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    Home / Colombian Kitchen / Manjar Blanco

    Manjar Blanco

    Colombia’s pale milk caramel, cooked slowly with rice and cinnamon until thick enough to spread.

    ⏱ 5 minPrep time
    🔥 1 hr 30 minCook time
    🍽 8Servings
    🏷 Colombian KitchenCategory
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    Manjar Blanco

    Manjar blanco is the white cousin of dulce de leche, made across Colombia by simmering milk and sugar with a handful of rice until it turns thick and creamy. It fills obleas, tops desserts, and is spooned straight from the jar by anyone within reach.

    Slow milk, sweet patience

    The long, gentle simmer concentrates the milk into a silky, spreadable cream with a faint grain of dissolved rice and a whisper of cinnamon. It is sweeter and lighter than dulce de leche, with a delicate, milky finish.

    Colombian recipes →

    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Combine the milk, sugar, rice, cinnamon, lemon zest, and baking soda in a heavy pot.
    2. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce to the lowest simmer.
    3. Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is thick, creamy, and pale caramel in color.
    4. The rice should have dissolved almost completely into the cream.
    5. Remove the cinnamon and zest, stir in the vanilla and coconut (if using), and pour into a serving dish.
    6. Cool completely — it thickens more as it sets — and serve with obleas or as a topping.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Use a heavy pot and stir often — manjar blanco scorches easily and the rice needs the movement to dissolve. It keeps 2 weeks refrigerated in a sealed jar.

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    Recipe details

    Prep5 min
    Cook1 hr 30 min
    Servings8
    CategoryColombian Kitchen
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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