour or spoon the warm dulce de leche into a sterilised glass jar. It will thicken further as it cools to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks — if it lasts that long.

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