Easy Instant Pot Dulce de Leche

Next time a recipe calls for Dulce de Leche don’t buy it at the store, make it yourself! It is so much faster than making it on the stove top or a slow cooker and a lot easier than you might think.

This Dulce de Leche has such a decadent and creamy flavor. I seriously could eat an entire bushel of apple slices dipped in Dulce de Leche. It’s that good!

The fact that I can make it in my pressure cooker in a really hands-off kind of way makes me so very happy. It’s not one of the super-fastest recipes I’ve ever made in the pressure cooker, but still, it’s one of the most hands-off.

That’s part of what I love about the Instant Pot — how hands-off it is to make just about everything. From desserts like this one to dinners, lunches, snacks and even breakfast, my Instant Pot gets a workout, but I don’t.

I use it all the time, multiple times a week. It makes cooking so much easier and stress-free. You just need to gather all of your ingredients (which is so not much in this case), pop them into the pot, set it and walk away!

What You Need to Make Instant Pot Dulce de Leche

•  One 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

Yep, that’s it. Nothing else.

How to Make Dulce de Leche in your Instant Pot

Start by ensuring your can isn’t dented or malformed in any way and remove the paper, cleaning the outside of the can well.

If your can is damaged, you can put the sweetened condensed milk in a mason jar with the lid on it securely.

Just as a warning, the can or canning jar will be under pressure inside the instant pot pressure cooker and will continue to be under pressure until it has cooled completely. So do NOT move or open it until the mason jar or can has cooled.  

Place the trivet inside of your inner pot. then fill the pot with water. The water will need to fully submerge the can while laying on its side on the trivet, so you will need about 4-6 cups of water.

Place the can in the water on it’s side, making sure it’s covered, then close the lid and seal the vent. Set the the Instant Pot to high pressure for a cooking time of 15 minutes. 

Do a natural release. Do NOT move the can or glass jar. But definitely remove the lid. Don’t quick release–there’s a lot of hot hot water and you don’t want to be sprayed, it’s not worth it.

Allow the can and Instant Pot to rest until the water has cooled completely. The can will still be warm after the water has cooled. It took about 35 minutes to 40 minutes.

Carefully remove the can and place it in the fridge. Allow the can to cool completely before opening it to avoid the explosion of any pressurized contents. I let mine sit overnight in the fridge, just to be safe. 

Once the can is cooled, open the can and use the Dulce de Leche. You can use it in a recipe, pour it over a big scoop of ice cream like a decadent creamy caramel…or place into an airtight container and store in the fridge. 

If you’re loving this recipe for Instant Pot Dulce de Leche, too, be sure to pin it to your favorite easy dessert ideas board on Pinterest so you can find it quickly when you’re ready for the best dulce de leche you’ve ever had!

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• Instant Pot Chicken Marsala with Spaghetti Squash
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• 3 Minute Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
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• & find even more Instant Pot recipes here.