Homemade Cajeta or Dulce de Leche
Cajeta Casera
Recipe Yield
3 cups
Cooking time
1 hour 35 minutes
Rate this recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups or 2 liters goat's milk you can substitute or combine with cow’s milk
- 2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar or shredded piloncillo
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
To Prepare
- Place a large pot (I use my new copper one!) over medium heat. Pour milk, vanilla, sugar and baking soda, give it a good stir and let it come to a simmer. Keep it at a steady medium simmer for about one hour and a half, stirring occasionally, every 15 to 20 minutes or so, with a wooden spatula or spoon. The mix will gradually thicken and darken.
- After about an hour and a half, the liquid will have thickened and reduced and the simmer will become stronger. Reduce the heat to medium low, to keep it at that constant medium simmer. You want active bubbling, but not over the top angry bubbles. Stir a bit more frequently, as you don’t want the bottom to develop a thicker layer.
- You know the cajeta is ready when: It achieves a caramel brown color; it is thick as liquid caramel or syrup, much like a chocolate syrup consistency; it envelops the back of the spoon; when you gently stir across the pot with your wooden spoon, a slightly delayed trail behind the spoon appears, revealing the bottom of the pot if only for a few seconds; as you slowly lift up the wooden spoon or spatula, cajeta takes it’s time to drop and lastly, the sides of the pot show how the cajeta has cooked down and if you run your spoon across that side, you get a fudgy (and delicious) residue.
- Turn off the heat and let cool (it will thicken considerably as it cools).
- Place in a glass jar, cover tightly with a lid. It will keep in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Comments
40comments inHomemade Cajeta or Dulce de Leche
Jacquelin
Aug 12
Hola Pati!
For the piloncillo or brown sugar- is it a packed down 2.5 cups?
Me encanta tu programa (y recetas!). De verdad casi me pones allí por como hablas de la comida de México. Con tanta pasión! Extraño vivir allí y comer todo lo que México nos ofrece (aunque no soy mexicana!) Que sigas mostrándonos esas recetas siempre! Besos!
Pati Jinich
Sep 11
Hola Jacquelin, yes, try to pack it as much as possible. Y muchas gracias por tus palabras tan lindas! Te mando un abrazo.
Lorriane
Jun 13
Help me find your recipe for dulce de leche chocolate crust pie. This recipe had nuts and chocolate chips. Help! It was so delicious. I made it with my granddaughters for Thanksgiving and lost the recipe. I cannot find. Thank you Pati
Pati Jinich
Nov 09
Is this the one you are looking for Lorriane? https://patijinich.com/dulce-de-leche-chocolate-pecan-pie-post/
Sharon
Aug 24
I made this or the one with your cinnamon roll recipe a couple of years ago. Wish I could post a picture. Both turned out awesomely.
Pati Jinich
Sep 18
Yummy! Thanks so much Sharon 😉
Anonymous
Nov 23
I made this and I’m not sure it it’s right. It reduced a lot. In the refe I’m planning on using it for the pea on pie.
Pati Jinich
Dec 02
It is supposed to reduce a lot, so as long as it has the right consistency (and remember it still thickens a bit while cooling down), you should be fine. Enjoy!
Diego
Sep 08
Used Goat milk and piloncillo; came out so sweet and delicious. Going to be using this to sladder on my toast or croissants in the morning.
Pati Jinich
Sep 17
Yummy Diego! Use it also for pancakes, crepes, waffles and ice cream!
Lupe Villegas
Sep 06
Hello, My name is Lupe, first I would like to thank you, for representing us Latinas (woman). seconded for your delicious Mexican Cuisine recipes. OMG. When I saw that you had listed A homemade cajera recipe. I was so happy. I remember my Mother take us to Guadalajara every summer And my only request was. I wanted a bucket of Cajeta (regular & envinada). Thank you, thank you 🙏… definitely going to try recipe.
Question: can I use coconut milk, almond milk or oak milk?
Pati Jinich
Sep 06
Thanks so much for the kind words Lupe! To be honest with you, I have always made cajeta with either goat’s or cow’s milk. But I guess from your 3 options, probably almond would work best, good luck!
Maria Teresa
Sep 02
Wow!! Que delicia!!
Pati Jinich
Sep 05
Si Maria Teresa, queda en verdad deliciosa 😉
Lupe
Sep 01
Hola Pati , soy de San Juan de Los Lagos Jalisco , muy bien conocidos por su cajeta . Tienes que probar la cajeta envinada 😋 te la recomiendo
Pati Jinich
Sep 05
Si la he probado Lupe, deliciosa! Saludos 😉
Susan
Aug 31
i have never heard of this before. What is it’s purpoes? Poured over ice cream or cake, etc?
Pati Jinich
Sep 05
Yes Susan, over ice cream, pancakes waffles, on a warm baguette or wafer cookies. You can also make this delicious cheesecake for example, enjoy! http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/dulce-de-leche-cheesecake/
Teresa Persell
May 05
Hi Pati, I haven’t made your co cajeta & churros yet, but I would like to know where you bought your copper pot ? My daughter made us Mexican corn on the cob last summer, amazing!!! I have recorded this episode on Create because it’s amazing street food. Love watching you cook your wonderful recipes. Love your holiday cinnamon rolls & love the story behind it that you make for your family during the holidays. I love cooking too. Today is Cinco De Mayo, what are your favorite recipes that you wil be cooking today? Kindly, Teresa
Pati Jinich
Jun 10
Hi Teresa, glad to hear you like Mexican style corn on the cob, it is a classic! The copper pot is amazing, isn’t it? I bought it in Celaya, the capital of cajeta, in the State of Guanajuato 😉
first timer
Jan 01
something went wrong; it took 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete.
