Condensed milk substitutes

Condensed milk substitutes — 4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Also called sweetened condensed milk, SCM, condensed sweetened milk, leche condensada, milkmaid

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Evaporated milk + sugar

1 cup + ¾ cup sugar

Condensed milk is not just sweet milk: it is about 40-45% sugar, and in fudge, no-bake pies and Vietnamese coffee that sugar is what makes the mixture set and stay smooth. The closest swap is to make it — simmer 2 cups whole milk with ¾ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter down to 1 ¼ cups, about 30-40 minutes. Evaporated milk plus sugar is the shortcut.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Warm them together over low heat, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until every grain of sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens slightly and turns glossy; cool before using, because it thickens further as it cools.
Best for —: when you have the unsweetened can and need the sweetened one
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

Checked 22 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps

But first: what’s the condensed milk doing?

Pick your case

Does the recipe rely on the condensed milk to set, or is it just there to sweeten and enrich?

Get the sugar and the concentration right or the filling stays a puddle. Make it from milk and sugar, or use evaporated milk with sugar dissolved into it over heat. Do not use cream, milk, or unsweetened evaporated milk on its own.
Notes on homemade: simmered milk + sugar or evaporated milk + sugar · Full guide: Baking
2 cups + ¾ cup sugar
You have latitude, because nothing has to set. Evaporated milk with sugar works, and so does heavy cream beaten with icing sugar. Match the sweetness first and the thickness second.
Notes on evaporated milk + sugar or heavy cream + sugar
1 cup + ¾ cup sugar
Simmer full-fat canned coconut milk with sugar the same way you would simmer dairy milk. It reduces well and sets well; it also tastes clearly of coconut, which suits a lime pie better than it suits fudge.
Notes on homemade coconut condensed milk · Full guide: Dairy free or Vegan
1 can + ½ cup sugar
Not on its own. Evaporated milk is the same concentrated milk with no sugar at all — see our evaporated milk page — so you must dissolve sugar into it, about ¾ cup per cup, over gentle heat.
Notes on evaporated milk + sugar
1 cup + ¾ cup sugar

Decide first whether the condensed milk has to make something set. If it does — a key lime pie, fudge, magic bars — you have to match both the sugar and the concentration, so either dissolve ¾ cup of sugar into a cup of evaporated milk over heat, or simmer 2 cups of milk with ¾ cup of sugar down to 1 ¼ cups. If it is only there to sweeten a coffee or a sauce, sweetened cream will do. And never treat the unsweetened can as the same ingredient: the sugar is nearly half of what is in the sweetened one.

Job by job4 jobs

Condensed milk is doing two jobs at once, and the second one is the surprise. It is concentrated milk, so it brings body and milk solids that brown. It is also roughly 40-45% sugar, and that much sugar is structural: it is what makes a no-bake lemon pie firm up when acid hits it, what stops fudge going grainy, and what browns into dulce de leche. Replacing it means replacing the sugar too.

Moisture & hydrationsecondary

It is only about 27% water, held thick by all that dissolved sugar, so swapping in a thin liquid adds water the recipe was not built for.

Sweetnessprimary

At 40-45% sugar by weight it is a sweetener as much as a dairy, so any swap that is not equally sweet leaves the dessert bland and, in candy, structurally different.

Setting & gellingprimary

In a no-bake pie the acid from lemon or lime makes its concentrated protein firm up into a sliceable filling, and in fudge the sugar concentration is what sets the batch at a specific temperature.

Browning & colorsecondary

Concentrated milk sugars and proteins brown fast, which is why it turns to caramel-flavoured dulce de leche with nothing added but heat and time.

Every option, one card

Ranked · per 1 cup condensed milk

Condensed Milk substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup condensed milk	Verdict
1	Evaporated milk + sugarwhen you have the unsweetened can and need the sweetened one	1 cup + ¾ cup granulated sugarTweak it	Tweak it
2	Homemade: simmered milk + sugarwhen you have neither can and only milk and sugar	2 cups whole milk + ¾ cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon butterper 1 can (14 oz, about 1 ¼ cups) condensed milkTweak it	Tweak it
3	Homemade coconut condensed milkwhen the recipe must be dairy-free or vegan	1 can full-fat coconut milk + ½ cup granulated sugarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Heavy cream + sugariced coffee, milk tea and drizzles	1 cup + ½ cup granulated or icing sugarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Evaporated milk (unsweetened, as-is)	not a swap — 1 cup evaporated milk + ¾ cup sugar dissolved over low heat — the sugar is the ingredient, not an optional extraNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Evaporated milk + sugar

very close; slightly cleaner and less caramelised than the can

The shortcut, and the closest thing to the can without half an hour of simmering.

