If pantry staples were ranked on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, sweetened condensed milk would land somewhere near the top (closer to black garlic and malted milk powder than to true essentials like flour, salt, and eggs). You might not use it every day, but when you want fudge or Vietnamese iced coffee, it suddenly feels essential.
The “Father of Canning”—French chef and confectioner Nicolas Appert—invented condensed milk (the unsweetened variety, now largely known as evaporated milk) in 1810, more than 50 years before Louis Pasteur would have his way with microbes. In 1835, English civil engineer William Newton added sugar to milk before reducing it, thereby increasing its shelf stability.
Sweetened condensed milk was popularized in the US in 1858 by Gail Borden Jr.’s Eagle Brand, which you’ll still find on many store shelves. During the Civil War, the Union bought condensed milk—prized for its portability and high caloric value—in large quantities. After the war, returning soldiers helped bolster the product’s popularity.
Today sweetened condensed milk is beloved for the rich, creamy sweetness it adds to desserts like flan, halo halo, and brigadeiros and to festive drinks like coquito. But which can is best? We put 13 brands of sweetened condensed milk through a taste test to find the best for desserts, drinks, and more.
Methodology
How we picked the products
We tested 13 sweetened condensed milks, selecting brands that are widely available in grocery stores and online, including popular bestsellers. We also included a few options with smaller distributions.
No brands were revealed to our panel during the course of tasting. They tasted each sample on its own, evaluating for sweetness, milkiness, and texture. Because sweetened condensed milk is usually used as an ingredient, we then tested the top contenders in hot tea and as the base for a simple no-churn ice cream (without the raspberry and almond add-ins) to see how each performed in real recipes.
How we evaluated each sweetened condensed milk
Our tasters focused on four main factors: sweetness, milkiness, texture, and overall flavor complexity. The ideal condensed milk is sweet but balanced with a light, creamy milk flavor. Subtle hints of vanilla or caramel were welcome, but shouldn’t dominate. The best sweetened condensed milk should be thick and lush, yet pourable enough to drizzle over desserts or to stir into drinks. Any metallic notes or grittiness would disqualify a contender; smooth, creamy, and well-balanced products rose to the top.
Our favorite sweetened condensed milk: Longevity
A staple in Vietnamese coffee, Longevity Sweetened Condensed Milk is also known as Sữa Ông Thọ, which translates to “Mr. Longevity’s Milk.” Its ingredients list is simple—just milk and sugar.
