Marco Polo reported that ten pounds (4.5 kg) of milk paste was carried by each man, who would subsequently mix the product with water.

Nicolas Appert condensed milk in France in 1820[3] and in 1835, English civil engineer William Newton added sugar as an additional measure of preservation.

While returning to the United States from a trip to England in 1851, Gail Borden Jr. was devastated by the deaths of several children, apparently from poor milk obtained from shipboard cows.

With less than a year of schooling and following a series of failures, both of his own and of others, Borden was inspired by the vacuum pan he had seen being used by Shakers to condense fruit juice and managed to reduce milk without scorching or curdling it.

[5] Even then his first two factories failed[6] and only the third, built with new partner Jeremiah Milbank[7] in Wassaic, New York, produced a usable milk derivative that was long-lasting and needed no refrigeration.

The U.S. government ordered huge amounts of condensed milk as a field ration for Union soldiers during the war.

[13] In the early 1900s, Carnation and Eagle brands were introduced in Hong Kong, establishing significant market shares in the years to follow.

This text, along with the additional work of Hunziker and others involved with the American Dairy Science Association, standardized and improved condensery operations in the United States and internationally.

[16] The First World War regenerated interest in, and the market for, condensed milk, primarily due to its storage and transportation benefits.

In the Philippines, condensed milk is mixed with some evaporated milk and eggs, spooned into shallow metal containers over liquid caramelized sugar, and then steamed to make a stiffer and more filling version of crème caramel known as leche flan, also common in Brazil under the name pudim de leite.

In Mexico, sweetened condensed milk is one of the main ingredients of the cold cake dessert (the leading brand is "La Lechera", the local version of Swiss Milchmädchen or La Laitière by Nestlé), combined with evaporated milk, Marie biscuits, lemon juice, and tropical fruit.

In Brazil, this recipe is also done by exchanging fruit for puddings, most commonly vanilla and chocolate, known as pavê or torta de bolacha.

In Britain and Ireland, the contents of a boiled can are used as the layer between the biscuit base and the banana and cream level in banoffee.