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We Ukrainians have been making sweetened cooked condensed milk (sguschonka) for years, but who knew we were actually making dulce de leche?
What’s in a name right? I discovered a new way of cooking this in the crock pot; a safer way. I was poking around my can of sweetened condensed milk and found this:

Oh snap!! This is exactly what I’ve been doing. I’ve heard the can can explode if it’s not fully submerged in water, but could there have been chemicals from the can entering my dulce de leche? Well, I was inspired to try something new!
Thanks to Pinterest, I learned that condensed milk can be cooked in a crock pot. I took it one step further to ensure the condensed milk remained untainted while cooking…
Crockpot Method for Sweetened Cooked Condensed Milk:
So I used two cans of condensed milk and found 2 little jam jars; washed them clean and poured 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into each. I sealed the tops as tightly as I could by hand.



I then placed them in my Slow Cooker and completely covered them with hot water from the sink; hot water speeds up the process. I set it on high for 4 hours and walked away (played with my son, sat on Pinterest for awhile, cooked and ate dinner, yada yada…) and when it was done, I drained the water and set the cooked sweetened condensed milk cans on the counter to cool. From my reading you can also set it on low for 6-8 hours overnight.
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The dulce de leche was perfect. The right color and texture. No mysterious chemicals and now I get to lick the spoon.



When choosing a brand of condensed milk, just make sure the ingredients are simple. This was a cheap-o can and it reads “milk and sugar” – sounds simple enough to me! I’ve never noticed a difference between brands. Have you?
I’m dipping into this tonight with apple slices. Also, if you haven’t tried it already, our waffle cakes are a great way to use up your dulce de leche. What are your favorite dulce de leche recipes?
P.S. Once dulce de leche is cooled to room temp, refrigerate if you aren’t using it right away.
Dulce de Leche; Cooked Condensed Milk

Ingredients
- 2 cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
Instructions
- I used two cans of condensed milk and found 2 little jam jars; washed them clean and poured 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into each. I sealed the tops as tightly as I could by hand.
- I then placed them in my Slow Cooker and completely covered them with hot water from the sink; hot water speeds up the process. I set it on high for 4 hours
- and walked away and when it was done, I drained the water and set the cooked sweetened condensed milk cans on the counter to cool. From my reading you can also set it on low for 6-8 hours overnight.
- The dulce de leche was perfect. The right color and texture. No mysterious chemicals and now I get to lick the spoon.
When choosing a brand of condensed milk, just make sure the ingredients are simple.
Notes

I made this yesterday and after 4 hr on high it didn’t even do anything so i put it on low for another 3 hr and my water turned all white and it kinda ruined my lids they became a little rusty. Did i do something wrong?
Your lids should not have rusted unless they were already rusted to begin with (that seems unusual and I’m not sure why else that would happen??). I’m not sure why it wouldn’t cook the condensed milk if the slow cooker was working properly; mine gets to the boiling point and actually boils the cans for awhile so they end up that rich caramel color as in the photo. Also, make sure that your lids are screwed on really tight so the condensed milk doesn’t leak out. Hope that helps 🙂
So glad to surf onto this information. I made the dulce last year by cooking the eagle brand milk in the can. This year I found the cans are pull top now. So mine is in the canning jar boiling away now . What I like best is in the jar you can see the progress
Thanks so much for sharing your idea
My glass jar floats? It doesnt submerge all the way. Am I using a wrong glass jar?
It’s ok if it floats as long as the condensed milk part is submerged 🙂 Just make sure it’s closed really tightly
Would it be safe to cook the condensed milk in these jars on the stove?
Yes, thats fine, just make sure they are fully submerged.
if you cook this in the can on the stove, for two cans, how long do you cook it for??
About 2 hours on a low simmer.
I did this just today but it never occurred to me to transfer the contents into a glass jar first. We have an outdoor stove and it saved me from having to use up electricity or gas to cook. I left the can for about three hours, cooled it afterwards and transferred it to a glass jar. It’s still cooling, but it looks great. 😀
An outdoor stove sounds cozy and fun!
Hey Cherish, if you read this, I have a recipe of a honey cake I can share with you, it’s one I’ve made many times and it never disappoints. Email me tallya.k [at] live [dot] com
Hi Natasha, I’m a new follower on your blog and I love your Ukrainian/Russian recipes! I’ve been trying to find a recipe for the oreshki cookies that have this filling — do you know one? Thanks 🙂
I haven’t experimented with it because I don’t have the fancy mold. But I’ll be sure to share it with you if I find one 🙂
WOW!! you are FAST!!! Thank you soooooo much!! You are a very kind soul! Thank you!
Oh man! I wish I had read this before I cooked my condensed milk today. It’s my husband’s b-day tomorrow and he is a Honey Cake (Medovik) addict! I buy one EVERY single week for him!! I figured I’d make one once a year for his b-day. lol I lost my old recipe so I used one my sister gave me and the (layers) korzhiki turned out fat vs.smooth and thin. With this recipe, I was not able to roll out the uncontrollable dough and had to pat it into the pan. Feeling disappointed. Hopefully once I fill it with cream and let it soak it will at least taste ok. If you have a Medovik recipe and one day you would not mind sharing, I will be so very grateful!
I don’t have a Medovik Recipe yet, but here are two links that you can use as a good resource: Mom’s Purse on Facebook and Lea’s Cooking . I hope this helps 😀
This is so awesome I never heard it done this way. I am telling you this web site is amazingly awesome
Thank you
Awww thanks 🙂 I’m so happy you like our blog!
full list of preparation methods!
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dulce-De-Leche
Oh nice! Thanks!
I read through some of the comments and I have to disagree on the dulce de leche that is next to the original condensed milk. I think it has a different taste and I do not like it that much. But to each their own. I have also noticed that the Winco brand tastes the best. i think it’s sweeter than all the other brands. By the way thanks so much for this post. I will now be making my home made gushonka in the crock pot 🙂
That’s good to know! Thank you! I’ve never tried the precooked one.
hey Natasha,
so I’m currently cooking dolce de leche by you recipe/instrustructions but I came to check on it as its almost done and I noticed that the water was milky..? I know the jars were closed tight as my hubby closed them for me. Does this mean my sgushonka is ruined or contaminated?
Just take out the cans carefully and tighten them and continue cooking. Sometimes the seal can get loose with the hot water.
What a great idea!!Thank you. I always wandered about this and knew there had to be another way besides cooking it in the can.
Thanks again for taking the time to share these awesome recipes with us. I always get excited when I see a new email from Natasha’s Kitchen. May God bless you in what you do!
Thank you Marina! I was pretty excited to discover it too. I never trusted the boiled can method after hearing explosion stories.
http://eliotseats.com/?p=9606
Here’s my post with a shout out to you and this fab technique.
Awesome!! Thank you Eliot! 🙂 I’m glad you liked it.
Thanks for a fast reply 🙂
Hi Natasha . Making it right now and need to confirm that I don’t put the lid on the crockpot right? Or do I?
Yes put the lid on 🙂
I was so glad to find this process. I have made it before, stove-top, in the can but have worried about explosions too. 🙂 Thanks for the great tip! And, I am making a Dulce de Leche apple pie and will pass this tip along with due credit to you! Thanks!
Question: After the 4 hours, when you take the jar out is it dark and thick already or does it cool that way. Mine looks really thin and I am at a high elevation so, I may need to cook it longer. Right?
It gets much thicker as it cools. If the color is the same as the cans in the picture it should be done.