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–+ servings
Spoonful of Vegan Cajeta Coming Out of a Jar

Vegan Cajeta

Justine Drosdovech
If you love caramel, this sweet, buttery, and ultra-creamy cajeta recipe is for you! Coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and a touch of salt combine to form a sauce that will blow your tastebuds away!
4.75 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Sauces, Sweets
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Mexican, Vegan
Servings 12 servings
Calories 197 kcal

Equipment

  • Large stockpot
  • Whisk
  • Mason jars

Ingredients
 

US Customary - Metric
  • 27 ounces (2 cans) full-fat coconut milk ($4.44)
  • ⅔ cup sugar (white or cane) ($0.02)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla ($0.33)
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda ($0.01)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt ($0.01)

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, combine the coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. While stirring frequently, heat the mixture over medium until it comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
  • Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to simmer the mixture for another 50-60 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes or so.
  • The cajeta is done when you can see the bottom of the pot after scraping it or when it sticks to the back of a spoon easily (like molasses).
  • Remove the pot from heat and allow the mixture to cool before transferring it to a mason jar for storage. Serve on waffles, crepes, ice cream, toast, etc. Happy eating!

Video

Notes

  • To prevent bad tastes or textures, we find Thai coconut milk brands to be the best.
  • For more flavor, try adding in a cinnamon stick while simmering.
  • The baking soda forms a Maillard reaction, which improves the color and aroma of the cajeta.
  • Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
  • We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
  • Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
  • All prices are in USD.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.8g | Protein: 1.5g | Fat: 15.9g | Saturated Fat: 14.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 57.2mg | Potassium: 176.1mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 13.4g | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 10.8mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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