Cajeta is sweetened goat’s milk, simmered down to make a delicious creamy caramel sauce! Use cow’s milk, and you’ll have dulce de leche.

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Learn how to make a delicious creamy caramel, using sweetened goat’s milk. Cajeta is a simple traditional recipe of Mexico, but an important one! Read on for a bit of history and why it is similar to, yet different from, dulce de leche.
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Cajeta – a little bit of history and a recipe

I had a few jars of goats milk sitting in the fridge, that were supposed to go into the freezer, but my freezer is really too full. That’s when I received an email from my sister about a find at a farmer’s market in Switzerland, which was goat’s milk caramel. Well, that got my mouth watering, and I remembered that delicious sweet, gooey, creamy dessert topping I had made a few years ago to use with homemade ice cream.
Thus inspired, I grabbed those jars of milk and went to work.
Some History and Distinction.
If you’re not from Mexico, or lived in a place with a large Mexican population, you may not be familiar with Cajeta. I wasn’t until a few years ago. But in Mexico it is an important dessert. In fact it was declared the “Bicentennial Dessert of Mexico” in 2010! This was the 200th celebration of Mexican independence from Spanish rule. Here is how it got this distinction.
Wikipedia entry: “In September, 2010, cajeta was declared the Bicentennial Dessert of Mexico, honouring its history, tradition and origin. Cajeta was born in the city of Celaya, Guanajuato, the state where the Independence of Mexico started back in 1810, with the famous Grito de Dolores by father Miguel Hidalgo.”

Mexican Independence Monument
Cajeta was invented in Celaya, a town in Mexico during the revolutionary war by accident. Here is an account from Fodor’s Travel Guide, which published a great story about Cajeta’s history if you’re interested in reading more. I’ll provide a summary here:
“Father Hidalgo and his revolutionary armies took Celaya in the first weeks of the war, in 1810. A local woman was preparing Atole, a milky drink made with cinnamon and sugar, for the soldiers. We still drink it today in Celaya. But the Atole was accidentally burnt. Rather than throwing it away, the soldiers tried it and thought, actually, this is pretty good! That was the first Cajeta.”
On Father Hidalgo’s order, cajeta was then produced on a great scale and taken in huge containers, called Cajetas, to be used for the Mexican rebels. It was easily transportable, didn’t spoil, and provided calories for nourishment. It is said, that cajeta fueled the fight and carried Mexico to independence.
Today in Celaya, there is a yearly celebration of cajeta, the cajeta fiesta. The owner of a candy shop in Celaya explains: “It takes three-and-a-half hours to make classic Cajeta, but for the best ‘burnt’ Cajeta, it takes eight hours. The flavor is fantastic, it just takes a long time to cook.”
Cajeta is also an expression of the Mexican people to differentiate themselves from the Spanish and their traditional versions of sweetened milk products. Cajeta has more depth in flavor and uses goat’s milk as a basis. Goats are a significant part of Mexican agriculture and are very common. Cajeta, made from goat’s milk, has a unique, rich flavor that is all its own.
Thus cajeta is a sweet symbol of revolution and independence for Mexicans!
What is Cajeta?

Cajeta (pronounced kah-heh-tah), just like Dulce de Leche, which is the more well-known of the two, starts with milk and sugar that is boiled down to a syrupy consistency or even a fudge-like confection. However, this is where the similarities end.
Goat’s milk has a more complex flavor than cow’s milk, which gets more pronounced in all concentrated and aged foods made from goat’s milk. I’m still dreaming of getting a dairy cow again someday, but honestly, the cheeses from goat’s milk outdo those made from cow’s milk by a mile in flavor. And the complex, ultra-rich nature and unique flavor of cajeta is, in my opinion, superior to that of dulce de leche. It’s like a supercharged dulce de leche, but it really is still very different!
Benefits of using goat’s milk for caramel sauce

