What can i use condensed milk for

As far as pantry staples go, canned sweetened condensed milk is among the most magical. Not only is it rich, luscious and delicious on its own (we know you’ve licked the spoon clean before), but it’s also the secret to making homemade dulce de leche, cheater’s fudge and foolproof no-churn ice cream. Iconic treats like key lime pie, tres leches cake and Vietnamese iced coffee wouldn’t be the same without its thick, sweet splendor. Here are 49 condensed milk recipes that prove you should always have a can on hand.

1. Crème Caramel

This silky French custard gets a Vietnamese-inspired twist with the help of sweetened condensed milk. (We’re betting you already have the other five ingredients needed to pull it off, too.)

3. Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Choose a bold, strong roast to balance the condensed milk’s sweetness. (You can also swap coffee entirely for black or chai tea.)

6. Thai Iced Tea Panna Cotta

Ombré desserts are always guaranteed to impress. This one’s made up of two layers of panna cotta—one spiked with Thai iced tea mix, the other vanilla extract—and whipped cream.

8. Horchata Three Ways

A type of creamy agua fresca, horchata is a Mexican drink traditionally made by steeping rice in water with almonds and cinnamon. Once you nail the O.G., give the coconut and matcha varieties a whirl.

12. The Easiest 3-ingredient Brigadeiro

For the uninitiated, brigadeiro is a type of Brazilian chocolate truffle rolled in sprinkles. Chocolate milk powder gives the treat its flavor, but strawberry milk powder works just as well.

15. Mini Key Lime Pies

A teeny-tiny bite of pure sunshine. They bake in a muffin tin for just 20 minutes, so they’ll be in your mouth before you know it.

16. Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Whole milk, heavy cream, condensed milk and quality chocolate? Just call this hot cocoa a liquid brownie.

21. Key Lime Cupcakes

Sour cream in the batter guarantees a moist, tender crumb. Feel free to substitute regular lime juice if you can’t find key limes.

23. Perfect Tres Leches Cake

The traditional Latin dessert couldn’t be easier to prepare. The cake is soaked overnight in a mix of whole, evaporated and condensed milks.

30. Lemon Tres Leches Cake

Not only is there lemon zest in the cake batter, but the whipped cream topping also gets a dash of lemon extract to drive the citrusy flavor home.

31. Cookie Dough Tiramisu

Between layers of coffee-soaked ladyfinger cookies and meringue-kissed mascarpone cream is a bed of chocolate chip cookie dough. Need we say more?

32. Cannoli Poke Cake

BRB, going for a dip in a pool of sweet ricotta. Might we suggest topping the cake off with crumbled cannoli shells?

35. Buttered Rum Fudge

Don’t worry, there’s not a drop of alcohol in this holiday treat. The key to its boozy flavor is rum extract.

40. Seven-layer Bars

Three types of baking chips, coconut flakes and nuts doused in sweetened condensed milk? Pinch us, we’re dreaming.

44. Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce

For ice cream sundaes, brownies and well, just about any dessert that could use a lil’ something extra. The recipe calls for melting down white chocolate chips, but you can substitute half with peanut butter chips if you’d like.

45. Atlantic Beach Pie

This summery pie is famous for its sweet-and-salty saltine cracker crust. (Though we’d argue that the three-ingredient citrus filling is just as noteworthy.)

49. Sweet Cream Cold Brew Fudgesicles

Admit it: You wouldn’t mind waking up at the crack of dawn to start your day with one of these bad boys. (We’ll be letting ours melt into a hot cup of joe, thank you very much.)

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