Dairy Free Condensed Milk

When I first attempted dairy free condensed milk it did not turn out well, I tried to make it with almond milk but after more than two and a half hours it still hadn’t reduced to the correct consistency. On my second attempt I used agave syrup and the flavor wasn’t quite right also the mixture ended up too runny.

So third time lucky! This time I decided to refrigerate the coconut milk over night which separates the cream, eliminating the majority of the water before you even begin cooking.

I also decided to use good old fashioned sugar which worked great and this time the condensed milk turned out perfect! You still have to cook it for quite a while for it to reduce but it is worth the wait because it turns out lovely, its thick and sweet and nicer than any dairy condensed milk I have had in the past.

 I have made it a bunch of times since then for key lime pie, caramel ice cream, fudge and it always turns out just right and don’t be put off by using coconut milk it doesn’t taste anything like coconut when you are done!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cans of full fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Directions:

Start off by refrigerating  the coconut milk over night, this allows the coconut milk to separate from the water. carefully remove your coconut milk from the fridge be sure not to shake, take off the lid and you will find that half of the cream has solidified at the top, with a slotted spoon scoop out the solid part, stop when you get to the liquid. You should be left with around half a can of liquid, i had 200 mls of liquid left over from a 400 ml can.

Cook for a few minutes to melt the cream then add in the sugar and stir to dissolve. You now need to cook it down for around an hour or until it is reduced by half and so it is thickened enough to stick to a spoon like custard. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn and be sure to stir frequently. When finished store in an air tight container and place in the fridge until you want to use it.