All-purpose cream substitutes

The same product under a different name for a different market: shelf-stable, unsweetened, stabilised, around the same fat level. If you find it, stop looking.

Best for

mango float and icebox cakes, carbonara and creamy pasta, fruit salad and buko salad, leche flan and custards

Behaves identically in every application, including refusing to whip to a stiff peak unless very cold. Latin American shops sell media crema in the same little cartons and cans, usually next to the evaporated milk. Some brands are very slightly saltier, so hold back a pinch of salt in a savoury sauce and taste.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The best dairy-free swap, matching all-purpose cream almost exactly on fat and body, and already at home in Filipino cooking.

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.