This slow cooker condensed milk caramel is the easiest 1 ingredient recipe you'll ever make. Pop a tin in the slow cooker, cover with water and walk away for 8 hours. Then spoon it over my Banoffee Tart or swirl it through a Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
🍯 Recipe: Slow Cooker Condensed Milk Caramel
⏰ Ready In: 5 minutes prep + 8 hours in the slow cooker (mostly hands off)
🥫 Main Ingredient: just 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk
🌱 Dietary Info: gluten free • vegetarian
💛 Why You'll Love It: no thermometer, no stirring, and it's cheaper (and tastier) than store-bought
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I love how something this good can come from one tin and zero skill.
Use it on warm fudgy brownies, drizzled over chocolate cake or vanilla cupcakes, spooned into apple pie or sticky date pudding, or straight off a spoon standing at the fridge (no judgement here).
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Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Just 1 ingredient turns into thick, golden caramel.
- No thermometer, no stirring and no watching a pot so the caramel doesn't catch and burn.
- Easy to double by cooking two tins side by side, no extra work involved.
- Tastes better than shop bought caramel or dulce de leche, and works out cheaper too.
Slow Cooker Caramel Ingredients
You just need one ingredient, plus a slow cooker (or crockpot) to cook it in.
- Sweetened condensed milk - I use full fat Nestle condensed milk, but any brand works as long as it's full fat, not skim or "lite".
Variations
- Salted caramel: stir sea salt flakes through the finished caramel to taste, then use it in these salted caramel recipes.
- Double batch: cook two (or more) tins at the same time, they just need to stay fully covered with water the whole time.
- Store it in a jar: once the caramel has cooled, tip it out of the tin into a clean, sealed jar. It keeps just as well and is much easier to spoon out of than the tin.
How To Make Slow Cooker Condensed Milk Caramel
This really is a set and forget recipe. One step, and the slow cooker does the rest.
Place the can of sweetened condensed milk (or cans) into the slow cooker and cover with hot (but not boiling) water. Ensure the water is 5cm above the top of the can.
Note: if using a ring pull can, make sure the ring pull is facing downwards.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or up to 10 hours for a thicker caramel).
Very carefully remove the can from the slow cooker and place into a bowl of cold water to cool completely. Alternatively, switch off the slow cooker and leave the can sitting in the water overnight to cool.
Never open the can while it's still hot. A hot, pressurised tin of caramel can spit or burst when opened, so always let it cool down fully in cold water first.
Open the can once it's completely cool. Look at all that luscious caramel!
Serve this beautiful condensed milk caramel with your favourite desserts.
Recipe Tips
- Use full fat condensed milk, not skim, for the best thick result.
- Check the water level stays 5cm above the can at all times during cooking. Some slow cookers lose more water to steam than others and may need topping up. If the water level drops below the top of the can, it can burst (and that's dangerous!) so I check mine every hour.
- Never open the can while it's hot. Cool it fully in cold water (or overnight in the switched off slow cooker) before opening.
- No need to remove the label before cooking, it lifts off on its own in the water.
- Store leftover caramel in an airtight container (or tip it into a clean jar) in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, although it never lasts that long in our house!
- Stir through sea salt flakes to make salted caramel, and use it in these salted caramel recipes.
Slow Cooker Condensed Milk Caramel FAQs
The condensed milk caramel thickens as it cools, so if it's still warm it can seem thinner than expected. It can also stay thinner if it hasn't been cooked for long enough, and this varies as slow cookers run at different temperatures. For a very thick caramel, cook it for up to 10 hours.
Yes, as long as you keep the can fully covered with water the whole time it's cooking, topping it up if the level drops. Never let the water go below the top of the can, and never open the can while it's still hot, it's pressurised and can spit or burst. Always cool it completely in cold water first.
A slow cooker is one of the most energy efficient kitchen appliances. On average, it uses about the same amount of energy as a standard light bulb, so despite being on for a longer period of time, it actually uses very little power.
Just warm the caramel in a pan over low heat, or in short bursts in the microwave, until it loosens back up.
No, there's no need to remove the labels before submerging the cans in water, they lift off on their own during cooking.
I don't recommend it. Freezing and thawing can make the caramel go grainy or split. It keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container (or a sealed jar) for up to 3 weeks, so there's no need to freeze it.
More Caramel Recipes
If you're like me and love all things caramel, here are a few more sweet and luscious recipes to try:
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Slow Cooker Condensed Milk Caramel
Ingredients
- 425 g sweetened condensed milk full fat (not skim)
Instructions
- Place the can (or cans) into the slow cooker and cover with hot (but not boiling) water.Ensure the water is 5cm above the top of the can. Note: if using a ring pull can, make sure the ring pull is facing downwards.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours (up to 10 hours for a thicker caramel).
- Very carefully remove the can from the slow cooker and place into a bowl of cold water to cool (approximately 15 minutes). Alternatively you can switch off the slow cooker and leave it overnight to cool.
- Open the can when cooled and serve with your favourite dessert.
Notes
- Make sure to use full fat condensed milk, not skim.
- Double the recipe by cooking two cans at a time.
- There's no need to remove the labels prior to submerging in the water. They will lift off on their own during cooking.
- Check the water level stays 5cm above the can at all times during cooking (some slow cookers release more liquid/steam than others and may need topping up). If the water level goes below the top of the can, it may burst (very dangerous!). I recommend checking the water level every hour.
- Store any leftover caramel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
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