Covers: Moisture & hydration; Sweetness; Setting & gelling; Browning & color

What these mean

Amount: 1 cup evaporated milk + ¾ cup granulated sugar for 1 cup condensed milk
Then: warm them together over low heat, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until every grain of sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens slightly and turns glossy; cool before using, because it thickens further as it cools
Best for: when you have the unsweetened can and need the sweetened one, no-bake pies and fudge, iced coffee and drizzles
Texture: a shade thinner and less sticky
Look: paler and whiter than canned condensed milk, which is faintly ivory; a pie filling made with it sets a little softer
Prep: Warm them together over low heat, stirring, for 5-10 minutes until every grain of sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens slightly and turns glossy; cool before using, because it thickens further as it cools.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Contains: dairy

The sugar must be dissolved over heat. Stirred in cold, it stays gritty and a fudge made with it will be sandy.
Do not let it boil hard; you want it warm enough to dissolve sugar, not to caramelise.
It stays a little thinner than the canned product even when cold. If the recipe needs it stiff, simmer it 5 minutes longer.
Cool it completely before it goes into an uncooked filling, or it will slacken the mixture.

The arithmetic behind the ¾ cup: a cup of canned condensed milk carries roughly 130 g of sugar, which is about two thirds to three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar.

Do not skip the sugar or reduce it 'to taste'. In fudge and no-bake pies the sugar is doing structural work, not just sweetening.

Homemade: simmered milk + sugar

fresher and less caramelised than the can, with a cleaner dairy flavour

Made from scratch, from two things everyone has. It takes half an hour of stirring and it is genuinely the right answer when nothing else is in the cupboard.

Covers: Moisture & hydration; Sweetness; Setting & gelling; Browning & color

What these mean

Amount: 2 cups whole milk + ¾ cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon butter for 1 can (14 oz, about 1 ¼ cups) condensed milk
Then: simmer in a wide pan at a lazy bubble, stirring often, for about 30-40 minutes until it reduces to 1 ¼ cups and coats the back of a spoon; stir in the butter at the end and cool completely, during which it thickens considerably
Best for: when you have neither can and only milk and sugar, no-bake pies, fudge and caramel, when you want to control how sweet it is
Texture: slightly looser than canned unless you add milk powder or reduce it further
Look: creamy white rather than the ivory-beige of the can; a pie made with it sets slightly softer and looks a touch paler
Prep: Simmer in a wide pan at a lazy bubble, stirring often, for about 30-40 minutes until it reduces to 1 ¼ cups and coats the back of a spoon; stir in the butter at the end and cool completely, during which it thickens considerably.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Contains: dairy

Use a wide pan. In a narrow saucepan the same mixture takes twice as long and is likelier to scorch.
Measure it into a jug rather than judging by eye. Under-reducing is the usual failure, and an under-reduced batch will not set a pie.
It comes out a little less thick and less opaque than canned, because 2 cups of milk carry fewer milk solids than the can does. Whisking in 2 tablespoons of dry milk powder at the start closes most of that gap.
Cool it fully before using — hot, it looks alarmingly thin, and cold it is nearly as thick as the can.

Never heat an unopened can of condensed milk to make dulce de leche. The classic boiled-can method builds pressure inside a sealed container and cans have burst and caused serious burns. Decant it into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and bake in a water bath, or cook it in an open pan on the stove.

It keeps about 4-5 days in the fridge, against a year or more for an unopened can. Make what you need.

Homemade coconut condensed milk

clearly coconut, sweet and rounded

The dairy-free route, and a good one — coconut milk is already concentrated and fatty, so it reduces to a proper syrup.

