Welcome to how to make Instant Pot Caramel from condensed milk. If there is just ONE Instant Pot recipe that you MUST make it has to be Instant Pot Caramel.
I often get emails from either potential (or brand new) Instant Pot users. They are all fascinated by the electric pressure cooker trend and want to know (considering they can cook good) what is the point in them owning the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker?
Well you can see it from their point of view can’t you?
- They like cooking
- They hate the idea of batch cooking
- They are not in a huge rush so a 40 minute chicken doesn’t appeal to them
- They are good at peeling their boiled eggs
- They like the smell of a warm stew in the oven
Actually, I think I just described me and the hubby!!!
Instant Pot cooking is very much about being able to cook an 8 hour pulled pork in less than an hour, being easy for people that are terrible at cooking and a fantastic option for if you hate peeling eggs.
But if none of that bothers you then why get an Instant Pot?
Well for me it comes down to one thing and one thing only. You can turn condensed milk into caramel in just 40 minutes instead of 4 hours. I mean that is a truly amazing time saver. This has nothing to do with whether you are an excellent cook or not, but about an act of magic.
Dominic (my husband of nearly 15 years) was a chef when we met. He is excellent in the kitchen and has a natural ability when it comes to cooking. When I said that I was getting an electric pressure cooker he was far from pleased, as we like to cook so much.
But when he realised he could make his favourite caramel so fast I had him. He was hooked.
Therefore if you are trying to sell the Instant Pot to someone then tell them about the caramel and that same caramel can then be used in loads of your favourite dishes and you can save a lot of time in your kitchen.
Our favourite so far is our Airfryer caramel cheesecake. The main cheesecake is cooked in the Airfryer but the caramel is made in the Instant Pot. Or a take on the classic dessert Banoffee Pie with the pie being made in the Instant Pot.
It saved us over 3 hours in the kitchen that’s for sure. Plus if you make the Airfryer cheesecake then you can cook in the Airfryer while the caramel cooks in the Instant Pot and it makes you sound so organised.
One Ingredient Instant Pot Caramel
Start with a big can of condensed milk, remove the labels, place in the Instant Pot cook for 40 minutes on manual and then you have the most delicious caramel ever.
Though maybe I should level with you. As a child I never ever had caramel from a can of condensed milk. In fact I never even knew you could until Dominic mentioned it after we got our Instant Pot. He told me how he always had it cooking on the stove for 4 hours when he was little. Now I am making up for lost time and a childhood that was missing a lot of caramel binges.
How To Make Instant Pot Caramel From Condensed Milk Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove all the packaging from the condensed milk can and place it inside your inner pot in the Instant Pot. Pour over it enough boiling water so that you can no longer see the condensed milk can and so that it is submerged.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the valve to sealing and cook for 40 minutes on manual.
- When it beeps, manually remove pressure, wait until the can is cool enough to handle. Then remove the lid with a can opener and then serve.
Notes
Vicky says
You state on your recipe condensed milk, but on the site you show the brand you us, its sweetened condensed milk. Which do you us?
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Vicky,
Sorry for the confusion, yes we used sweetened condensed milk, it has to be sweetened.
Kind Regards
Sam
Vickie says
Have you tried doing 2 or 3 cans at once?
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Vickie,
Here is the reply i gave to Kate above:
I do not see why not. It is just like with eggs one egg takes 3 minutes to cook in a pan of boiling water but if you add more eggs it will still only take 3 minutes to cook.
We have not tried to do more than one can because we got more than enough caramel out of just the one can.
Many Thanks.
Sam
P:S Let us know if you give it a try and if it works.
Kate says
Can you cook multiple cans at once?
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Kate
I do not see why not. It is just like with eggs one egg takes 3 minutes to cook in a pan of boiling water but if you add more eggs it will still only take 3 minutes to cook.
We have not tried to do more than one can because we got more than enough caramel out of just the one can.
Many Thanks.
Sam
P:S Let us know if you give it a try and if it works.
Wendy says
I’m living in Costa Rica. Most milk of the ultra high temperature variety and is sold in paper cartons. Is the can necessary? Would you be able to suggest a work-around? Thank you!
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Wendy
Here in Portugal most milk is sold in cartons but we do have sweetened condensed milk which is always sold in cans. So unless it is available in a can i cannot see how you will be able to cook the milk to change it into caramel.
These are the types of milk you can use: https://www.amazon.com/Carnation-Sweetened-Condensed-Milk-Ounce/dp/B01M3W1JL9/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1508332906&sr=1-4&keywords=condensed+milk
It is not an affiliate link just a link to the product that we are talking about. Hope it helps.
Sorry.
Kind Regards
Sam
Jill says
I tried this with 2 cans and they both came out with a nice caramel color but the taste is not really a whole lot like real caramel. Does this caramel taste different than if you made it the traditional way on the stove top. Also mine was very congealed consistency…..not smooth and creamy. I tried taking it out and blending it well but it was still lumpy.
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Jill
They do not taste exactly like a real caramel made on the stove but it is quite close to it we found. The consistency is alot thicker than traditional caramel because we use this kind of caramel for banoffee pies where you mix it with bananas on a pastry crust and cream so we find it is useful when making pies and sponges because it stays nice and thick.
The consistency can differ we found from can to can but i do not know why. One can came out lovely and smooth but when we did another one it came out all lumpy no matter what we did with it this is why we tend to mix it with different kinds of food.
Thanks for your comment.
Kind Regards
Sam
Karin says
I found of you use a cold can it for some reason makes a smoother Carmel than room temperature can did . Try for yourself , don’t take just my word , it may have been the brand I used . (Nestle Carnation)
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Karin,
We will try it and see if it turns out any different.
Thanks for the tip.
Chrissy says
You can do more than 1 can. I did 3 all came out perfect. 40mins
Tammy says
Do you set the can directly on the bottom of the inner pot or do you set it on the trivet…..or does it matter?
Thanks!
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Tammy,
We just stand it up right and make sure it is covered with the water, no we don’t use the trivet ?
Thanks
Dom
Monique says
I just finished and it is very liquid even after let it cool and very light in color. Tastes like sweetened condensed milk. What could have happened.
Samantha and Dominic says
Hi Monique,
A possibility could be that it was not cooked for long enough or the instant pot did not go to pressure properly because that is how it turns out when it is not cooked 🙂
Thanks.