Many of my keto recipes (including ones in The Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook!) call for sugar-free sweetened condensed milk, and people often ask me where they can buy it. Unfortunately you can’t (that I know of), but the good news is it’s super easy to make your own low carb keto condensed milk recipe at home! You only need 3 simple ingredients and just 3 easy steps, but I do have some tips for you so it comes out just like the real thing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for homemade sugar-free sweetened condensed milk, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
Butter – Use unsalted.Heavy Cream – This is sometimes called heavy whipping cream. Half and half or most other keto milk options won’t work, as the fat content is necessary for sugar-free keto condensed milk to thicken. Coconut cream or full-fat canned coconut milk should work as a dairy-free substitute, but the recipe still has butter and I haven’t tried replacing that. Please let me know (in the comments below) how it goes if you try a dairy-free version!Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I wasn’t happy with the low carb sweetener options out there, so I made my own! This is my favorite and the only one I use now, because it tastes and acts just like sugar. As mentioned above, the most important characteristics it has for making sugar-free condensed milk are that it dissolves like sugar does and won’t crystallize, which is why it’s the only one I recommend for the silky smooth texture you want. However, plain powdered allulose will work equally well — you’ll just need 33% more of it. Almost all other brands of sweetener (including most brands of monk fruit and stevia) use erythritol as a bulking agent, which won’t dissolve well and crystallizes, so I don’t recommend them.Vanilla Extract – This is not required, and not included in regular condensed milk, but feel free to stir it in at the end if you want that flavor.
How To Make Sugar-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
This section shows how to make low carb sweetened condensed milk, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Can You Make Unsweetened Condensed Milk?
I haven’t tried this, but in theory yes, you could make an unsweetened condensed milk recipe by omitting the sweetener. However, most uses for sugar-free condensed milk need it to be sweet. It may seem instinctive to use a saucepan, but it takes much longer (over an hour). Using a large pan with tall sides will help your keto friendly sweetened condensed milk cook in a reasonable amount of time, due to the larger surface area.
Avoid a gritty texture. As explained above, I recommend using either Besti Powdered or powdered allulose, to ensure that the sweetener dissolves completely and won’t crystallize. If you use a different sugar substitute, both of these issues can result in a grainy texture. Use a large pan. Remember to use a large skillet or saute pan, not a small saucepan, as smaller pans will take a very long time. Cook for long enough. If your condensed milk is too thin, it needs to cook for longer. Just keep cooking it until it thickens. Also, this keto sweetened condensed milk recipe will thicken more as it cools from hot to warm. But don’t cook for too long. If you cook your condensed milk for too long, it will brown and turn into sugar-free caramel sauce. Nothing wrong with that – just enjoy the caramel if this happens. Don’t let heat get too high. Similar to cooking for too long, using too high heat will also turn your milk into caramel sauce.
How Many Carbs In Condensed Milk?
Regular sweetened condensed milk has over 20 grams of sugar (and carbs) per 2-tablespoon serving [*]. This keto condensed milk recipe is much better – it has just 1 net carb in that same amount.
Storage Instructions
Store: Low carb condensed milk stores very well, for a similar amount of time that opened heavy cream would. It’s good for at least a week, or until your cream’s expiration date.What to do if it hardens: Low carb sweetened condensed milk won’t harden while cooking, but if it’s reduced a lot, it can harden when it cools to room temperature. It will definitely turn solid in the fridge, which is normal and actually beneficial for many recipes. See instructions below to reheat, which will make it runny again.Reheat: Scoop the condensed milk (which may be solid) into a saucepan and reheat on the stove over low heat. Be careful not to overheat, and avoid using the microwave, both of which can cause it to separate.Freeze: Yes, you can freeze this recipe! Store the keto condensed milk in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.
How To Use Sugar-Free Condensed Milk
Once you make this keto condensed milk recipe, you’ll be able to use it anywhere you would use the regular kind. It’s so versatile and can be used anywhere that a traditional version is called for, including keto baking recipes. Here are some ideas, including recipes I’ve made with it:
Coffee – You can stir keto condensed milk into bulletproof coffee, regular coffee, or your favorite coffee drink. I also use it to make 5 flavors of keto coffee creamer!Ice Cream – This is my favorite use for condensed milk! My super easy keto ice cream recipe uses it as a base and requires only a few ingredients.Bars – This sugar-free condensed milk recipe works great as a binder for dessert bars. Try it in keto magic cookie bars!Cake – Most cake recipes don’t use condensed milk, but it’s a classic in keto German chocolate cake or keto tres leches.Fudge – My Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook has a super easy fudge recipe that uses this sugar-free sweetened condensed milk as a base, similarly to how many regular versions do.Topping – Drizzle the milk over your favorite treats! Try it on keto dessert recipes (it’s great as a glaze on cookies), a keto English muffin, or even low carb fruit as a deliciously sweet topper.
This reader favorite recipe is included in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook! Inside this beautiful hard cover keto recipe book, you’ll find 100 delectable, EASY keto recipes to replace all your favorite carbs: bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, desserts, and more… each with 10 ingredients or less! Plus, a photo, macros, & tips for every recipe. ORDER NOW Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it! Entire recipe makes 1 1/2 cups.
