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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / One Ingredient Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

One Ingredient Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

July 25, 2015 by Alea Milham 11 Comments

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 Easy One Ingredient Crock Pot Caramel Sauce Recipe - Here are directions for making caramel sauce in a slow cooker using a can of sweetened condensed milk.

My grandmother originally shared how to make caramel sauce using sweetened condensed milk with me back in 2000. She recommended putting the unopened can of sweetened condense milk in a pan, covering it with water, and simmering for 3 hours.

While her caramel sauce recipe was easy and delicious, that is a lot of time to have something simmering on the stove! A friend told me that she made caramel sauce in her slow cooker by cooking the submerged can of sweetened condensed milk for 8 hours on low. Again easy and delicious, but that is a lot of time to cook one can!

Brilliant solution just in time for apple dipping season: Batch cook multiple cans of sweetened condensed milk in a Crock Pot, so you always have a ready supply of caramel sauce on hand. Your welcome!

One Ingredient Crock Pot Caramel Sauce

How to make caramel sauce in a crock pot with only one ingredientIngredients:

2-4 cans of sweetened condensed milk (depending on the size of your slow cooker)

Supplies Needed:

a slow cooker (This is the Programmable Crock Pot that I own.)

Optional: canning jars with lids and rings. (These make a lovely gift for friends and neighbors).

Directions:

  1. Place cans of unopened sweetened condensed milk into slow cooker and fill slow cooker as full as possible so the cans are completely submerged in the water. It’s very important that no part of the can should be out of the water during the cooking process.
  2. Cook on low for 8 hours. You may need to refill water if it gets too low.
  3. Allow the cans or jars of caramel sauce to cool on the counter until they reach room temperature before opening.

Optional if using canning jars: Divide the sweetened condensed milk from cans into small canning jars. Close with lids and rings. Follow the same steps.

Notes:

  • Store the caramel sauce in the refrigerator. It’s a fantastic dip for apples or to use as a topping for ice cream.
  • This is often called Dulce de leche. Some differentiate the two by saying that Dulce de leche is sugar and milk-based, while caramel sauce is sugar and water-based, but I always make my caramel sauce with either milk or a dairy-free milk substitute.
3.7 from 3 reviews
One Ingredient Crock Pot Caramel Sauce
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
8 hours
Total time
8 hours 5 mins
 
Author: Alea
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 2-4 cans sweetened condensed milk
Directions
  1. Place cans of unopened sweetened condensed milk into crock pot and fill crock pot as full as possible so the cans are completely submerged in the water. It’s very important that no part of the can should be out of the water during the cooking process.
  2. Cook on low for 8 hours. You may need to refill water if necessary.
  3. Allow the cans or jars of caramel sauce to cool on the counter until they reach room temperature before opening.
3.3.3077

More Caramel Sauce Recipes:

Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce Recipe

How to Make Caramel Popcorn

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    October 4, 2022 at 8:06 pm

    Does the can open in the warm water? I’ve never heard of maki g caramel this way so someone needs to enlighten me.

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      October 7, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      No, the can doesn’t open in the warm water. You open it after it is done cooking.

      Reply
  2. Jennifer Mab says

    December 8, 2019 at 7:11 am

    Turned out amazing! Wonderful taste and creamy texture. Not sticky like store bought. Too good and easy. Making more for gifts

    Reply
  3. Janet says

    November 24, 2019 at 8:54 am

    Don’t forget to remove the label from the can first!

    Reply
  4. Donielle says

    August 27, 2018 at 7:20 am

    Need help. Mine came out almost curddled and was thick like jello. Not creamy. What did I do wrong?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      August 27, 2018 at 3:26 pm

      Without more details, I can’t be sure.

      Reply
  5. SassyPants says

    January 7, 2018 at 4:15 pm

    how long can you leave it in the can before using? can you store in pantry in side unopened can or must it open, and store in fridge?

    Reply
  6. Dolores k says

    December 18, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    Will low fat work.

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      December 18, 2017 at 1:42 pm

      I haven’t tried it.

      Reply
  7. Laurie says

    August 7, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    yum! Pinning. Thank you for sharing with us at the Brag About It Link Party!
    Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
  8. Angie says

    August 5, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    It’s dulce de leche and not caramel. Delicious, but different flavor to me.

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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