It's one of the most versatile ingredients out there when it comes to desserts, baking, and sweet recipes in general. So vegan condensed milk is a must for any dairy-free kitchen. Luckily, sweetened condensed milk is super easy to veganize!
This dairy-free version is made using coconut milk to yield the creamiest results and can be used interchangeably in place of regular condensed milk in so many recipes! It can be used as the base for vegan ice cream, millionaire shortbread, or to make a vegan caramel sauce to name but a few!
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📖 Recipe Overview
- Easy to make with just 2 main ingredients.
- Thick and creamy consistency.
- Versatile and can be used in numerous vegan desserts.
- Completely eggless, dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free.
🥛 Ingredients Needed
Ingredient Notes
Use a good quality full-fat canned coconut milk such as Nature's Charm or Biona. I previously mentioned Aroy-D, but no longer recommend them due to monkey labour concerns. In my experience, both of these brands yield a high coconut content, as many others contain a lot of water.
I do recommend sticking to granulated white sugar for this recipe. While I haven't tried it, I reckon using coconut sugar or brown sugar will create more of a caramel sauce rather than sweetened condensed coconut milk.
The vanilla extract is optional but adds a nice flavor to the non-dairy condensed milk. You could leave it out depending on your taste and what you're using the recipe for. For example, you could get away with leaving it out if you're making vanilla ice cream, as the recipe will also contain vanilla!
🥣 How To Make Vegan Condensed Milk
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
(1) Add both full cans of coconut milk to a saucepan with the sugar and place on the hob over medium heat.
(2) Whisk the mixture smooth and bring to a simmer.
(3) Add in the sugar and whisk again. Cook the mixture on medium-low for 60-75 minutes. Stir and whisk the coconut milk frequently to prevent it from burning to the pan.
(4) The condensed coconut milk will reduce by about half in volume. To tell when it's ready, draw a line in it with a rubber spatula. The mixture will pull away from the spatula and the line should stay visible for a couple of seconds.
🍨 Ways To Use This Recipe
- For sweetening beverages such as iced coffee or Thai iced tea.
- In desserts like millionaires shortbread, caramel slices or fudge.
- In cakes and baking like vegan tres leches and strawberry tiramisu or banoffee pie.
- As a base for making homemade vegan ice cream such as chocolate ice cream, caramel ice cream, strawberry ice cream, mango ice cream, and passion fruit ice cream.
- In homemade chocolate bars like toffee crisps and vegan creme eggs,
- For making homemade caramel sauce and lemon curd,
📝 Recipe Tips
Cook the mixture slowly and steadily. It can be tempting to turn up the heat in an effort to speed up the process however, you run the risk of burning the condensed milk if heated too quickly.
Be picky with the brand of coconut milk you use. Some brands have much higher water content and result in a less thick consistency when reduced down.
Frequently stir the sweetened condensed coconut milk as it reduces. This prevents it from scalding and burning to the bottom of the pan. I always recommend alternating between a whisk and a rubber spatula to ensure that you're mixing it well.
💬 FAQs
Yes, you can use oat milk, however, the result is not as thick or creamy as using full-fat coconut milk.
It will keep for up to 7 days in an airtight container.
Yes, it will thicken initially when cooked and then thicken further once chilled.
If you're looking to go the store-bought route, hands down Nature's Charm is the way to go. It is thick, creamy, delicious, and made by an ethical vegan company too!
Yes, you can freeze it in an airtight container such as a lunchbox for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours.
➕ More Vegan Basics
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment as well, thanks!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 800 ml (27 oz) full-fat canned coconut milk
- 120 g (⅗ cup) granulated sugar *see notes
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk and continue to heat until it reaches a simmer.
- Add in the sugar and whisk again to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for between 60 and 75 minutes. Stir the mixture every 10-15 minutes, and alternate between using a whisk and rubber spatula to make sure the mixture does not stick to the pan.
- Once it's ready, the mixture will be thick and will have reduced by half its volume. You'll be able to draw a line with your spatula and the condensed milk will pull away from it (shown in the image in the blog post). The line will hold its form for a few seconds. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer the condensed milk to an airtight jar and allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before placing it in the fridge to chill for 2 hours before using. It will thicken once chilled.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours and whisk well before use.
Notes
- Some white sugar in the US is not vegan; if in doubt, use organic sugar.
- Use a good quality full-fat canned coconut milk such as Nature's Charm or Biona. In my experience, both brands yield a high coconut content, as many others contain a lot of water.
- You can use oat milk to make condensed milk, it results in a much runnier consistency and a darker color.
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Hiya Christina, (you don’t have to approve this comment as it’s actually just for you). I know this is an older recipe, but I wanted to tell you in case you didn’t know that Aroy-D are quite a disastrous brand that had been found to be using monkey labour in Thailand. They’ve been the centre of a few PETA campaigns over the years and so I thought you may want to make a note of this in the recipe or remove them as they’re not technically a vegan brand. Thanking you so much lovely!
Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me. I wasn’t aware of the concerns around Aroy-D, and I absolutely appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I’ll review the recipe and make any necessary updates. Thanks again for your thoughtful message and support! 💛
Hiya! I was wondering if i could use this recipe for the condensed milk in your flan recipe? Thank you!x
Hi!
Yes you could use that. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
that's alot of sugar!
Bonjour Christina,
j'ai essayé cette recette mais malheureusement cela ne donne pas une texture crémeuse 😫, même en le sortant du frigo, remis à température ambiante et mixé la partie solide du lait coco fait des granules, qu est ce que j'ai loupé d'après vous?
merci 😊
Hello!,
Did you use full-fat canned coconut milk? Was the mixture thickened and reduced by half before you took it from the heat?
Bonjour ,
oui j'ai bien utilisé du lait en conserve( j'ai mis la boite entière), par contre malgré un long temps sur le feu cela n'épaississait pas et ne réduisait pas.
Je vais être obligée d'en acheter sur internet je crois car on en trouve pas vers chez moi.
Oh yes ,I forgot to say I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk.☺️
Can I use coconut cream vs coconut milk for thicker more caramel consistency?
Hello Luna,
Yes I think you can use coconut cream but I would imagine to get a caramel consistency you would need to cook it for a longer time. I hope this helps!
Hi Christina,
I made mine with a half half mix of sugar using brown sugar and white . It turned out really well as I expected. I only used a small amount of your recipe a I wanted to trial it to make sure it worked.
Cooking time it took me ½hour. From boiling to thickening stage. Its flavour brought back lots of my home memories.
Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Sheela,
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe, and thank you so much for sharing all your useful tips and feedback 🙂
Hi! Is there a reason you didn’t sweeten this with dates? I’m going to try it soon, was just wondering before I attempted it. I have failed three times at making a date syrup so before I attempted dates in another recipe I wanted to check. Thanks!
Hello Sarah!
Dates aren't suitable for a condensed milk substitute I'm afraid. This is one of those recipes that needs regular sugar in order to resemble the traditional version and be fit for use in recipes that call for vegan condensed milk.
Hi! This is my first trip in vegan territory. I want to make this vegan condensed milk to use your ice cream recipe. Is the purpose of making this first to stop sugar crystallization in the final product ? Also can stevia or other low/non calorie sweetener be used in place of sugar?
Hi Kalena,
Fantastic! The condensed milk helps to prevent the ice cream from freezing solid and keeps it a more scoopable consistency. I haven't personally tried using a sugar alternative so I cannot say for sure I'm afraid. However, as well as adding flavor sugar plays a role in thickening the condensed milk so I would not recommend it.