Probably the most accredited advantage of goat’s milk over cow’s milk is it’s digestibility. Goat’s milk is similar in structure to human milk and it can, in fact, be used to substitute human milk for human babies in an emergency.
If you have lactose intolerance or other milk related allergies, you might give goat’s milk a try. Many, who can’t tolerate cow’s milk, can handle goat’s milk and the products made from it, just fine.
But goat’s milk is not only easier to digest by humans, it has many other health promoting properties.
Goat’s milk is naturally anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidative and it is rich in nutrients. This makes it a great choice of milk to drink regularly as part of a health promoting, immune enhancing diet. It is rich in calcium too, which is great for your bones. There is a cool graphic on the National Library of Medicine with some of the health properties of goats milk.
Now I don’t know that I would call cajeta a health food, necessarily. While the milk is certainly healthy, and cajeta can be nourishing, it contains a lot of sugar to make it less qualified for such a distinction. That is especially true, if you engorge yourself, which is easy to do, lol!
However, if used in moderation, and if you’re starting with organic, clean ingredients, it is a great treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth with something more healthy than, say, a candybar.
Another great benefit, when using goat’s milk to make caramel, is that it is less likely than cow’s milk to scorch and curdle. This makes stirring less essential and makes cajeta easier to prepare than dulce de leche.
Alright, nuf said! Let’s get some goat’s milk and a pot and start cooking up some delicious cajeta!
How to make Cajeta
Cajeta is really easy to make, but it takes some time and a bit of attention throughout the process. If you’re in your kitchen for extended busy work anyhow, that would be a great time to have a pot of cajeta simmering away on your stove, while you do other things and you can keep an eye on it, as well as stir it occasionally.
If you can’t get goat’s milk, you can make this recipe with cow’s milk and the result will be dulce de leche. It’s not quite like cajeta, but it is very good too.

Equipment:
A 3 quart heavy bottom pot – Don’t skimp on the pot size! You’ll want a big enough pot to keep milk from boiling over. In addition, it will foam up when adding the baking soda, so you’ll need some extra room for expansion. I made a batch and a half (1½ quarts). And my 3 quart saucepan was barely big enough! If you don’t have one, I’d recommend this Farberware sauce pot, which I bought recently and love it! It has a metal lid, yay! That is so hard to find these days and I hate glass lids on pots.
A silicone spatula or large spoon – You’ll be stirring this quite a bit, so you might also want to get a plate or large jar, to set the spoon down between stirrings. I like to use a silicone spatula rated for high heat use. This helps sweep the bottom of the pot when stirring, and it will make scraping out the pot later much easier.
A pint jar for bottling the cajeta – My go-to is a regular canning jar, or you can use any glass jar. You can also use two ½ pint jars.
Cajeta Ingredients:
1 quart goat’s milk – Use any plain goat’s milk from the grocery dairy isle or a local farm, or even better your own, if you have dairy goats! Substitute with cow’s milk if you can’t locate any goat’s milk, but it will not make cajeta. Instead you’ll get dulce de leche, which is pretty darn good too, but different from cajeta!
1 cup cane sugar – I used organic evaporated cane juice crystals, and that is what I recommend for a more healthy food. However, you can use plain white sugar too. You could use the unrefined panela sugar as well, which will lend an even more complex flavor to the cajeta. I will try that next time I make this recipe. In Mexican kitchens, a hard pressed unrefined cane sugar, piloncillo, is used that is grated or smashed with a heavy object before use in recipes. I have not tried piloncillo before, but this is the traditional sweetener for most any sweets in Mexico. Panela sugar is a good substitute, it’s the same thing, but granulated and easier to use.
½ tsp Baking soda – You might wonder what the baking soda is for. It helps with the browning of the cajeta and keeps it from scorching on the bottom while you’re cooking it.
1 cinnamon stick – Cinnamon is used in traditional cajeta and I used it in mine, but it can be left out if you don’t have one in your pantry. Cajeta doesn’t need any extra flavoring to be yummie!
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) – Optional, but I really like adding a little, even though the cajeta would be great without it too. But a little vanilla makes it even better. I used to make my own vanilla extract, but the ingredients are so expensive that I prefer to just get it already made now from Azure Standard, because it is organic and cheaper.
Instructions to make Cajeta:

I’m taking you on a bit of an off-grid adventure here with this recipe:
Time-wise, I actually was closer to the traditional simmering time than the speedy modern version, which I’m introducing in this post, because I used my wood stove. But you won’t need to take that long with a modern electric or gas appliance.
I first heated my cajeta on the electric stove for a few minutes, to get it to a boil. Then it went on the wood stove for the extended simmer time. My woodstove did not make very consistent heat and the simmering took all afternoon. So I had to take some of the pictures in the evening, illuminated by headlamp. The lighting in my yurt is limited to keep my electric use down, so pardon the somewhat darkish photos, but here we go!
01. Heat the milk:

Pour the milk into the pot and add the sugar and cinnamon stick. Give it a good stir and put the pot on your burner, turned to med-high.

Bring it to a boil while stirring frequently. Watch it closely, so it won’t boil over. When you notice that the milk wants to rise, take it off the burner.
02. Add the baking soda:

While your milk is heating, mix the baking soda with a little water or milk.

