Due my son’s life-threatening food allergies and our need to save money on whole foods, I am always looking ways to recreate some pantry basics.
I’ve perfected recipes for:
Homemade Chocolate Chips
Homemade White Chocolate Chips
Easiest Coconut Milk
Easiest Almond Milk
Powdered Egg Replacer, and
5 Ingredient Salad Dressing.
Today, I’m thrilled to share with you another similar processed food alternative, a Vegan Condensed Milk Recipe.
Believe it or not, I’ve been trying to make vegan condensed milk for awhile now. What better thing to do with one’s time, right :-)?
Finally, I think I’ve got it. A condensed milk recipe that is super easy to make and should work in any recipe that calls for the canned stuff.
So happy to share this with you!
My search for a great Vegan Condensed Milk Recipe started when I first started working on homemade coffee creamers. I tried a number of different recipes and just never really got it right.
But it’s right now.
And super easy.
Why Make Vegan Condensed Milk?
This is a simple question to answer.
1. If you are dairy allergic and have a great recipe (like those oh-too-tempting 7-layer bars) that calls for condensed milk, here is your answer.
2. It’s almost impossible to buy the stuff. I did a search to find vegan condensed milk and not much turned up.
3. It’s super cheap. The condensed product I did find wasn’t available on Amazon, but I am pretty sure when it is it will be way more than what it will cost you to do it yourself.
4. The only vegan condensed milk I found online was a brand made from soy and I’m not keen on a lot of soy as it is almost always genetically modified. Ick.
There are several ways to make Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk. The main version online is:
– take any vegan milk alternative (like my Easiest Coconut Milk, Easiest Almond Milk, Homemade Rice Milk, or other) and then heat the milk
– add sweetener
– heat the milk to boil in a pan and simmer until the volume is reduced by 60% (this can take about 2 hours over low heat :-(.)
I just thought that there had to be an easier way to do this so I didn’t have to keep my stove on for 2 hours.
Energy bills are getting higher by the day, so I am trying to do what I can, short of going off grid.
Ways to use vegan condensed milk.
1. In recipes calling for condensed milk.
2. As a vegan coffee creamer.
3. As a super sweet drink. I know – sounds crazy, but my oldest was drinking this stuff straight as I tested the various versions :).
4. If you have any left, just thin it out with some water and use as a sweetened milk drink.
5. Add cocoa or carob to the thinned out version and you have Vegan chocolate or carob milk.
Of course, if you like the traditional way of doing things, you can just take my Coconut Milk, Almond Milk or Rice Milk and add the sweetener and heat it on the stove for 2 hours. But why, when you’ve got this super duper simple way to get the job done :-)?
So now I am off to work on Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer Recipes. And to other great life matters, of course.
What You Will Need:
Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut
Water (read this post on how to make it safe)
Sweetener (use as healthy as possible. Use xylitol or stevia (this is a great AIP option – read this post on how to use it) for a candida-friendly version)
Vanilla Extract (optional)
Salt (I recommend Real Salt)
Coconut Oil or other suitable fat (optional)
If using stevia extract as your sweetener, these spoons are invaluable. The 2nd smallest is the size of a typical stevia scoop).
Recipe Notes and Substitutions for Condensed Milk
- Vitamix: I used my Vitamix to make this milk (here is a link to where to get it on Amazon). You will obviously get a smoother result by using a high-powered blender like the Vitamix. Now, this is not as creamy as the store-bought stuff, but with no 2-hour cooking time and the amount of money you can save, this completely fits the bill for me.
- Sweetener: Although xylitol is great for a candida-friendly version, stevia is as well, and stevia is also a great AIP option – read this post on How to Use Stevia.
If you wish to use stevia, then use 7/8 cup shredded coconut, and use 10 1/2 scoops (each scoop is 1/32 of a tsp) of stevia extract as your sweetener. You can leave the vanilla and salt the same. I didn’t work on an unsweetened version. For that, use the stevia option measurements without adding the vanilla and stevia, of course :-). - Coconut Oil: Coconut oil or another fat will add to the fat content of your milk. Coconut is so full of fat I didn’t find this necessary but it would be a nice addition.
- THM: If on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this condensed milk will be an “S.”
Easiest Dairy-Free Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- water (divided; enough to make 1 1/2 cups liquid)
- 2/3 cup xylitol (use as healthy as possible)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- dash salt
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil (or other suitable fat - optional)
Instructions
- Grind coconut as fine as possible in a blender or spice grinder.
