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The perfect dairy free substitute for sweetened condensed milk is this homemade Sweetened Condensed Almond Milk.
Ever since I had to remove dairy from my diet, I’ve struggled with finding decent replacements for sweetened condensed milk. I use canned coconut milk and coconut real a lot, but I decided I need to just figure out how to make a dairy free version to use in my favorite recipes, especially to make my own coffee creamers.
Y’all, if you are dairy free or vegan….this dairy free sweetened condensed milk is gonna be a game changer. Just promise me, you’ll use your favorite almond milk..don’t go cheap because you’ll be able to tell. My favorite is Califia brand (this is not a sponsored post…it really is my favorite), so that’s what I use even though it’s a bit pricey. It’s like using wine in your recipes…don’t use a wine in your dish that you wouldn’t drink. Same goes for the almond milk.
Making this is so simple, but it does take patience and an hour on simmer on the stove top. Yes…an hour. So plan ahead, but the good news is that it will last in the fridge for about a week or so which means you can totally make it a few days ahead of time.
To be totally honest, I haven’t tested it all my recipes calling for sweetened condensed milk, so if you try it and it works or doesn’t work in a recipe please let me know. I’d love to hear what y’all think. But first….watch how super easy it is to make your own DIY Sweetened Condensed Almond Milk.
Watch how easy this Sweetened Condensed Almond Milk is to make:
Sweetened Condensed Almond Milk
This dairy free sweetened condensed almond milk can be used in all of your favorite recipes that call for sweetened condensed milk.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of almond milk
- 2/3 cup sugar or honey (as I used)
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 dash of salt
Instructions
- Add everything to a medium-sized saucepan and gently bring up the heat to a boil while stirring.
- Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer (the lowest setting). Heat for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Let cool and transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
I did this with erythritol (stevia/natvia brands) and it worked out perfectly well. It did create a bit of a crust on top when simmering and some clumps too, but that may have been because I was trying to rapid cool it so that I could hurry up and add it to my recipe. I also had it cooking for longer. And when I did add it to my recipe (chocolate rum balls), the clumps obviously disappeared.
But thank you for the almond condensed milk idea. Definitely needed it due to a severe dairy allergy.
Oh my gosh — SO good! I tried it with caramel extract rather than vanilla. Used homemade almond milk for maximum creaminess. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Yeah! So glad you liked it. w-
I simmered the mixture, uncovered, for an hour. The yield was about 1 cup. The resulting mixture is not as thick as the canned product, so I’m wondering if I didn’t do this correctly. My recipe calls for 1-1/4 cup, so I’ll try it again with 2-1/2 cups almond milk the next time.
If you want it thicker, just keep letting it reduce. w-
I’m making mine with Xylitol to make it Keto friendly. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
That’s a great idea Karl. Please keep me posted on how it turns out. W-
How did it turn out?
Why did mine harden after cooling down?
Hi Mariana, Can you tell me more about your ingredients and cooking process? I suspect you boiled or cooked too long, but I’d love more info to help troubleshoot. w-
I used all the ingredients listed, and I used honey instead of sugar. I cooked it for an hour on low and constantly stirring. Should I cook for a shorter time?
Hi Mariana, my guess is that you were cooking too hot or for too long based on the temp you were cooking at. Since you used honey (vs sugar), it would get a little harder stored in the fridge. w-
What almond milk brand do you think is the best for this? Does it matter?
I’m not sure the brand matters…perhaps use your favorite. I prefer Califia Unsweetened Almond Milk. I like it because there aren’t a bunch of crazy ingredients. w-
Sorry might sound like a stupid question but is the sugar mesurement
two thirds of a cup
or
two to three cups?
I read 2/3 as two thirds of a cup.
Many thanks
Hi Jo, It’s 2/3 cup (as in less than a cup). Hope that helps. w-
I’m not vegan or dairy free, but this sounds delicious! Like liquid almond paste.
Thanks Bobby! Yes..it’s delicious. Sweet, Sweet thick almond goodness. w-
Do you think the whole earth monk fruit would work as the sweetener?
Also, I wonder how would it be if used fresh almond milk. Would it still processing of thickening? Please let me know if you experimented with either of those.
Thank you for your recipe. I must try it.
I haven’t tried either of these swaps, but let me know if you do. w-
Could you make this using Splenda instead of the sugar?
Hi Donna, I haven’t tried that substitute. I think it would be worth a shot. Let me know if you try it and how it goes. w-
Can you home can this recipe for sweet almond condensed milk
Hi Kim. That’s a great question. I don’t see why you couldn’t; however, I haven’t tried to do it yet. If you decide to give it a go, please let me know how it turns out. w-
I have used this recipe for years. I use it for my pumpkin pies, and it’s so good.
What did you use as the substitute for the half and half in your home made creamers?
I just use almond milk. Not quite as thick and creamy, but it works. w-
Mine never thickened. Did I not cook it on high enough heat? Used sugar…
Hi Dianne, Thanks for the info. Can you tell me more about your cooking process so we can troubleshoot what happened? w-
Mine didn’t thicken either. I brought it a boil. Then my lowest simmer setting foe an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. So I cranked up the simmer & proceeded for another hour. At this pint it reduced I half but not thick at all. Used Almond Breeze unsweetened milk + 2T sugar per cup.
You didn’t use enough sugar. w-
I can’t wait to try this!
I’m so excited to try this. I have a recipe for dairy-free no machine ice cream but it using both coconut cream and coconut milk-based sweetened condensed milk seemed like coconut overkill. It’s good to know I can make it with almond milk instead (and then with coconut cream because I still like some coconut)
How much does this recipe make? I need enough for a 14 oz can of condensed milk.
It makes about the size of a can of store bought condensed milk. w-
Tried to replace sugar with maple syrup. It reduced but never thickened. So I take it you have to use the sugar in the recipe and not replace it?
From my reasearch, I have found that the liquid sugar substitutes are not good for this recipe. You need volume and thickner. 1T of cornstarch to a granulated sugar substitute will help.