After you take the boiling milk off the burner, add the baking soda mix to the milk while stirring. It will foam up! That’s why you need a big pot. But it’s easy to control with stirring. Once the milk settles down a bit, put it back on the burner, get it boiling again and then turn down the heat to med-low, so the milk will just simmer.
03. Watch and wait:

This will take sometime, you’re waiting for the moisture to evaporate and the milk and sugar mix to caramelize. Leave it to do its thing, but keep an eye on it and stir occasionally. Once the mix has simmered down (about an hour), its volume has reduced to less than half, and it is turning a deep golden color, start giving it more attention.
04. Getting the right consistency:

Stir a bit more often now and watch for it to get thick. When it starts to coat the spoon and you see trails when stirring, it will be done. However, you can choose how thick you want it at this point. If it coats the spoon, but doesn’t make a true trail, it will be more like a syrup when it’s cool.

If you want it thicker, keep simmering till there is a distinct trail when you stir and you can easily see the bottom of the pan for a moment. Anything in-between is great too. I don’t like it too thick, then it will be more like a sticky fudge and not very usable for drizzling or topping anything. It’ll be better made into candy that’s like a chewy fudge that sticks to your teeth. And keep in mind, that it will thicken considerably after it cools!
05. Bottle and store:

Take the cajeta off the heat. Stir in the vanilla, let it cool and pour it into a pint jar or two ½ pint jars. Put a tight lid on it and refrigerate. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Uses for cajeta:
- Use your cajeta as a topping for ice cream or cheese cake.
- Try it drizzled on pancakes, fresh made crunchy waffles, Dutch babies, German pancakes, or crepes. And add to that a swirl of melted chocolate, yes? In the case of crepes or German pancakes, I like to add a little sour cream or creamed queso fresco.
- Serve it as a dip for apples, bananas or other fruit.
- Make a caramel milk-shake.
- Use as a sweetener in coffee.
- Spread it on shortbread cookies, or if it’s thick enough, use as a cookie filling. Try it also between two thin dessert waffles.
- It makes a great spread on bread as you would use nut butter or nutella.
- Mix it into yogurt, or strained bonnyclabber for a yummy and healthy dessert.
- I have made a cajeta icecream a few years ago, which is somewhat similar to caramel ice cream, but with it’s own distinct flavor nuance. It was really good!
- Drizzle over oatmeal, rice pudding, or Muesli.
- Make a cajeta frosting.
- Be creative! Once you taste it, you’ll find inspiration!
Troubleshooting
What to do if my cajeta is too thin – You can return it to the pot and heat is a little longer till it’s as thick as you like. If you let it cool in the pot when you first cook it, it’s easy to just put it back on the burner and cook for a while longer.
My cajeta is too thick – Add a little water and bring to a simmer, stir till its smooth.
There are lumps in it – When you’re stirring it, while you cook it, you’ll probably scrape the sides and that will get lumps into your cajeta. No big deal if you don’t mind them, but you can strain it through a sieve and it will be nice and smooth. Use your spatula to press the rest through the holes of the sieve.
Mine is taking too long – If your heat is too low or inconsistent, it might take longer (I cooked mine on a wood stove that was very inconsistent and not super hot. It took several hours). It will still work, just either turn up your heat a little, or let it take longer.
Enjoy your delicious cajeta!

This is how easy it is to make Cajeta! It’s not very quick, but rewarding and it doesn’t take much work other than the mixing and initial boiling. After that it’s just an occasional stroll to your stove for a quick look and stir. How hard is that?
Now that you have this awesome, gooey, sweet, rich, ultra-tasty cajeta, you can be creative with its use. Of course, you can eat it all out of the jar with a spoon, which is a temptation I admit, especially when you dip it in dark chocolate before eating. I would totally love to hear your creative ideas for using this delicious cajeta. Please leave your comment below!
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More great recipes to try!
Dutch Babies Recipe – Here is a great breakfast recipe for any time! A simple oven pancake with so many serving possibilities, from sweet to savory!
Zwiebelkuchen a German onion pie – Delicious German fall tradition. Make some today, you won’t regret it!
Bonnyclabber – What is clabber milk and its uses – Learn to make bonnyclabber, the original cheese. Nature’s way of preserving milk. A tasty, creamy cheese that makes a really good frosting for einkorn zucchini bread.
Natural cheese making Process – Make your own mesophilic and thermophilic cheese starter and use it to make cheese the natural way. Make yogurt or sour cream from scratch with your own homemade starter too.
Sourdough starter – Sourdough starter from scratch using just flour and water. Learn how sourdough works and how you can use it to bake delicious breads without yeast!
Ancient grain sourdough bread – The easiest sourdough sandwich style bread you can imagine. No kneading required and it bakes up with a great dense but airy crumb that’s chewy and tastes amazing.
Einkorn Zucchini Bread – Make this delicious zucchini bread that is moist, healthy, and doesn’t skimp on flavor! Delicious!
Make your own chevre cheese from scratch – How to make super versatile creamy, spreadable cheese that can be used as a dip, or spread, for baking, for savory or sweet shakes, fresh or aged. Replace store bought cream cheese with this healthy version!

