Today’s recipe is a variation of the delicious and traditional dulce de leche or arequipe, but instead of whole milk, it’s made with coconut milk. This makes for a wonderful alternative for those who don't do dairy.
Arequipe de Coco (Coconut Dulce de Leche)
Ingredients
- 5 cups of canned coconut milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in large pot over medium heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low.
- Continue cooking string occasionally until the mixture starts to thicken and the color changes to a caramel tone and has a creamy consistency, about 2 hours.
- During the last hour it needs to be watched closely to keep it from burning. It will thicken more when it cools down. It can be refrigerated up to 5 days.
Dulce de leche is a popular dessert in Latin America that goes by many names. In Colombian it's called arequipe, in Mexico, cajeta and is made with goat's milk, in Argentina and the rest of Latin America, it's referred to as dulce de leche and manjar blanco.
While dulce de leche is tasty enough to be served as a dessert by itself, it makes almost everything taste better to me. Dulce de leche is a diverse ingredient that can be used as a filling for cakes, empanadas, and crepes & as a topping for waffles, french toast, pancakes, ice cream and crackers.
This Arequipe de Coco (Coconut Dulce de Leche) recipe is very simple to make, requires a few ingredients and is very popular in Colombia.
Buen provecho!
Dana
I want to thank you for this website. I’m an American married to an Colombian who was born and raised there. Thanks to you I have been able to make tons of Colombian dishes for my husband, our kids, and my in laws. Even my mother in law was impressed with my arroz con pollo. It is a joy cooking for them now that I can easily cook a typical dish. So thank you for the website. Thanks to you, I enjoy cooking again!
grace
dairy doesn't bother me but i'd still prefer this version--delicious and useful creation!
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
Dulche de leche is the best and yes it makes everything better. Making it with coconut is such a great idea. Will be making this one.
Por
Thanks for the recipe. This looks very similar to coconut jam (kaya) normally eaten with bread for breakfast in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.