This Dulce de Leche Ice Cream recipe is like caramel ice cream but BETTER. Includes recipe for how to make homemade dulce de leche in the oven.

Here in San Francisco, we’re experiencing some of our best weather of the year, so I’ve been inspired even more than usual to make and eat ice cream (let’s be serious, it doesn’t take much inspiration). To be completely honest, even in our coldest, foggiest months, we always have a batch or two of homemade ice cream on hand. Making your own ice cream is something that defies weather patterns!

Dulce de Leche vs Caramel

Dulce de leche is basically caramel sauce being the best version of itself. It’s milk based and is practically a staple of the Argentine diet, which is where I first encountered it. There, it’s spread on toast, sandwiched between two cookies and eaten in snack packs. Buying dulce del leche in the store here can be expensive – if you are even able to find it. Luckily, there’s an easy way to make homemade dulce de leche sauce from a can of sweetened condensed milk. My favorite way is to use your oven, but you can also find recipes online that use the stovetop or microwave.

I’ve learned that despite how easy it is to make homemade dulce de leche, I’m best served by not keeping a jar handy. I just don’t have the willpower to keep myself from eating it by the spoonful. It’s my kryptonite. This recipe for dulce de leche ice cream is similar. I think this batch lasted all of two days in our house. I came home from work to Pat sitting on the couch looking guilty and the ice cream container sitting next to him – empty.

Making Homemade Dulce de Leche in the Oven

It’s so simple to make your own dulce de leche! Just pour two cans of sweetened condensed milk into an oven proof dish and cover with tinfoil. Place the dish in a larger dish filled with enough water that it covers 3/4 of the sides of the smaller dish.

Bake for 1-2 hours at 425° Fahrenheit. The longer you bake, the darker and thicker your dulce de leche will be. Remove from oven and remove foil.

At this point your dulce de leche might look a bit lumpy. Never fear! Just give it a vigorous stir and it will smooth out and look like this:

or this, if we’re truly looking for dulce de leche glamour shots:

Why this Dulce De Leche Ice Cream is the BEST

Dulce de leche is heavier and thicker than caramel meaning nicer swirls in your ice cream!
Dulce de leche is easier to make from scratch than caramel – no temperatures to monitor or finicky steps
The ice cream base is super smooth and creamy. It’s also easy to make.
Dulce de leche ice cream is sweet tooth heaven!

Thanks so much for reading! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts and musings from me.

Homemade Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Homemade Caramel Dulce De Leche Ice Cream Recipe

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This Dulce de Leche Ice Cream recipe is like caramel ice cream but BETTER. Includes recipe for how to make homemade dulce de leche in the oven.

Author: Kelly Egan
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 10 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Freezer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

2 – 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

How to Make Homemade Dulce De Leche

Empty the sweetened condensed milk cans into an oven safe baking dish like a pie pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place in a larger roasting or casserole pan and create a water bath by filling it with water about 3/4 the way up the sides of your smaller dish. Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 1-2 hours, checking every 30 minutes to see if the water level needs to be refilled. It should be brown and caramel-colored when it is ready. The longer you let it cook, the thicker your dulce de leche. At first it will have a bubbly appearance and may have some color differences if your oven heat is inconsistent. Whisk until smooth and let cool. I like to use a hand mixer for this. A few small lumps are normal and won’t affect the taste of your ice cream.

How to Make Dulce De Leche Ice Cream:

Combine milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Remove from heat and whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the dulce de leche until dissolved. Whisk in vanilla and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, ideally overnight. You can speed up the process by chilling in an ice bath by putting bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally until cold, about 20 minutes.
Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
Gently fold in the remaining dulce de leche leaving visible swirls. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour.

P.S. – This recipe is an update from one originally published in October 2013. It was one of my first recipes I ever shared on the blog! Wondering what my photos looked like five years ago? Here’s one from the original post:

Do I have you craving Dulce de Leche Ice Cream? Pin this recipe for later!