Sweetened Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is whole milk with much of its water removed and sugar added: Carnation’s UK tin carries 55g of sugars and 8g of fat per 100g. That sugar is what preserves it, and in a drink it is both sweetener and dairy. Our Vietnamese iced coffees take 30ml stirred into hot coffee, and our Coquito a 400g tin.
Quick Facts
Unopened at room temperature. Once opened, scrape into a lidded pot and refrigerate.
Contains: milk.
About Sweetened Condensed Milk
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Rich dairy sweetness with light caramel notes from milk reduction. Thick, silky mouthfeel.
The sugar does the preserving
Sweetened condensed milk is milk with much of its water heated off and sugar added. So much sugar is dissolved in so little water that microbes cannot grow, which is why the tin keeps without sterilising. Carnation’s UK tin is 55g of sugars and 8g of fat per 100g: in a drink it is a sweetener first and a dairy second. It pours slowly and thickly, so warm the spoon in hot water before measuring.
Stir it into hot coffee
Our Vietnamese Iced Coffee spoons 30ml into the glass and stirs strong hot coffee into it so it dissolves before the ice goes in. The cocktail version does the same, then shakes the sweetened coffee hard with vodka and coffee liqueur. In both it is the only sugar and the only milk; 40ml makes a sweeter glass.
Condensed milk in our three recipes
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
- Measure
- 30ml, or 40ml sweeter
- Other sweetener
- None
- Other dairy
- None
- How it goes in
- Stirred into hot coffee
Vietnamese Iced Coffee cocktail
- Measure
- 30ml, or 40ml sweeter
- Other sweetener
- Coffee liqueur
- Other dairy
- None
- How it goes in
- Stirred hot, then shaken
Coquito
- Measure
- 400g tin
- Other sweetener
- Cream of coconut
- Other dairy
- Evaporated milk
- How it goes in
- In the blender for 60 seconds
| Drink | Measure | Other sweetener | Other dairy | How it goes in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnamese Iced Coffee | 30ml, or 40ml sweeter | None | None | Stirred into hot coffee |
| Vietnamese Iced Coffee cocktail | 30ml, or 40ml sweeter | Coffee liqueur | None | Stirred hot, then shaken |
| Coquito | 400g tin | Cream of coconut | Evaporated milk | In the blender for 60 seconds |
In Coquito it is the sweetener
The Coquito blends a 400g tin with evaporated milk, coconut milk, cream of coconut, rum and spice. The condensed milk supplies the sugar and a cooked caramel note; the evaporated milk supplies body. Leftover condensed milk keeps a few days chilled in a lidded pot. Being made from whole milk, it is a milk allergen like any dairy.
Using Sweetened Condensed Milk
Usage
Spoon 30ml into the glass and stir it into the coffee while it is hot, as in our Vietnamese iced coffees, or add a 400g tin to the blender for a batch of Coquito. Count it as the drink’s sugar and add no syrup.
Pro Tip
For the cocktail version of Vietnamese iced coffee, let the sweetened coffee cool for a minute before it goes into the shaker with ice, so the first ice is not lost to heat.
Top Tips
- Dissolve it in something hot first. Cold, it sinks and streaks.
- Measure it with a spoon you have warmed in hot water, so it slides off cleanly.
- Add 10ml more for a sweeter coffee rather than adding syrup.
- Scrape what is left in the tin into a small lidded pot and refrigerate it.
Possible Substitutions
- Evaporated Milk: plus sugar: less rich
Production Method
Whole milk heated to drive off much of its water, with sugar added, then tinned. UK law requires at least 8% fat and 28% total milk solids; the sugar, not sterilising, is what keeps it.
History & Context
Gail Borden patented a process for condensing milk in the United States, and his first commercially successful plant opened in 1864 in Brewster, New York. Sweetened condensed milk keeps because the dissolved sugar raises the osmotic pressure high enough to stop microbes growing.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is sweetened condensed milk?
Why is condensed milk used in Vietnamese iced coffee?
Is condensed milk the same as evaporated milk?
How long does condensed milk keep once opened?
What can I use instead of sweetened condensed milk?
How much condensed milk goes in Vietnamese coffee?
Made with Sweetened Condensed Milk
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Often Used With
Updated 11 October 2026