From Scratch to Scrumptious

Making evaporated milk in the slow cooker is so easy, you’ll be surprised that you’ve never tried this before!

Have you ever started making your pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving only to realize that you bought *gasp* Sweetened Condensed Milk?! I couldn’t count how many times I’ve made this simple and ridiculous mistake!

This past year, I simply forgot to buy any kind of canned milk! I remembered to buy the pumpkin. I always have spices and pie crust ingredients. But somehow that can of evaporated milk evaporated right out of my head when I got to the store!

Fortunately, with 5 kids in the house, we always have plenty of milk. As I’ve said before, sometimes it’s easier to make something from scratch than to take the whole family to the grocery store. When it’s made in the slow cooker, it’s even easier!

What is Evaporated Milk?

Evaporated milk is simply milk that has been cooked down until the water volume has been reduced by 60%. To make 12 ounces (a standard can size) you’ll start with 32 ounces (4 cups) of regular milk.

The standard evaporated milk you buy at the store is made with whole milk, but you can also find products made with 2% milk or fat-free milk.

Evaporated Milk Ingredients

I’m willing to bet you could guess the entire list of ingredients…

Milk: Yup, milk. That’s all you need.

You can make evaporated milk from whole or 2%. Skim milk can also be used in a pinch, but I would recommend a higher fat concentration since evaporated milk is supposed to be rich and creamy.

Making Evaporated Milk

Evaporated milk is made by cooking off 60% of the water in regular milk, so the hardest part is knowing when you’re there. Luckily, I have a simple trick for you!

Pour 12 ounces of water into your slow cooker. Using a ruler, measure the distance from the top of the slow cooker to the top of the water. Write this down!

My ruler is just above the level of 12 ounces of water. The water is hard to see in the picture, but it’s there.

The top of the slow cooker is at 3 3/4 inches. For the sake of the picture, I marked it with tape. Now I know at what level the milk will be when it’s cooked down to 12 ounces.

Remove the water from the slow cooker.

Now pour 30 ounces of milk (3 3/4 cups) into the slow cooker. Cook on high uncovered for about 8-10 hours. Periodically check how close the milk is getting to your originally-measured distance.

If a skin forms on top of the milk, remove it to allow for more evaporation.

That’s it! When the milk has cooked down to the right level, allow it to cool and pour it into a pint glass jar.

Doubling the Recipe

This recipe can easily be doubled, but will take longer to cook down the larger amount, so plan accordingly. It will take the better part of your waking day.

Add 24 ounces (3 cups) of water to the slow cooker and mark how deep it is when measured with a ruler.

Remove the water and replace with 60 ounces (7 1/2 cups) milk. Cook on high, uncovered, for 11-13 hours.

It takes me 12 hours in my 4-quart slow cooker to cook down 60 ounces of milk to 24 ounces.

How to Store Homemade Evaporated Milk

Store covered in the fridge until a few days after the sell-by date.

Can I Store Homemade Evaporated Milk at Room Temperature?

No. Your evaporated milk should be treated like regular milk and stored safely in the refrigerator.

Can I Preserve (Home Can) My Homemade Evaporated Milk?

No, canning homemade evaporated milk is not recommended. It’s very difficult for a home canner to obtain temperatures high enough for long enough to make the milk safely shelf-stable without completely ruining the flavor.

For an in-depth look at why we shouldn’t home-can our evaporated milk, check out this very thorough article on the Creative Canning website.

Uses for Evaporated Milk

Cooking and Baking

This is probably the most obvious use, especially in November and December. Pumpkin pies and fudge use this magical ingredient. I’ve also seen recipes for macaroni and cheese that use it for an extra-rich cheese sauce.

Soup

In a creamy soup, replace some of the milk with evaporated milk to boost the flavor and richness!

Coffee

Because it’s concentrated, the sugars are concentrated, too. A bit sweeter and creamier than regular milk, it makes a decadent addition to your coffee. Add a splash, and tell me what you think!

Happy Evaporating!