Pati Jinich
Jan 06
Every stove is different…but you want to keep an eye on the bubbles and color of the cajeta to know when it is done.
Megan
Jul 04
My mom has spoken of cajeta fondly for my entire life. It’s one of her favorite memories of studying abroad in Mexico when she was in college.
I had found various brands online that I had bought for her over the years, and we had tried the sweetened condensed milk recipe before, but nothing ever matched her memories.
Then I found this recipe, tracked down some goats milk, and made it for her. She was ecstatic! THIS was the stuff she remembered. And it has converted the entire extended family into cajeta devotees.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It really is the best recipe ever.
Pati Jinich
Jul 05
This makes me so happy to read, Megan. Thank you for sharing, and say hi to your mom for me.
Holley
Oct 14
To make homemade cajeta, I boil a can of condensed milk in a saucepan of water an hour on one side and then turn it over and boil it another hour on the other side. Open the can and enjoy homemade cajeta!
Pati
Oct 16
Thanks for sharing Holley!
Edna M
Sep 21
You mentioned another way to make this with sweetened condensed milk. May we have this recipe? Thank you!
Pati
Oct 19
Some cooks like to boil the sweetened condensed milk cans in boiling water, but I am not fond of that method. I would rather just directly buy the cajeta.
DeeDee
Aug 10
Hi Pati,
My family watches all of your cooking shows, we love you and the boys! Last night, we watched you make Dulce de Leche Cinnamon Rolls and I woke up this morning wanting to try the recipe. I also decided to make dulce de leche versus buying it and it is delicious, so MUCH better than bought! I did not have dark brown sugar on hand, so I used light brown sugar with a bit of molasses. The dulce de leche turned out perfectly, thank you!
During the cooking process, I mixed a few tablespoons of the liquid gold into a hot cup of Cafe Bustello and it was the best cup of coffee I’ve had in years.
I’ll be using the dulce de leche to make your cinnamon rolls soon along with a few other things very soon, assuming there is any left 🙂
Thank you for all you do!!!
Pati
Aug 13
So happy to hear this DeeDee…and yes coffee with a bit of cajeta…AMAZING!!!
Colleen
Feb 11
Hello Pati,
I have just purchased two of your cookbooks, Mexican Today and Pati’s Mexican Table. I am very excited to start my Mexican food journey, but am disappointed that the Cajeta recipe is not found in either book? I am however glad that I was able to find it here!
Tonight we will have Homemade Corn Tortillas with Fast-Track Chicken Pibil, Plantain and Refried Bean Quesadillas. Last time we were in Los Cabos I had mole poblano and was hooked! I am hoping your recipe for Tablecloth-Stainer Chicken in Red Mole Sauce will be similar?
Colleen
Toronto, Canada
Pati
Feb 13
I hope you enjoy the books, Colleen. If you are looking for a mole poblano recipe…I have one right here 🙂 http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/recipe/mole_poblano_de_los_angeles/
Vanessa
Dec 24
Hi Pati, my pot was too small and the mixture boiled over within the first 20 minutes. I continued cooking it, but it’s been about 3.5 hours now and it’s still not thick, but has reduced. Is there a way to salvage it, or is it messed up because maybe too much sugar boiled over? Thank you.
Pati
Dec 28
Oh no… not to worry though. You have made the right product which is a milk based caramel. Whereas thicker ones thinner it will be yummy anyway!
Leila Parke
Jun 02
Thank you Pati, you were correct. I tried again with dark brown sugar and it worked beautifully. It is really unbelievable. I wanted to make it to use in recipes (your upside down flan cake, cinnamon rolls…) but I think that I will use it all up drizzling it on my oatmeal or plain yogurt – both of which are amazing. Saw you and JuJu on The Chew yesterday – you are so full of life and fun. Thank you for your help.
Pati
Jun 09
I’m so glad it worked out! Thank you for tuning in!
Leila Parke
May 22
Hi Patti – I love your show and I love learning how to cook authentic Mexican. So thank you for teaching us. My family loves everything of yours that I’ve made. As a mom of 4 boys, I love when your boys join you in the kitchen – I can see how much they care for you. I have attempted making cajeta a number of times but it keeps curdling or something that looks like curdling. I am using goats’ milk from Whole Foods that is fresh. I wonder if the problem is the sugar. I live in the Northeast and Mexican ingredients are hard to find, but I do want to cook as authentically as possible. I did find a cane sugar called Panela which I thought was the same as piloncello. After grating, I wasn’t sure if it should be packed when measuring it. Maybe my quantity is wrong. For 8 cups of milk, I use 1 pound of panela. It seems like the baking soda could be reacting with the panela to cause the curdling because during one attempt, I added it later (mixed with a little reserved milk)(trying to figure out the problem) and it seized up at that point. Any thoughts?
Pati
May 23
Hola Leila!!
That is interesting. I suggest you make it with the same goat’s milk but use dark brown sugar instead. It shouldn’t curdle. Make sure you cook it at a steady medium-medium low simmer… All my best to you and your 4 boys… I always thought that we would have 4 boys… and then… we stopped at 3!
Debbie
Aug 30
Homemade Cajeta or Dulce de Leche
Cajeta Casera
Patti – I just watched this episode on CreateTV (Sun., Aug. 30) and I thought your nephew(?) said it had salt in the dulce de leche, however, I don’t see any salt measurement in the recipe.
Please advise.
Thank you,
Debbie
Kearny, NJ
Pati
Sep 06
Hi Debbie, no salt. Hope you enjoy it when you make it as much as we do.