Sugar Free Condensed Milk make with cow’s milk or your favorite milk alternative like coconut. Lighten up your treats with this homemade baking staple!
I had another experiment going on in my kitchen! This time I made homemade sweetened condensed milk with almond, coconut, and cow’s milk. All three varieties were made without granulated sugar!
I do love the convenience of grabbing a can of condensed milk when I need it (mostly for baking), but boy when I looked at the label I realized that half of the ingredients in a can is sugar!
Granulated sugar is what helps thicken the milk giving it that sticky texture along with the process of evaporating the water from heating the milk, but do we really need condensed milk to be so-so sweet? I think not, so I made it my mission to find a way to replicate a prepared can of condensed milk without all the sugar!
Sweeteners can definitely enhance the flavor of foods, but cutting the amount in half or less like I did with this recipe adds flavor, but without the extra-do-nothing-for-you calories and carbohydrates! And guess what? The extra sugar won’t be missed!
I added the homemade sugar-free condensed milk version to a dessert recipe (coming soon!), and not one person said that it needed to be sweeter!
Let me start by saying that since we aren’t using granulated sugar the condensed milk won’t be quite as thick as you may be used to when opening a can of the prepared stuff, but with lots of patience you can get it pretty darn close!
The best part of making this milk on your own is that you will have absolute control over the amount of sweetness that suit your preference, and you can use dairy free options as your milk base as well. Plus, I found an easy way to help thicken the milk (guar gum) if you get impatient waiting for the water to evaporate from the milk like I did.
Here are my thoughts on the results:
- Cow’s milk came out the thickest by heating the milk for over an hour and a half. Curds form so skim it from the top often. I didn’t add the thickener to this version.
- The coconut milk (fav) also took a long time to thicken and I was getting impatient, so after an hour I whisked in 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum. It thickened immediately.
- The almond milk was my least favorite as I think the brand I used is made with too much water, so evaporating it to the desired texture was taking FOREVER. I added 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum and it thickened, but I think it could have used more.
I can’t wait for you to experiment with making your own condensed milk! Tell me what your favorite milk and sugar alternative is! If I wasn’t watching my sugar intake I think I would give coconut sugar a try. I bet it would be tasty!
Now how do you combat the convenience of these overly sweetened prepared foods? It’s simple! Make your own sauces, jams and condiments! Take complete control over the amount and type of sweetener used in recipes!
The next time you go grocery shopping make a conscious effort to look at the label and pay close attention to the ingredient list. You’ll be amazed by how many common everyday foods list sugar as the top ingredient.
- 1½ cups milk (coconut, whole milk, almond)
- ½ cup (adjust to your preference) Sugar Alternative (Swerve)
- 3 tablespoons butter (omit for vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon guar gum (optional)
- In a medium saucepan add milk and sugar alternative together and simmer over medium heat. Stir constantly and when the milk shows small bubbles lower the heat to simmer.
- Continue to simmer until milk reduces and begins to thicken (this can take up to 1½ hours). Skim the top of the milk if a layer forms.
- To thicken with guar gum, in a small bowl quickly whisk together guar with a couple of tablespoons of the cooled milk. Add it to the mix and immediately whisk in.
- Once the desired thickness is achieved remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Cool and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe found on the web and adapted from Eating Well Living Thin.
Genius! Definitely pinning this one. Thank you!
Thanks for pinning! I appreciate the love!
Genius! What a great alternative to the store condensed milk. I can’t wait to try it!
Have fun experimenting with this, Kayla! You’ll love having this option when the baking season is in full swing!
I wonder if you could use Xylitol for this recipe. I know I have used it for a simple syrup. I will have to give it a try sometime.
I think Xylitol will work as the sweetener without a problem! Let me know how it turns out!
I didn’t even know one could make condensed milk!! What a great idea!
Right? It’s just convenient to buy condensed milk prepared, but it hurts my teeth it’s so sweet 🙂 There is always a way 🙂
Oh wow! I didn’t even know that you could make homemade condensed milk! 🙂 And I love that it is sugar free too.
What a fabulous idea to substitute store bought which is overly sweet!
Can I drink this now? 😉 Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Kelly! I’m glad you stopped by 🙂
Great idea! Can’t wait to try it, Pinned 🙂
I’m so excited to try this. I looked for sugar free condeneed milk today so I can make my own coffee creamer but found nothing. I’m going to give this a go. I’m diabetic so I’m ALWAYS looking for ways to make stuff without sugar. It’s way harder than I thought!
hey thanks for sharing !! .. can we skip sugar in this recipe ? .. can we just use milk and vanilla extract to make condensed milk ?
Hi Ashneet! I suppose it would depend on what you plan on using the condensed milk for. I haven’t tried it, but would love to know how it works for you!
I’m in need of sugar free sweetened condensed milk for making a cheesecake suitable for a diabetic friend, will your recipe work for this project? Love your site!
Thank you
Hi Shirley! I haven’t tried using this in a cheesecake, so I can’t vouch for how well it will work. If you do try it let me know how it goes. I know it will be delicious 🙂 Thank you for swinging by!!