Leche Frita: the sweet dessert for making Spanish fried milk

Leche Frita is a delicious Spanish dessert that literally means "fried milk" in English. It's a sweet, firm milk pudding-like that's crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. It has a rich cinnamon flavor is hard to miss in each bite. You can always find these sweet treats in restaurants and pastry shops in Spain, especially during Lent and Easter week.

Super easy to make, simply cool the milk mixture until it is firm and hard enough to handle, which makes it pretty easy to coat in the egg and fry without the milk block melting. So, what are you waiting for? Gather the ingredients and start making leche frita.

Tips for making Spanish Fried Milk

Make sure you whisk the milk mixture continuously, else you will get lumps in it. Chill the milk paste long enough for it to set well.

You may either deep fry the leche frita or shallow fry it in a non-stick pan.

Make sure the frying temperature is pretty hot for it to get a nice crust on the outside or you may melt leche frita mid-way on the pan.

You can even add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

How to store Leche Frita

You can store leche frita squares for up to 3 days, closed in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze Leche Frita?

You can also freeze this Spanish fried milk. Arrange each square on a baking sheet, freeze them until solid, then transfer leche frita pieces in a freezer-safe bag and place it in the freezer for up to a month. Before serving, thaw it overnight.

How to make Leche Frita

Grease a rectangular baking dish with canola oil and keep it aside.

In a bowl, add cornstarch, half of the flour and sugar.

Pour in 1 cup of milk and combine well until there are no lumps.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the remaining milk and the cinnamon stick for few minutes until it bubbles. Remove from the heat, and discard the cinnamon stick.  Gradually strain the warm milk into the flour mixture and whisk constantly.

Pour the mixture back to the saucepan over low heat. Whisk for about 10 minutes without stopping or until the mixture has a thick, pudding-like texture. You can add a pinch of ground cinnamon if you want.

Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish until 3/4-inch deep. Let it come to room temperature. Cover and transfer this baking dish to the refrigerator and cool the milk mixture at least for 5-6 hours or until it thickens.

When time has elapsed, remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and heat a non-stick pan with vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Cut the mixture into several squares and Coat them in the beaten egg, then flour to form a light coating. Remove if it's excessive. Cook the squares for few minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through cooking.

Remove the fried leche frita from the pan, let them drain over a paper towel and cool slightly. Mix powdered sugar and ground cinnamon together and sprinkle it over. Serve and enjoy!