Instant Pot Dulce de Leche is a thick and creamy caramel sauce that only requires one ingredient and just a little bit of pressure to make.
Instant Pot Dulce de Leche is one of my favorite quick and easy treats to make around the holidays.
If you’re not familiar with what Dulce de Leche is, it’s very similar to a caramel sauce, but more thick and creamy. The best thing about this recipe is that it really is just one ingredient!
Sweetened condensed milk!
There are a variety of ways to make this delicious caramelized sauce, including the stove top and yes, even the slow cooker!
The stove top method could be quite messy and time consuming as you have to sit by the stove top and make sure all the water doesn’t evaporate before the dulce de leche is finished cooking. The slow cooker is nice because you can set it and forget it for the rest of the day. But it literally takes ALL DAY to make.
Let’s say you’re in a hurry… well, the Instant Pot is the way to go!
Pour your sweetened condensed milk into some wide mouthed mason jars and secure the lids. I used pint-sized jars and could fit one can of sweetened condensed milk per jar. I can fit 3 jars into my 8 quart Instant Pot.
You CAN skip the mason jars and just put the cans of sweetened condensed milk into the IP, but you’ll have to wait until the can is completely cooled before opening. I’ve found that the mason jars let me pop them open much sooner.
Place the jars on the rack of your pressure cooker and fill with water until just below the lids of the mason jars.
The result is a spoon-licking-good dulce de leche that pairs perfectly with sliced apples, fills delicious cookies and so much more! I’ve got a fantastic recipe coming at you in the next few weeks that uses this stuff, so be prepared!
Fill mini mason jars with the dulce de leche and gift them! Trust me, having too much of this goodness laying around could be dangerous!
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Instant Pot Dulce de Leche
Ingredients
- 3 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
- 3 pint sized, wide mouth mason jars
- water
Instructions
- Fill each mason jar with a can of the sweetened condensed milk and seal the top with the lid.
- Place the jars inside of your pressure cooker on top of the rack. Fill with water just until it reaches under the lid. Secure the top of the pressure cooker and make sure vent is closed.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 35 to 40 minutes with a quick release of the pressure. 35 minutes will give you a golden brown dulce de leche and up to 40 minutes will be a deeper golden brown.
- Carefully remove jars with a pot holder or rag and let cool to touch before attempting to remove the lid. Store in the refrigerator once opened.
Notes
Nutrition
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Thanksgiving Vegetable Side Dish Recipes
CCJ
Help! I have done this with regular sweetened condensed milk at 40mins for a deep dark caramel color (very thick) but, trying to use sweetened condensed coconut milk for son-in-law who can’t process milk products…I did in 3 qt instant pot 1 jar for 35mins high pressure with natural release very pale…so put back in for another 15 mins high pressure with quick release… it is very pale still and runny in jar like water… using regular sweetened condensed milk last night 40mins high with quick release was very very thick and dark deep color…
I am hot sure why this is not working with the sweetened condensed coconut milk… I have now dumped the water that was in instant pot, put jar back in for 3rd time and refilled with tap water for another 15minutes… Praying this does the trick…
What am I doing wrong???? should I have used my big 8qt for the 1 jar vs. my 3 qt instant pot…??? or????
thanks for any help or ideas you have to salvage my attempt at a Christmas goodie for my dear son-in-law.
Kristy
When making the crockpot method do you still need to put the jars on a rack or are they just lay sitting in the bottom of the crockpot?
Shawn
They can sit on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Gina
I have been looking for a recipe like this. Thanks for posting. Can you advise the shelf life?
Thanks sooo much.
Shawn
Hi Gina, I’m not sure on the shelf life of these. I’m thinking if you make sure the bottles are properly boiled and sterile before processing, it can last at least a few months on the shelf.
Deb
Would you adjust pressure time if you are doing just one jar?
Valerie
When making this in a slow cooker you cover the cans with an inch or two of water. Would you do the same thing if you do it in the IP?
Heather Radke
Yes, this is not shelf stable
Shawna Laws
Confused…how come you can close mason jars, but not cook in an unopened can? ..
Rebecca A Woosley
You need to build pressure to caramelized. If doing in open jar in a crockpot you could cook on low. Cover the jar with foil and close as tightly as you ca. Put water 3/4 the way up your can, cover. (Problems are water getting into your can.) You can Google & get different ways to do it. I use an insta-pot on hi for 35 minutes, quick t
Release.
Joe Chiarelli
I am trying this now! Very excited. I made this last weekend in a can by boiling for 4 hours but i was nervous about the cans exploding. I loved the idea of using mason jars, thanks!
Joe Chiarelli
Mine came out more like whipped pudding like consistency, not like a syrup. Did i cook it too long?
Shawn
Dulce de Leche is a thicker caramel consistency. It won’t be runny like a syrup. Keep in mind that the longer it cooks the thicker and darker it’ll become. So if you’re wanting it less thick you could always try cooking less.
Joe Chiarelli
thanks. Ill try less. I wound up with pudding, almost like a whipped cream cheese spread. I kept it in the pot for an hour afterwords as i forgot about it. Maybe that was the issue..
Rebecca A Woosley
You can mix some milk with it & heat while stirring to thin it doen
norma cimini
Hi, I want to try this recipe and would like to know the shelf life of the product. Thanks, Norma
Sharon Schroeter
Hi Shawn,
This sounds awesome & easy too!!
Is there something you can thin it with, so you could use it on ice cream?
Thanks so much for this ‘recipe’–keep up the good work!
Sharon
MaryG
I was going to try this but I didn’t understand what’s i should do. If I fill the water level to just under the lid of the jar, the water level is above the max level of the IP. I’m not going to run the IP with that much water in it
Deborah Shreckengost
I think she mentioned using the small, jelly size mason jars, not the pint size ones. They are not so tall as to need water above the max fill line.
Julie
Could you use this as a caramel pie filling? I think that sounds yummy!
Shawn
It’s pretty thick for a pie filling, but it would work in a smaller tart!
Rebecca A Woosley
Works great as pie filling. It takes about 3 cans in a graham cracker crust. Stir it up – smooth it could- let it cool. The most richest pie you’ve ever eaten.
Laura
This sounds kind of like a canning project. I want to try it, but I’m nervous?!
Shawn
Think of it as cooking pot in pot. It’s not scary at all!
Laura
Thank you! I’ve made this both crockpot and stovetop, I’m definitely going to try it this way!
Jill
Do you dial back the cook time if using smaller jars?
Shawn
I would think you could drop it down a minute or two, but not much.
Susan Pfund
In the slow cooker you say cover with water. Do you completely cover the jars with water or only put water up to the lid as in the pressure cooker?
Shawn
You do not need to completely cover the jars in the pressure cooker as the pressure is what’s cooking the milk.
ig viewer
Thank you for sharing the tutorial! I’ll definitely try it!!
Cindy
How do you make the chocalate dulce de lecho
Shawn
Good question! I’ll look into this and see if I can come up with a recipe! 🙂
Jade
Does this need to be refrigerated after it’s done in the instant pot?
Shawn
I’ve been doing a lot of research on this, and my gut says that as long as you don’t release the pressure in the jar that it should be fine left out. BUT to err on the side of caution, you might want to refrigerate.
Mary
Hi! Do you need to fill the milk to the top of glass jar or can you fill it with half or so? I would think you fill all of a 4 oz jar, but your picture doesn’t seem to indicate that for the larger jar.
Thanks,
Shawn
You don’t have to fill all the way. My jars are the pint-sized which hold 16oz. and there is only 14oz. of sweetened condensed milk in them.