Dulce de leche de soja y coco
July 18, 2010 in Allgemein
If you ask me if I wanted a brick of gold or a jar of dulce de leche, I’d choose dulce de leche.
Liquid gold aka vegan dulce de leche
I first tasted this stuff years ago while P and I both studied abroad. While I chose Oslo, Norway, P. headed straight to Madrid, Spain. When I visited him there he introduced me to many fantastic Spanish foods. I loved most of the sweet treats I tried there and I realized that other countries know how to worship their caramel. I always had a special love for all things caramel. In Norway I used to buy smil saus (a caramel sauce) for my ice cream, in the UK I bought caramel filled chocolate bars from a vending machine almost every day. And in Spain I learned about dulce de leche. Translated this means milk jam and dulce de leche is sweetened and milk which is cooked for hours. Thickened and caramelized it has a wonderfully sweet milky toffee flavour. Dulce de leche is a Latin American product which is popular in Spain and has a french twin, called confiture de lait. You can use it as a spread for bread like you would use jam or you can use it for cookies, cakes, and ice cream.
Both and P. were seriously addicted to the complex and rich flavour of this fantastic milk caramel spread.
Okay, as in most posts about food memories on this blog we have to insert a huge “not vegan” sign or something similar. Because how can condensed cow milk be delicious? When I became vegan dulce de leche wasn’t associated with a wonderful taste experience any longer but with concentrated suffering in a jar.
But of course there is a solution to this problem. You can now enjoy the wonderful flavour of dulce de leche de soja y coco. To make vegan dulce de leche you don’t need any fancy ingredients like vegan condensed milk or rice syrup. Traditional dulce de leche is made from mostly milk and sugar. All you need is lots of time. It’s best made on a free evening or the weekend when you know you won’t leave the house for the next three hours. I know that sounds time consuming . But you don’t have to watch your milk mixture transform into dulce de leche all the time. You just have to check on it every 20 minutes or so. And I didn’t use my stove much the last two weeks. So when it fianlly cooled down yesterday, I was ready to make up for the lack of cooking.
For the vegan dulce de leche, I used this recipe and adapted it a bit. After I had made a batch, I realized that half the amount of sugar would have been enough. Most other dulce de leche recipes call for less sugar (like this one). I really like both flavour and texture of this version, but I am curious how a different ratio of milk to sugar will affect the taste.
Vegan Dulce de Leche
820 ml (3 1/2 cups) soy milk
120 ml (1/2 cup) full fat coconut milk
400 g (2 cups) sugar
1/4 tsp ground vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch baking soda (to prevent curdling)
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup*
* the syrup is optional. I makes the dulce darker and emphasizes the caramel flavour, but it is not necessary. It depends on ones taste and preferences. For a “milkier” and probably more authentic version leave it out.
Straight from the jar
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to low. The mixture should simmer slowly, not boil. Very small bubbles and only a little bit of foam on the surface is what you’ll want. Not a lot of foam and definitely no overboiling. Simmer the mixture for three hours. Check on it every 15 – 20 minutes and stir from time to time. After 2 1/2 hours check on it more often and stir. It will get darker and the texture will change. It should have reduced to less than half the amount it was in the beginning. If it has reached the desired consistency, transfer to glass jars, close them with a lid and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator. It will harden a bit when cold, so take it out of the fridge at least 1-2 hours before using.
I have some recipes planned involving this spread (dulce de leche ice cream, anyone?), so stay tuned.
Is dulche de leche similar to condensed milk? I used to love that stuff, either on bread and butter or on a teaspoon, striaght out of a tin! (I could get away with that many calories in those far-off days…) I, too, love caramel. Have you tried vegan caramel bars? Chocolate bars with caramel inside each square? I can’t remember who makes them, but will check if you don’t know them.
I must try making this. It sounds like just the thing to do on a rainy summer’s day! And we’ve had quite a few of them… :(
It is sometimes made with condensed milk but it’s not the same.And yes, I’ve tried some GoMaxGo bars, if you mean those. And we should swap some hot and rainy days, so you get to see the sun and I can cool down a bit.
I used to love dulce de leche. I was first introduced to it as a Latin treat in Spanish class, and I never even thought to try to veganize it. I think this will be wonderful in ice cream (perhaps you have already tried!) and I might need to work on a batch for myself.
Oh, your dulce de leche must be delicious! I have to make a batch some time soon…
Oh, yum. I need to make that soon!
My mouth is watering just looking at that jar of Dulce de leche! I can not wait to make this! THanks so much for sharing, Ill let you know how it goes!!!
zomg, your dulche de leche look amazing, Mihl! i’m dreaming of all the yummies i can spoon this over and enjoy with. mmmmmmmmmm! i can’t wait to see what awesomeness you create with your sauce, and i love that the recipe doesn’t call for fancy ingredients and just takes a little time to create something so super delicious. thanks, Mihl!
DULCE de Leche is my favorite ever and I have not made it since being a vegan. Great recipe. My Chilean grandmother always made it to add to her famous birthday cakes. She would put it between layers of cake along with our favorite jam and shredded coconut. I need to make cake now….. :) Chuss!
Can you replace the barley malt syrup with brown rice syrup?
Hi Amy! As I mentioned above, you can leave out the syrup altogether. If you want to use one, I’d rather go with molasses (but not blackstrap). Brown rice syrup is very mild and probably won’t change the colour or the taste.
Holy wow! I was just looking for a caramel-esque veg substitute. My apple pie cookies needed that gooey sweetness. I’ve gotta make this, STAT! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my goodness, that looks amazing! I’m a big caramel fan too. Thanks for sharing!
Ooh, I used to looooove dulce de leche! I can’t recall if I’ve ever had a vegan version (though I’ve made caramel sauce before & LOVE it). I am definitely making this. Gorgeous photos!
I used to keep a jar of this in the fridge at all times. I’m really bad for having a scoop of it whenever I look in the fridge to get something to eat. In fact, I don’t think I ever even put it on anything other than a spoon that went straight into my mouth!
this is the first time i’ve seen a vegan version of dulche de leche, you’re pretty smart figuring out how to make it. i really want to try this and i have the one-ingredient banana ice cream in mind…
i’ve some questions just to make sure:
what kind of soy milk did you use? the “pure”, for cooking kind or the one with sugar in it?
how much fat is “full fat”? (i guess Alnatura’s 22g/100g won’t do.)
thanks!
Hi Lilla, I used “Rewe Bio Hafer-Soja”. Use your favourite soymilk. It doesn’t matter if it contains a little bit of sugar. I would go with any milk that has a creamy texture and no light or no 100% oatmilk versions. Those might be too “thin”.
Alnatura’s coconut milk is a full-fat coconut milk. 22 g per 100 g is exactly what you are looking for.
This would be dangerous to have on stock in my apartment! I would most certainly sneak spoonfuls in the middle of the night. That’s okay to do, right?
So awesome to have a non-fancy vegan dulce de leche recipe! I’ve always wanted to make my own but not wanted to buy the expensive ingredients–I’m all on this one when I have a free night.