16 Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipes to Make Use of the Most Versatile Canned Dairy

When I was a kid, my mom always kept a stash of canned milk in her pantry—the evaporated variety for Hong Kong-style milk tea. One time she bought a can of sweetened condensed milk by accident, and that was when I discovered the magic of this dense, creamy, rich elixir. Suddenly my boring milk tea was on steroids, but in a very good way. By the time I was a professional pastry chef, I’d come up with all kinds of reasons to use sweetened condensed milk in my recipes—from fudge sauce and ice cream to cheesecake bars. It adds a velvety richness and glossiness like no other canned or fresh dairy, which is why sweetened condensed milk is so popular around the world. In South America, it’s used in tres leche cake, crispy corn flake clusters (a cousin to Rice Krispy Treats), Brazilian lemonade, and the ubiquitous dulce de leche. There’s leche flan in the Philippines and Hello Dolly (or seven-layer) bars in the U.S. Sweetened condensed milk can also be used as a great short-cut ingredient, such as in Nik Sharma’s Indian cashew sweets. Check out these 16 sweetened condensed milk recipes and discover all the tasty ways you can use this liquid gold ingredient.