All-Purpose Cream substitute

Best substitute

Media crema or table cream (Nestle Media Crema, Elle et Vire, President table cream)

Use the same amount cup for cup or pack for pack as the all-purpose cream you are replacing

Best for mango float and icebox cakes

Close match

All-purpose cream is doing one job: fat and body, giving a sauce or dessert a smooth, faintly sweet richness without splitting. One 250 ml pack is one cup. The closest true equivalent is media crema or table cream at 1:1. Heavy or whipping cream works at 1:1 in hot sauces and is better whipped, but for cold desserts use 3/4 cup heavy cream plus 1/4 cup whole milk per cup so the result is not greasy. The classic Filipino pantry fix is 3/4 cup evaporated milk whisked with 3 tablespoons melted butter per cup, which is thinner but very close in flavour.

Other all-purpose cream substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Heavy cream or double cream
Different texture
Use the same amount in hot sauces; for cold desserts use ¾ cup heavy cream plus ¼ cup whole milk per cup of all-purpose cream
Higher in fat at 36 percent or more, so it does everything all-purpose cream does and more, which is exactly why it needs a small adjustment in desserts.
What changes
Best for
creamy pasta and chicken sauces, mango float and refrigerator cakes, ganache and frostings, ice cream bases
In a hot sauce, straight substitution is fine and the sauce comes out richer and thicker, so you may need a splash less reducing time. In a cold dessert the extra fat reads as heavy and slightly waxy on the tongue, which is why the milk goes in. Heavy cream also whips to a much stiffer peak than all-purpose cream does, so a mango float made with it sets taller, fluffier and less dense, which many people prefer. Add acid such as lemon or calamansi off the heat, because heavy cream will split in a boiling acidic pan where the stabilised all-purpose cream would not.
3Evaporated milk plus melted butter
Taste and texture differ
¾ cup evaporated milk whisked with 3 tablespoons melted butter for each cup of all-purpose cream
The improvisation Filipino kitchens have used for decades, using two things that are already in the cupboard, and the best answer if there is no cream at all in the house.
What changes
Best for
leche flan and custards, creamy pasta sauces, cooked desserts, soups and chowders
Whisk the butter in while both are warm or it seizes into little flecks. The result is thinner than all-purpose cream, so a sauce needs two or three extra minutes to reduce, and it carries the faintly cooked, caramel note evaporated milk always has, which is honestly a plus in Filipino desserts. It will not whip, and it will not set a no-bake mango float on its own, so do not use it there without adding gelatin or cream cheese.
4Half-and-half, single cream or light cream
Different texture
Use the same amount
Lower in fat at roughly 12 to 20 percent, so it stands in cleanly for flavour and pours the same way, and simply gives you less richness.
What changes
Best for
pasta sauces, soups, coffee-based desserts, sauces you can simmer down
Sauces come out looser and need longer on the heat, and there is a real risk of curdling if the pan is at a hard boil, so keep it at a simmer. It will not whip at all. For a no-bake dessert that needs to hold its shape, whisk in 2 tablespoons of softened cream cheese per half cup and chill overnight, which gives you enough body to slice.
5Cream cheese thinned with milk
Taste and texture differ
½ cup softened cream cheese beaten with ½ cup whole milk for each cup of all-purpose cream
The right choice specifically when the recipe needs the mixture to set firm enough to slice, such as a no-bake cheesecake or a layered float.
What changes
Best for
no-bake cheesecake, mango float and icebox cakes, frostings and fillings, dips
Noticeably tangier and much firmer than all-purpose cream, so the dessert tastes more like cheesecake and less like sweet cream, and it slices cleanly straight from the fridge. Beat the cream cheese smooth before adding the milk in stages or you will fight lumps forever. Not suitable for hot sauces, where it goes grainy.
6Full-fat coconut cream (dairy-free)
Different taste
Use the same amount using the thick cream from a chilled can and leaving the watery liquid behind
The best dairy-free swap, matching all-purpose cream almost exactly on fat and body, and already at home in Filipino cooking.
What changes
Best for
buko salad and fruit salads, ginataang desserts, vegan mango float, curries and coconut sauces
It tastes clearly of coconut, which is delightful in a buko salad or a ginataan and wrong in a carbonara. Chill the can overnight and scoop only the solid layer, since the thin water underneath will make a dessert weep. It sets firmer than dairy cream when cold and softens quickly at room temperature, so keep the dessert refrigerated until serving.

