Vegan Condensed Milk Recipes
o you’re craving something creamy, sweet, and borderline addictive but you’re also trying to keep things vegan and not spend your entire afternoon babysitting a saucepan. Cool. Same.
Enter vegan condensed milk the magical, dairy-free answer to desserts that want to be rich, glossy, and a little bit extra. It’s basically liquid gold for your kitchen, and once you make it at home, you’ll wonder why you ever paid for the tiny store-bought can.
Spoiler alert: it’s way easier than it sounds, and yes, you’re about to feel very accomplished for minimal effort.
Why This Recipe Is Awesome
Let’s break it down, friend:
- It’s ridiculously simple. If you can stir and wait (impatiently), you can make this.
- It’s dairy-free, vegan, and customizable, so no weird ingredients you can’t pronounce.
- It works in everything desserts, coffee, drizzles, spoon-straight-from-the-jar situations (no judgment).
And the best part? It’s pretty much foolproof. Even if your cooking confidence is “I burn toast sometimes,” this recipe has your back. IMO, that’s the kind of energy we need in the kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Nothing fancy. Nothing dramatic. Just solid, reliable ingredients doing their thing.
- Plant-based milk (2 cups)
Coconut milk for rich vibes, oat or soy for lighter energy. Choose your fighter. - Sugar (¾ to 1 cup)
White sugar for classic results, coconut sugar for a deeper caramel note. - Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
Optional, but honestly? Why skip joy. - Pinch of salt
Sounds boring, secretly important. It balances the sweetness like a pro.
That’s it. No stabilizers, no mystery powders, no stress.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pour everything into a saucepan.
Add the plant milk, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan. Give it a quick stir so the sugar doesn’t feel ignored. - Heat gently, not aggressively.
Set the stove to medium-low. You want a gentle simmer, not a wild boil like it’s angry at you. Stir occasionally. - Let it reduce and thicken.
This takes about 30-45 minutes. The liquid will slowly shrink and get thicker. Be patient. Scroll your phone. Stir every few minutes so it doesn’t stick. - Add vanilla and stir.
Once it coats the back of a spoon and looks glossy, add vanilla. Stir and admire your work. - Cool it down.
Take it off the heat. It will thicken more as it cools, so don’t panic if it seems a bit runny.
Pro tip: You’re done when it looks like condensed milk, not when it looks like soup. Trust your eyes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Cranking the heat to “let’s hurry this up.”
Congrats, you just made burnt sugar milk. Low and slow wins here. - Walking away completely.
This isn’t a “set it and forget it” situation. Stir occasionally. Show up for it. - Over-reducing.
If it turns into candy glue, you went too far. Add a splash of plant milk and gently reheat to fix it. - Skipping the salt.
It won’t taste salty, I promise. It just makes everything better. Like seasoning in life.
Alternatives & Substitutions
Because flexibility is hot.
- No coconut milk fan?
Use oat milk for neutral flavor or soy milk for extra thickness. Almond works, but it’s thinner FYI. - Want refined sugar-free?
Maple syrup technically works, but the texture will be looser. Still tasty, just different vibes. - Extra thick, bakery-style condensed milk?
Use full-fat coconut milk and let it reduce a little longer. Worth it. - Chocolate version?
Stir in 1–2 tablespoons cocoa powder at the end. Suddenly, you’re unstoppable.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it homemade vegan condensed milk that’s creamy, glossy, and way more impressive than the effort it took to make it. Keep a jar in your fridge and suddenly your desserts feel planned, intentional, and kind of fancy.
Drizzle it on fruit. Stir it into coffee. Use it in baking. Eat it with a spoon while standing in front of the fridge at midnight. I support all of these choices.
Now go forth and make something delicious or at least make this and feel smug about it. You earned that.