Cajeta, An Ultra-Delicious Goat’s Milk Caramel Sauce
Equipment
- A 3 quart pot – I used my Farberware sauce pot.
- A silicone spatula or large spoon – I prefer a high heat silicone spatula.
- A pint jar for bottling the cajeta or use two ½ pints.
Ingredients
- 1 quart goat’s milk
- 1 cup cane sugar – I used evaporated cane juice crystals. Or you can use the more traditional piloncillo or panela sugar. Or use regular brown sugar.
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Heat the milk
- Pour the milk into the pot and add the sugar and cinnamon stick. Give it a good stir and put the pot on your burner. Bring it to a boil on med-high heat while stirring frequently. Watch it closely, so it won't boil over. As soon as the milk wants to rise, take it off the burner.
Add the baking soda
- While your milk is heating, mix the baking soda with a little water or milk. After you take the boiling milk off the burner, add the baking soda mix to the milk while stirring. It will foam up! That's why you need a big pot. But it's easy to control with stirring. Once the milk settles down a bit, put it back on the burner, get it back to a boil again and then turn down the heat to med-low, so the milk will just simmer.
Watch and wait
- This will take some time, you're waiting for the moisture to evaporate and the milk and sugar mix to caramelize and thicken. Leave it to do its thing, but keep an eye on it and stir occasionally. Once the mix has simmered down (about an hour) to less than half in volume, and is taking on a golden color, you'll want to start paying more attention.
Finishing
- Stir a bit more often now and watch for it to get thick. When it starts to coat the spoon and you see trails when stirring, it will be done. However, you can choose how thick you want it at this point. If it coats the spoon, but doesn't make a true trail, it will be more like a syrup when it's cool. If you want it thicker, keep simmering till there is a distinct trail when you stir and you can easily see the bottom of the pan for a moment. Anything in-between is great too. I don't like it too thick, then it will be more like a sticky fudge and not very usable for drizzling or topping anything. It'll be better made into candy, which is like a chewy fudge that sticks to your teeth. And keep in mind, that it will thicken considerably after it cools!
Bottle and store
- Take the cajeta off the heat. Stir in the vanilla, let it cool and pour it into a pint or two ½ pint jars. Put a tight lid on it and refrigerate. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Notes
Uses for cajeta:
-
- Use your cajeta as a topping for ice cream, pound cake, or cheese cake.
-
- Try it drizzled on Pancakes, German pancakes, or Crepes. I like my German pancakes or crepes with a bit of sour cream too or some creamy queso fresco!
-
- Serve it as a dip for apples, bananas or other fruit.
-
- Oh, and do try it drizzled over fresh made, crunchy waffles, and with a swirl of melted chocolate, yes?!
-
- Make a caramel milk-shake.
-
- Spread it on shortbread cookies, or if it’s thick enough, use as a sandwich cookie filling. Try it also between two thin dessert waffles.
-
- It makes a great spread on bread like you would use nut butter or nutella. In fact I think it would go great on top of nut butter instead of jelly.
-
- Drizzle it on yogurt, or strained bonnyclabber for a yummie and healthy dessert.
-
- I have made a cajeta icecream a few years ago, which is somewhat similar to caramel icecream, but with it’s own distinct flavor nuance. It was really good! I’ll be posting the recipe sometime, get the notice in my newsletter!
-
- Drizzle over oatmeal, rice pudding, vanilla pudding, or Muesli.
-
- Be creative! Once you taste it, you’ll find inspiration!
Troubleshooting
What to do if my cajeta is too thin – You can return it to the pot and cook it a little longer till it’s as thick as you like. My cajeta is too thick – Add a little water and bring to a simmer, stir till its smooth. There are lumps in it – When you’re stirring it, you’ll be scraping the sides and that will get lumps into your cajeta. No big deal if you don’t mind them, but you can strain it through a sieve and it will get nice and smooth. Mine is taking too long – If your heat is too low or inconsistent, it might take longer (I cooked mine on a wood stove that was very inconsistent and not very hot sometimes and it took several hours). It will still work, just either turn up your heat a little, or let it take longer.Pin this recipe

Shop this post
Farberware sauce pot
Silicone spatula
panela sugar
Evaporated cane juice crystals
Piloncillo
Vanilla extract – get organic vanilla at Azure Standard
Holy Batman this looks dreamy!! Definitely going to make this! 😁
I think you will love it! Thanks for stopping by!
YUM! With my dairy allergy, I’m always looking for alternative. This Cajeta sauce is perfect. I love to hear history, and it’s funny that it came from burnt milk!
Yea, right? I thought that was funny too. Thanks for hanging out on my page for a bit!