What is All-Purpose Cream?

All-Purpose Cream is the shelf-stable, unsweetened, stabilised table cream sold in 250 ml packs across the Philippines, sitting at roughly 20 to 25 percent milkfat, which puts it between light cream and heavy cream, and its job in a recipe is to add smooth, faintly sweet richness and body to a sauce or dessert without splitting.

Cooking tips

One pack of all-purpose cream is 250 ml, which is one cup or eight fluid ounces, and almost every modern Filipino dessert recipe is written in whole packs. If you are converting, one pack of all-purpose cream plus one 300 ml can of condensed milk is the standard base for mango float, fruit salad and no-bake cheesecake, and that ratio is what you are trying to preserve.
All-purpose cream is unsweetened, unlike condensed milk. If a recipe calls for both, do not substitute one for the other or double up on one; the cream supplies fat and the condensed milk supplies sugar, and swapping them wrecks both the sweetness and the set.
All-purpose cream whips reluctantly because its fat content is too low for a proper stiff peak, which is why Filipino recipes chill it overnight and often fold it into condensed milk rather than whipping it alone. If you switch to heavy cream, you can whip it properly, and you should expect a lighter, taller, less dense dessert as a result.
The stabilisers in all-purpose cream mean it survives boiling and a squeeze of acid without splitting. Real heavy cream, half-and-half and evaporated milk do not have that protection, so once you substitute, take the pan off the heat before adding lemon, calamansi or tomato, and keep sauces at a simmer rather than a rolling boil.
Unopened all-purpose cream is shelf-stable, which is a large part of its appeal, but once open it behaves like any fresh cream and needs refrigerating and using within a few days. If you have substituted with an evaporated milk and butter mixture, use it the same day, since the butter will separate out on standing.

Frequently asked questions

Is all-purpose cream the same as heavy cream?

No. All-purpose cream is around 20 to 25 percent milkfat, stabilised and shelf-stable, while heavy or whipping cream is 36 percent or more and sold chilled. In hot sauces the two are interchangeable at 1:1 and heavy cream simply gives a richer result. In cold desserts, straight heavy cream can taste heavy and greasy, so use three parts heavy cream to one part whole milk. Heavy cream also whips to a much stiffer peak, which changes the texture of a mango float noticeably.

What can I use if I cannot buy all-purpose cream at all?

Media crema or table cream is the exact equivalent at 1:1 and is easy to find in Latin American shops. Failing that, heavy cream at 1:1 for sauces, or three quarters heavy cream to one quarter milk for desserts. If there is no cream in the house, whisk three quarters of a cup of evaporated milk with three tablespoons of melted butter per cup, which is the traditional Filipino workaround and works particularly well in cooked desserts.

Can I use condensed milk instead of all-purpose cream?

No, and this is the most damaging mix-up in Filipino dessert making. Condensed milk is roughly half sugar and is there to sweeten, while all-purpose cream is unsweetened and is there for fat and body. Swapping the cream for condensed milk gives you something aggressively sweet that never sets properly. If you are short of cream, add fat some other way, such as cream cheese or coconut cream, and keep the condensed milk quantity as written.

Can I just leave the all-purpose cream out?

Not in a dessert, because it is a structural ingredient supplying the fat that gives a float or a fruit salad its body and its set. Leaving it out gives you sweetened fruit in condensed milk. In a savoury pasta sauce you have more room: a splash of the pasta water plus a knob of butter and a handful of grated cheese will give you a creamy enough sauce without any cream at all, though it will be sharper and less mellow.

Why did my sauce curdle after I substituted?

Because all-purpose cream contains stabilisers and your substitute does not. Fresh cream, half-and-half and evaporated milk will all split if you boil them hard or add acid to a hot pan. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer, stir the cream in near the end rather than at the beginning, and add any lemon, calamansi or vinegar off the heat. If it has already split, a teaspoon of cornflour slaked in cold milk whisked in over low heat will usually bring it back.

Related substitutes

More dairy substitutes

All-Purpose Cream substitute

Other all-purpose cream substitutes

2Heavy cream or double cream

3Evaporated milk plus melted butter

4Half-and-half, single cream or light cream

5Cream cheese thinned with milk

6Full-fat coconut cream (dairy-free)