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Homemade Condensed Milk Nutella in One Minute with Three Ingredients

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Glossy homemade chocolate spread made with sweetened condensed milk in a jar

4.9 (22)out of 5, 22 ratings

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Prep
5 min
Bake
15 min
Total
20 min
Makes
1

Spreadable, glossy, ready in one minute: my condensed milk Nutella is one of those spreads where I already know while I'm stirring it that there won't be any left by the evening. Three ingredients, one whisk, and after just a few seconds of stirring it already tastes almost like the famous original from the jar.

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What sets this recipe apart from other quick chocolate spreads is the combination of dark chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and a really generous amount of soft butter. That is where the silky texture comes from, firm enough to hold its shape and still spreadable, without having to boil anything or stir for ages. The recipe came about in my second series on fillings, because so many of you asked me for an easy Nutella alternative. There is just one important thing: the butter really has to be at room temperature, otherwise you get little lumps of butter in the spread. And if you add a few ground hazelnuts (finely ground hazelnuts; in the US use hazelnut flour or hazelnut meal, in the UK ground hazelnuts), it gets really close in flavor to the famous chocolate hazelnut original. Here is my recipe for making homemade Nutella with sweetened condensed milk the easy way:

Ingredients

Makes 1

  • 1 can (14 oz)sweetened condensed milkAny brand of sweetened condensed milk works, 14 oz (400 g). Thick, sweetened condensed milk. In the US use sweetened condensed milk; in the UK, condensed milk.
  • 2 sticks plus 2 tbsp250 gunsalted butterGerman butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 7 oz200 gchocolate

Method

  1. Melt the chocolate and let it cool for a moment.

  2. Add the whole can of sweetened condensed milk and mix thoroughly with a hand mixer.

  3. Beat in the soft butter. Done.

Questions and answers

Is sweetened condensed milk the same as Milchmaedchen?
Yes, that is exactly what it is. Milchmaedchen is really just the well-known German brand name for sweetened condensed milk. So you can just as well use 14 oz (400 g) of sweetened condensed milk from another brand, it makes no difference to the recipe.
What is the difference between condensed milk Nutella and a ganache?
A classic ganache made from chocolate and heavy cream (German cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat; in the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, in the UK whipping cream) often turns really firm and rock hard in the fridge. Thanks to the butter and the condensed milk, my condensed milk Nutella stays much smoother and spreadable, even when it is cold. So it is more like a spread or a soft cake filling than a firm chocolate cake coating (a ready-made compound coating that sets glossy without tempering).
How long does homemade condensed milk Nutella keep?
From my own experience, three to four days unrefrigerated at normal room temperature are no problem at all; I have tested that several times. In the fridge it keeps much longer. If you want to be on the safe side, just store it in the fridge and take it out in good time before spreading.
Why does my spread have little lumps of butter?
That is almost always because the butter was too cold. It really has to be at room temperature, or even a little softer. If the chocolate and condensed milk mixture has already cooled a bit and you then add hard butter, you get exactly these lumps, and they won't stir smooth again.
Can I jazz up the condensed milk Nutella with hazelnuts?
Absolutely, I like to do that myself. I simply stir a few ground hazelnuts into the finished spread. That brings it really close in flavor to the famous original, because Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread after all.
What can I use the spread for?
I love using it as a spread, really as a Nutella replacement on bread or rolls. It works just as well as a cake filling between layers, because it stays nice and spreadable and doesn't get too firm. It is also a great choice for filling chocolates or cupcakes.