This was the first recipe I posted because it’s just SO DANG EASY! When you have allergies, and cook everything from scratch, you need every shortcut you can get! Let’s be honest. We ALL need shortcuts, allergies or not.

When I was little, my mom would occasionally make this with regular sweetened condensed milk. It seemed like some sort of magic. It was too simple!

Once I had children, I began making it as a special treat for camping. Make ahead, leave in the can and just pack with a bag of apples. My kids devoured it!

When dairy was taken off the table for a couple members of our family, I was sad. It was just so delicious! I theorized that it could be done with sweetened condensed coconut milk, but was too afraid to try for a long time. What if it didn’t work?

A year later I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go. I’m so glad I did!

And if you decide you’re going to make it, I’ll go ahead and tell you: You’re welcome!

1 can sweetened condensed coconut milk

Pot that can hold can and still be covered with at least an inch of water (or, a crockpot)

Stovetop Method:

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Place an UNOPENED can of sweetened condensed coconut milk in the boiling water, making sure the water completely covers the can. I make sure it covers by an inch, since the water will slowly evaporate. Cover and let simmer for 4 hours, topping off water as needed and turning the can every half hour to prevent scorching. When removing can from water, be very careful! Obviously it is very hot! Once can is cool enough to handle, open and serve. *Many recipes say 3 hours and use regular sweetened condensed milk. I live at an elevation over 7000 feet, as well as use COCONUT sweetened condensed milk. It needs the extra time.

Crockpot Method:

I grew up using the ‘simmer in a pan all day’ method. Recently, I tried using a crockpot. AMAZING!! Put the can in a crockpot with water (barely covering) and cook for 8 hours on low. tip: go ahead and cook multiple cans. when they cool, before putting back in the pantry, label them as “caramel.” Later, when you open, it may look a little weird. Just put in a bowl and microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until creamy again.

**I have noticed that using coconut milk has a small difference than regular milk. Regular milk will stay creamy. With coconut milk, it needs to be stirred and often has coconut solids after cooling. Just microwave a few seconds at a time (in a microwave-safe bowl), stirring between each time.