If you are learning how to cook and bake, you may wonder what the differences are between similar tasting foods and whether certain ingredients can substitute one another. Some people use the terms "caramel" and "dulce de leche" interchangeably, but there are some differences. Read on to learn more about these ingredients so that you can use them in your recipes more confidently.

What Is Caramel?

Caramel is a confectionery product made from heating sugar with splashes of water and then mixing in milk, butter, and vanilla. Sugars are heated first, and then other ingredients are usually added afterward once the sugar mixture has cooled. Caramel can be a great topping for home-made ice cream and custard, or you can use it as a filling for chocolates, like bonbons.

How Is Dulce de Leche Different From Caramel?

Unlike caramel, dulce de leche is made with condensed milk — cow's milk where water content has been evaporated and sugar has been added. While caramel is made by heating granulated sugar and then adding other ingredients, dulce de leche is made by cooking the milk and sugar together.

Dulce de leche has a similar color and texture as caramel, but there are some differences in taste that you will pick out as you learn to cook. In general, dulce de leche has a nuttier, sweeter taste than caramel.

Can You Use One or the Other as a Recipe Substitute?

Yes, if you don't have one ingredient, then they can often be used as substitutes for one another. However, if you are trying to follow a Latin American recipe that calls for dulce de leche, you may want to try and get it instead of using caramel so that you can get an authentic flavor for the region's cuisine. For example, some recipes may call for cajeta, a type of dulce de leche that is made specifically with goat's milk.

If you are baking desserts like sugar cookies or caramel-stuffed snicker-doodles, it's easier to substitute one for another. Keep in mind that dulce de leche can be a bit heavier in sugar and in flavor, so you usually don't need as much as caramel.

To make things more confusing, some recipes may ask for butterscotch, which is similar to caramel. However, butterscotch is made with brown sugar, not granulated sugar, meaning that it still has molasses (a byproduct of the sugar-making process). You may be able to substitute caramel and dulce de leche with it, but it just depends on the recipe, so you may have to experiment.

Reach out to a specialty food store to buy milk caramel or dulce de leche