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Jamoncillo (Mexican Milk Fudge)

Name: Jamoncillo (Mexican Milk Fudge)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 300 g Sugar; 2 g Bicarbonate of soda; 1 Cinnamon stick; 5 ml Esencia de Vanilla; 1000 ml Whole milk; 20 g Butter; 80 g Chopped pecans

5.0(1 rating)

50 min (10 prep + 40 cook) Medium 12 servings Nacional

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 20 Mar 2026 · Updated: 22 Jun 2026

Traditional Mexican milk fudge made with sugar, pecans and cinnamon.

About this recipe

Jamoncillo is a traditional Mexican sweet made from milk and sugar slowly cooked until a smooth, firm paste similar to fudge is obtained. It can be enriched with pecans, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or cinnamon. A typical sweet sold in markets, fairs and sweet shops across Mexico, and one of the most popular gifts to take home from a trip.

History & Origin

Jamoncillo is one of the most beloved and widespread sweets in Mexican confectionery, with a history dating back to the colonial era when dairy production expanded across the country. Its name refers to the rectangular shape traditionally given to it, resembling a small ham. The base of jamoncillo is the slow reduction of milk with sugar, a technique shared with other Latin American sweets such as Argentine dulce de leche, but Mexican jamoncillo is distinguished by its firmer and more granular texture, and by the incorporation of local ingredients such as pecans, pumpkin seeds or pine nuts. In the dairy states of Mexico such as Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi, jamoncillo is an artisanal product that each family prepares with its own recipe. The sweet shops of Celaya, Guanajuato, are especially famous for their jamoncillos, made in large copper pans where the milk is constantly stirred with wooden paddles for hours. The exact point of cooking is an art learnt through practice: the mixture must pull away from the bottom of the pan and have a consistency that allows moulding before it cools. At Mexican fairs and markets, jamoncillos are sold wrapped in coloured waxed paper, forming part of the Mexican sweet landscape alongside glorias, marzipans and coconut sweets.

Estimated cost

£5.78

Total cost

£0.48

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

220

Calories

Protein

34g

Carbohydrates

Fat

0.5g

Fibre

60mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Put the milk, sugar, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda in a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
💡 The bicarbonate of soda stops the milk from curdling and speeds up the caramelisation.
2
Cook for 30-40 minutes stirring constantly. La mixture ira espesando and cambiando a colour beige golden.
💡 Ten paciencia; this paso not can apresurar. El medium heat es clave.
3
When the mixture despegue of the fondo of the pot and you can ver the fondo to the mover the spoon, remove the cinnamon and anade the vanilla and the walnuts.
💡 El punto es crucial: si te raisins queda dry, si te falta queda aguado.
4
Engrasa a mould rectangular with butter and pour the mixture hot. Spread it evenly and alisa the surface.
💡 Trabaja rápido porque to the enfriarse endurece.
5
Marca the cortes before of that enfrie completely. Leave to rest at least 2 hours at room temperature. Desmolda and cut in portions.
💡 Se conserva well envuelto in papel encerado until 2 semanas.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask about this recipe

¿Cómo sé que el jamoncillo está en su punto?

Cuando al mover la cuchara la mezcla se despega del fondo y deja ver la olla unos instantes, tras 30-40 minutos de cocción. Es el momento crítico de la receta: si te pasas queda seco y arenoso, si te quedas corto no cuaja y queda aguado.

¿Para qué sirve el bicarbonato en el jamoncillo?

Evita que la leche se corte durante la cocción larga y favorece la caramelización, dándole el tono beige dorado típico. Son solo 2 g: no aporta sabor, pero sin él la leche puede granularse al concentrarse con el azúcar.

¿Puedo hacerlo con leche desnatada o vegetal?

Mejor no: la grasa de la leche entera es la que da la textura tipo fudge, suave y firme a la vez. Con leche desnatada cuesta llegar al punto y queda quebradizo. Si buscas variar, cambia la nuez pecana por pepitas de calabaza o piñones, que son versiones tradicionales.

¿Cuánto dura el jamoncillo?

Hasta 2 semanas envuelto en papel encerado en un sitio fresco y seco, sin necesidad de nevera. Marca los cortes antes de que enfríe del todo, porque ya frío endurece y se quiebra al cortarlo.

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Edmond Bojalil

Founder, Recetas Mexas

Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 1000+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for home kitchens worldwide. Based in Madrid since 2018.