dulce de leche

noun

dul·​ce de leche ˈdəl-(ˌ)sā-də-ˈle-ˌchā 

ˈdül-

: sweetened caramelized milk that is traditionally made by reducing a mixture of milk and sugar over heat

Pastry chefs are obsessed with dulce de leche, the luscious, milky South American caramel.

—Food & Wine

… the three distinct textures—cakey brownie, gooey dulce de leche and semi-firm ganache—worked in a tasty little harmony.

—Gregory Furgala

To make a good dulce de leche—a gradual reduction of milk and sugar and bicarbonate of soda—is a time consuming and laborious process …

—Joe McNamee

Dulce de leche is a luscious topping made by slowly caramelizing sweetened milk. Many people make it by boiling a can of condensed milk unopened in a pot of simmering water …

—Stephanie Eddy

—often used before another noun

… astonishingly rich dulce de leche cheesecake with spiced caramel popcorn.

—John Mariani

Examples of dulce de leche in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a medium bowl, microwave dulce de leche for 30 seconds. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Oct. 2025

There is also dulce de leche conchas, oreo conchas and marranitos, a Mexican molasses cookie. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025

The grumpy/sunshine banter is delightful, and the fade-to-black tender moments are as sweet as dulce de leche. —Lia Amador, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025

Bottled at 50% ABV, the inaugural expression was praised for its vibrant tropical fruit notes and unexpected flavors like chocolate and dulce de leche, typically found in aged spirits. —Gina Pace, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish, from Spanish dulce "sweet food, dessert" (noun derivative of dulce, adjective, "sweet," going back to Latin dulcis) + de "of, from" (going back to Latin dē) + leche "milk," going back to Latin lact-, lac — more at dulcet, de-, galaxy

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dulce de leche

• etch
• fetch
• fletch
• ketch
• sketch
• stretch
• vetch
• wretch