Condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is regular cow’s milk that has been concentrated and sweetened with sugar. 

(Unsweetened condensed milk is simply called evaporated milk.) 

Once the milk is pasteurized, it’s piped into an evaporator, where it’s concentrated. Sugar is added before the milk is vacuum-sealed into cans.

Sweetened condensed milk is very thick and sweet – in fact, it contains about 45 percent sugar – so it works well as a dessert ingredient. Thanks to canning process and added sugar, it has a shelf life of about two years.