- Add about ¾ cup water and blend well for about 1 minute.
- Add the remaining amount of water, sweetener, vanilla and salt. Blend well.
- Store any excess in a closed container in your refrigerator.
Interested in other Processed Food Replacements? How about:
– Powdered Sugar Substitute
– Powdered Egg Replacer (like Ener-G)
– Homemade Nut or Seed Butter
– Homemade Vanilla Liquid Stevia
– Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips
Just found this recipe. Do you know if this will work for a spiked hot chocolate recipe? I’ve been slowly changing my family over to non dairy so I’d hate to go back just for this recipe.
Hi there! This is a very basic and not too perfected recipe but depending on the usage it might work. What are the proportions for your recipe?
This looks likes such a great alternative to condensed milk! I’ve been looking for a vegan condensed milk recipe for some of my recipes. This is perfect.
Thank you so much, Monica! It’s a very basic recipe and I hope to have a better one in the future, but it works in a pinch in some applications. Just didn’t want you to expect perfection :).
CAN I use coconut water I found at the store?
I’m sorry – for what part of this recipe?
Sugar cane & sugar beets are quite natural plants whose history & reactions we know. What do you really know about stevia, it is also refined to a white substance? And xyiltol kills dogs, why would you feed it to your children? If it is this much work to make a substitute, why make it. Enjoy what you can eat & be healthy.
Hi there. Yes, they are natural but they are causing tons of diabetes and other massive issues. I use only stevia that is refined with water only.
I do use xylitol. My thinking is that raisins and grapes and chocolate is toxic to dogs as well and I eat that. Animals metabolize things differently than people do so you have to keep that in mind. This post might be of interest: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/is-erythritol-safe/
For us, carb metabolism is a big problem so I have no other choise.
This recipe seems to be missing a lot. Do you strain the Coconut water mixture?
This is a very basic recipe for those in a bind. I don’t strain just like I don’t strain these. I hope to do another more advanced recipe later. https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/easiest-coconut-milk-recipe-improved/
https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/almond-milk-recipe-how-to-make-almond-milk-almonds-milk/
Hope that helps.
This was not at all like condensed milk. Much more like evaporated milk. Tastes nice.
Can desiccate coconut be used in stead of the shredded variety or will it diminish the taste?
That is exactly what I use is the dried coconut. I hope to have a better version of this up soon – thanks for reading!
Can unsweetened organic coconut cream be substituted for the unsweetened condensed milk?
BTW I ordered the spoons. Perfect for cooking for two people.
Hi there. I have never used Coconut cream but it might work since this is kind of a “rough” version of a condensed milk. I should do a better one—enjoy the spoons!
Just tried this recipe today and would agree with Gramma Kaye that it’s a pourable mixture, more like evaporated milk. I ended up cooking it for about an hour over low heat to get a consistency more like sweetened condensed milk.
Aside from the 2 sweeteners listed are there any other recommendations?
You can use whatever sweetener you like. Thanks for reading!
Thanks for this! I was wondering, could you just use coconut cream rather than the ground coconut and coconut fat?
Yes, I think so.
I tried it with the canned full fat coconut milk, ended up adding just the thick fat of the coconut and skipping the coconut water, but then added 3/4 C regular water (didn’t want it too coconutty) and it was super thin. I assume the water is to rehydrate the coconut flakes. I have a ninja blender not a vitamix so I was worried about the texture as vitamix can somehow magically make everything super smooth!
My experience with the recipe : ) Thanks for posting!!
A lot of people confuse condensed milk with evaporated milk, even though they are two different things here in the states. Does this tun out pourable, or thick and syrupy like sweetened condensed milk?Thanks
“turn out pourable”. Sorry.
I think this is more thick.
Hi Adrienne, thanks for your quick reply, but I need a little more detail before I try it. When the vegan condensed milk is finished, does it pour like milk, or does it pour like thick honey? Thanks so much for your help.
Thick honey or at least fairly thick.
Thanks. I’m definitely going to try it.
I need condensed milk to make dulce de leche, but until the dairy industry and I are on better terms I thought I was gonna be living a lonely dulce de leche-less existence, then I found this and I need to know…before I get my hopes up, would either of those recipes caramelize like regular stuff?
Hmmmm….I don’t know. I think the sweetener you use will make a difference and how much you need for the recipe. I haven’t ever made it. I wonder if a simmered coconut milk might work better. What are the proportions in the recipe?