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This easy Cajeta recipe is made with only 5 ingredients and is so simple to make! It makes a perfect topping for any dessert. If you like dulce de leche, you’re going to love cajeta!
What Is Cajeta?
Cajeta is a thick and gooey caramel-like sauce that’s made by boiling and slowly cooking goat’s milk and sugar until it reduces to a beautiful golden brown or amber color. The goat’s milk gives cajeta its rich and complex flavor that is slightly tangy and deliciously sweet.
Cajeta can be found all over Mexico and is often served as candy, as a topping for cakes and ice cream, and as a spread to put on thin cookies or pancakes.
It’s commonly described as Mexican caramel and can easily be cooked to different consistencies, from a thin sauce to a glossy and hard candy.
What’s the Difference between Cajeta and Dulce de Leche?
Cajeta and dulce de leche are similar in that they’re both sweet confections made from milk and sugar, are made in very similar ways, are are used and eaten in similar ways. Where they differ is the type of milk they’re made from.
Cajeta is made from goat’s milk and dulce de leche is made from cow’s milk. While that doesn’t seem like a huge difference, the different milks give each confection a unique and distinct flavor that is undeniable.
How to Make Cajeta
Start by mixing a couple of tablespoons of goat’s milk with baking soda in a small bowl and setting it aside for later use.
The baking soda in cajeta helps to reduce the temperature at which it browns and caramelizes, allowing it to develop its beautiful color slowly and without burning.
Add sugar, a cinnamon stick, and goat milk to a large pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium to medium-high heat. Bring it to a simmer, stirring frequently to fully dissolve the sugar.
Remove it from the heat and add the baking soda mixture. This will cause the cajeta to bubble and foam up. Keep stirring. Once the bubbling is finished, return the pot to the heat and bring it back to a simmer.
Cook the mixture uncovered until it reduces and thickens, 45-60 minutes.
Stir the mixture frequently so that the bottom doesn’t burn. You’ll know the cajeta is done when it’s a rich medium to dark brown color and coats the back of the spoon, almost like the consistency of thick honey.
Remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. The cajeta will continue to thicken as it cools.
Getting the Right Consistency and Thickness
The great thing about making cajeta at home is that you can cook it to your preferred thickness.
- For a thinner consistency, stop cooking the cajeta when it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and only momentarily leaves an empty trail whenever you scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula.
- For a thicker consistency, stop cooking the cajeta when you can scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula and it easily leaves an empty trail for a few seconds. You’ll know when it reaches this point because the cajeta will be undeniably thick!
Ways to Use Cajeta
This dessert sauce is so versatile you can use it in many different ways. These are a few of my favorites:
- Dipping sauce: Dip anything from fresh fruit, churros, or pan dulce.
- Topping: Use it to make chocoflan, drizzle it on ice cream, sopapillas, apple empanadas, pumpkin empanadas, or swirl on top of my Mexican brownies.
- By itself! This sauce is so addicting and perfectly sweet and decadent, you’ll find yourself dipping a spoon inside the jar and eating it solo.
How to Store Cajeta
To store, transfer the cajeta to a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate for up to 3 months.
Cajeta will thicken and harden as it cools. To soften it, you can heat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds or run it under hot water until it reaches your desired consistency.
More Mexican Desserts
Cajeta
Ingredients
- 4 cups goats milk, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of goats milk with the baking soda. Set aside.
- Place the remaining goats milk, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium to medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add in the baking soda mixture. The milk will begin to bubble and froth up quickly. Continue stirring. Once the mixture stops bubbling, return the pot to the heat and bring it back to a low simmer.
- Cook until the mixture has reduced and thickened (about 45-60 minutes). Be sure to stir frequently, especially towards the end of the cooking time, scraping the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn. The cajeta is done when you can scrape the mixture aside and see the bottom of the pot.* It should be thick like honey.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Notes
- For a thinner consistency, stop cooking the cajeta when it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and only momentarily leaves an empty trail whenever you scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula.
- For a thicker consistency, stop cooking the cajeta when you can scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula and it easily leaves an empty trail for a few seconds. You’ll know when it reaches this point because the cajeta will be undeniably thick!
- Cajeta will thicken once it cools. To soften it, heat it up in the microwave a few seconds at a time or run it under hot water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally posted in July 2016. It has been updated with new photos, more helpful tips, and a better overall recipe.
Does the cajeta cook down or do you end up with approximately four cups of cajeta? How big is a serving size? I am looking forward to making this, but I don’t want to end up with four cups of cajeta. I couldn’t use it all within 10 days.
Hi Allie! Totally understandable. This recipe does thicken once its cooled, so if you’re concerned about making too much I would suggest making a half batch. If you toggle over the serving size, you can adjust it to what you want and it will automatically adjust the ingredients for you.
Made this today! What a great recipe! I have a lot of fresh goat milk to use and wanted something more than cheese. So easy and so tastey!@isabeleats
I was trying to find a less sugar version of something to drizzle on my pie this Thanksgiving. I’m not much of a cook and I knew it was a crapshoot
Hubs brought in the milk from the goats and I.strained.it.a d pit it in the crockpot for the night on high and went to bed. In the morning I found brown colored cheese. Which is funny, because I messed up my crockpot yogurt before and came up with something distinctly caramel-like in smell and texture, if not color. I had added the yogurt culture too soon and the temp was too high and killed it. Ah well, the milk was going to go to pigs, anyway, I was just seeing if I could make something with it first.
Do you have to cool it at all.
You can let it cool after you’re finished cooking. Just note that the cajeta will thicken as it cools.
Do you use goat’s milk from the dairy section or canned evaporated goat’s milk?
I used fresh goat milk from the dairy section, not canned and evaporated.
Can you use canned evaporated goats milk?
Hi! This recipe hasn’t been tested with canned evaporated goats milk so I’m not quite sure. Let me know if you try it!
Amazingly easy and delicious. Made some today serve with my Churros………..Can’t wait to serve it to everyone.
Thank you so much, Janet!
For the most incredible fudge you have ever tasted, try mixing ≈ equal parts Cajeta and Nutella. Stir for 20-30 seconds until the mixture cleans the sides of the bowl. Make as little or as much as you would like. Great for a kid’s recipe. No heat or things that can hurt them. Do not use anything other than goat’s milk Cajeta, or it will not work.
That sounds delicious! I’m definitely going to try this! If it turns out well, I may just post it on the website. Thanks so much!
Just wondering what firms up the fudge? My Cajeta was very thick but not solid?🤔
I just made this and it was delicious!! I grew up eating cajeta but now live in Canada and hadn’t had in years. You’re right, it’s SO EASY to make. I halved the sugar and it still worked and tasted awesome. I made ice cream sundays and almost finished the whole thing in one go. That’s the best sign of a good recipe. Thank you!
Can I use canned evaporated goat’s milk for this recipe?
I’ve made this recipe several times and I love it. And for the person who asked, I use raw goat milk for this………..the heating is what ‘pasteurizes’ it so anything you make where you heat it to boiling or just below – yogurt, ricotta, cajeta, it will be pasteurized. I don’t usually worry about the pasteurization for most things, I know how I am handling the milk so I feel safe in using it.