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If you need a dairy-free option for sweetened condensed milk, it’s surprisingly easy to make a coconut milk version at home. All you need are 2 ingredients!
That said, you will need some patience. You’ll need to wait for the liquid to reduce on the stovetop, and that takes time. But you can be productive around your kitchen while you wait. It’s the perfect time to meal prep!
Once you’ve made sweetened condensed coconut milk, you can use it in your favorite recipes to make them dairy-free. You can use it anywhere you’d use regular sweetened condensed milk, with a hint of coconut flavor. (Ideas below!)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Once I did not have sweetened condensed milk but had coconut milk and made this recipe and then used it in the classic 7 layer bars to take to a reunion. They were really good.” – Rose
Coconut Sweetened Condensed Milk Ingredients
- Coconut Milk. Use full-fat canned coconut milk with guar gum for the best results. If you use light coconut milk, you’ll have to wait even longer for the liquid to reduce on the stovetop (because there’s more water in the can), and you’ll end up with less condensed milk. Don’t waste your time!
- Sweetener. I always use honey as the sweetener, because I think it pairs well with the coconut flavor. However, you can use maple syrup if you need a vegan recipe. (Increase the sweetener by 2 tablespoons in that case.) Or, use agave nectar as a 1:1 swap for honey.
How to Make Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
Step 1:
Open the coconut milk can and pour the entire contents into a small saucepan. The coconut milk will likely look separated, but don’t worry about that! Just make sure you get every last drop out of the can.
Then pour in the honey and place the pan on the stovetop over high heat.
Step 2:
Bring the liquid to a vigorous boil; you’ll see the coconut milk solids melt into the liquid as it heats. Once the mixture is rapidly boiling, lower the heat.
Depending on your stove’s burner, you may need to turn the heat all the way down to low, or you can keep it at medium-low. You want the coconut milk to be simmering, with bubbles visible on top, but you don’t want it to rise in the pan, like a rapid boil.
Stir every 5 to 10 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the saucepan with a spatula. Every now and then, you’ll see a film stick to the spatula, but if you keep stirring, it will dissolve into the milk.
Continue cooking the coconut milk until it reduces by half, about 40 to 45 minutes. It will look almost like caramel sauce when it’s done! It will be noticeably thicker.
Serving & Storage Tips
Let the coconut milk cool, then pour it into a container with a lid so you can store it in the fridge. I usually get slightly less than 1 cup of condensed coconut milk from this recipe.
The coconut milk will have a darker, runny consistency when you first pour it into the jar. Don’t be surprised if it turns lighter in color after chilling overnight in the fridge. (See the photos below to compare.)
Storage Tip: You can store homemade condensed coconut milk in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Make Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup honey , or equivalent sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Pour the coconut milk and honey into a small saucepan. Place the pan on the stove top over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. (It's okay if the coconut solids look separate at first; they will melt into the liquid as it warms up.)
- Once the coconut milk is rapidly boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. You should see bubbles on top of the milk still, but it shouldn't be rising up in the pan. Let it simmer for 45 minutes, or until it has reduced by half and looks caramel-like.
- Let the mixture cool, then pour it into a storage jar with a lid. It will look like caramel while it's hot, but it will lighten in color significantly when chilled in the fridge overnight. (It still won't look white, but like a very light tan.) Use it within a week and store it chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
- Coconut Macaroons
- Vegan Fudge
- Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream
- Coconut Curry
- Banana Bread with Coconut Flour
If you try this sweetened condensed coconut milk, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
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Why do you have to sweeten the coconut milk. Doesn’t it thicken otherwise? The concentrated milk will be sweet on its own, I think?
Greetings from Holland, Gerry
This recipe is an attempt to replace a store-bought product. The store-bought version is VERY sweet, so you need an added sweetener in this recipe if you want to use it as a dairy-free substitute in baking. If you don’t plan on using it that way, you don’t need to add the sweetener.
I tried it today because I wanted to add the honey last, to keep the healthy properties of the honey, and it does thicken! I was thinking it would make a good cream base for something like a pasta sauce.
Can this be used as a substitute for like Cocoa Real that they use to make pina coladas? I have a great recipe that calls for it but would like to use a healthier alternative.
Has anyone tried making his with liquid stevia extract? If so how much did you use?
I thought about that too but everytime i have tried to sub stevia for sweetness in large amounts it always has this qwful bitter aftertaste so I would try using monk fruit sweetener (also known as Erythritol – it’s a very natural sugar alcohol like stevia) for a recipe like this because it has a very similar texture to regular sugar and can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio I believe. It always tastes so good in all my recipes that I think theres no way there’s not regular sugar in them! Anyway hope this helps! 🙂
I would make the thickened cream and then add the stevia to taste after it cools down. I think that would take care of the bitter taste that stevia gets when heated.
Can the sweetened condensed milk be frozen? Thanks.
I don’t think it’ll substitute regular condensed milk as seemlessly if you freeze it. I made this recipe to use in a frozen dessert, and I found that freezing the condensed coconut milk left a strange film around my teeth. Maybe it was from the coconut milk separating as it froze.
OMG, so I am truly in love with this recipe. I don’t usually drink coffee but when I do, I put a ton of creamer in it. This is the perfect replacement for regular creamer, thank you so much!
Hi all. I’m a Chef that specializes in allergy free foods. You can also buy Coconut Cream at your Asian market. There is even less water in these cans vs Full Fat Coconut Milk cans. I’ve made Condensed Milk this way often but, I go ahead and use about 1/4 c. confection sugar in mine.
Hi, could you please tell me if i can make a double batch of the sweetened and condensed coconut milk and make it in one saucepan at a time.. kind regards Bev
Is coconut milk/cream the only alternative? I am sensitive to coconut and coconut milk. Is there an almond or rice milk alternative?
Great idea using confection sugar – I want to use it as an icing for an apple cake – this would work! Thanx.
I was searching for a condensed milk replacement as I and my children are all lactose intolerant. I am pleased to have found this, thank you. I have made 4 batches so far, 2 with regular white sugar and 2 with honey. All of them took much longer than 45 min to cook down, so don’t be discouraged. I just kept it on and kept stirring (every 10 min or so) and I have a beautiful dairy free version. One batch ended up too hot for too long, but it didn’t ruin it, it just turned a darker tan.
Less fat versions do not work as well. The reduction in fat is usually caused by adding water to the “milk” there by defeating the purpose of boiling the water away and you end up with less product.
We are making gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegan holiday cookies for friends and family. This recipe just made my life easier. Thanks.
Does anyone know if you can cook the sweetened condensed coconut milk down and caramelize it to make a non-dairy version of dulce de leche? I would love to use that to make a sauce or topping for coconut cake. If anyone has tried this, please let me know.
I thought it took closer to 2 hours to cook down, but I did double the recipe using classic coconut milk (full fat) and honey as the sweetener. My end product is a beautiful creamy white color and the double batch filled a small batter bowl from Pampered Chef.
I licked the spoon afterwards and it was yummy. I really hope it works well in the pumpkin pie Thursday. If following a standard pumpkin pie recipe, do you use the same 14 oz. amount in lieu of regular sweetened condensed milk?
Would this turn in to caramel, like regular sweetened condensed milk does. I have a wonderful recipient I’ve used in the past for caramel (just one can of sweetened condensed milk and a crock pot of water and 8 hrs later is like magic goodness). Would this do the same thing?