Covers: Moisture & hydration; Sweetness; Setting & gelling
Misses: Browning & color — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk + ½ cup granulated sugar for 1 cup condensed milk
Then: simmer gently, stirring, for about 20-30 minutes until reduced to roughly 1 cup and thick enough to coat a spoon; it thickens a great deal more as it cools, so stop while it still pours
Best for: when the recipe must be dairy-free or vegan, key lime and lemon no-bake pies, where coconut suits the flavour, coconut ice cream bases and tropical desserts
Texture: thick, and noticeably firmer than dairy when cold
Look: bright ivory rather than beige; a pie made with it looks paler and sets with a crisper edge
Prep: Simmer gently, stirring, for about 20-30 minutes until reduced to roughly 1 cup and thick enough to coat a spoon; it thickens a great deal more as it cools, so stop while it still pours.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Contains: coconut

Use full-fat canned coconut milk. Light coconut milk and carton coconut drink are mostly water and will take an hour and still be thin.
It sets firmer than dairy condensed milk when cold, because coconut fat is hard at fridge temperature. Take that into account in a filling that has to be sliceable but not rubbery.
It browns much less than dairy, having almost no milk protein, so it does not make convincing dulce de leche.

There is no unflavoured version of this. Coconut flavour lives in the solids, so reducing it concentrates the coconut taste along with everything else.

Not for anything that has to taste neutral, and not for dulce de leche or fudge that depends on milk browning.

Heavy cream + sugar

richer and less milky-sweet than condensed milk

Sweet and rich, but it is cream rather than concentrated milk, so it has the wrong solids for anything that must set.

Covers: Moisture & hydration; Sweetness
Misses: Setting & gelling — not covered; Browning & color — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 cup heavy cream + ½ cup granulated or icing sugar for 1 cup condensed milk
Then: warm gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved, or beat icing sugar into cold cream if it is going into something uncooked
Best for: iced coffee, milk tea and drizzles, sweetened cream fillings and sauces, when you want richness more than structure
Texture: smooth and pourable but never sticky or spoonable in the same way
Look: much paler and glossier, and in a no-bake pie it stays soupy rather than setting to a sliceable slab
Prep: Warm gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved, or beat icing sugar into cold cream if it is going into something uncooked.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Contains: dairy

Use less sugar than with evaporated milk — about ½ cup per cup — because cream's fat carries sweetness more strongly.
Do not use it in a no-bake pie. Cream has plenty of fat but far less milk protein than condensed milk, and that protein is what firms up with the lemon juice.
If it is going into fudge, do not: the sugar-to-water ratio is different and the batch will not reach the right stage.

This row is the reason to read the recipe first. If nothing has to set, it works well. If something has to set, it is the worst option here.

Sauces and drinks only. Never in a set filling or in candy.

Evaporated milk (unsweetened, as-is)

barely sweet at all, so a dessert built on it tastes flat and dairy-heavy

Listed because the two cans sit next to each other and look nearly identical. Evaporated milk is condensed milk without the sugar, and the sugar is about 40-45% of what is in the can.

Covers: Moisture & hydration; Browning & color
Misses: Sweetness — not covered; Setting & gelling — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 cup evaporated milk + ¾ cup sugar dissolved over low heat — the sugar is the ingredient, not an optional extra for 1 cup condensed milk
Best for: nothing, until you have dissolved the sugar into it
Texture: thin and pourable where the recipe wanted something spoonable and sticky
Look: a no-bake pie never firms up and stays a loose, milky liquid you cannot slice; fudge stays a sauce
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Contains: dairy

Dissolve ¾ cup of sugar into each cup over low heat for 5-10 minutes. That single step turns one into the other.
Do not compensate by adding extra sugar elsewhere in the recipe unless you also fix the liquid — the sugar in condensed milk is dissolved in it, and that is what makes it thick.

How to tell them apart on the shelf: evaporated milk comes in a 12 fl oz can and says unsweetened; sweetened condensed milk comes in a 14 oz can with sugar listed second in the ingredients.

Never swap the two cans one for one in either direction.

Don’t swap it here

3 cases

Key lime pie, lemon icebox pie, magic bars, fudge or no-churn ice cream, using plain milk, cream or unsweetened evaporated milk.Use evaporated milk with ¾ cup of sugar dissolved into it per cup, or simmer your own from 2 cups whole milk plus ¾ cup sugar. For a dairy-free version, reduce full-fat coconut milk with sugar.
Any savoury dish where you meant to reach for evaporated milk.Check the can: 12 fl oz and unsweetened is evaporated milk. If condensed is all you have, use half-and-half or reduce your own milk instead.
Stirring sugar in cold and hoping it will dissolve.Warm the mixture over low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring, until you cannot feel any grains when you rub a drop between your fingers.

Safety

1 note

Diet
Condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream are all dairy. The dairy-free and vegan route on this page is reduced full-fat coconut milk with sugar. Condensed milk is not an infant formula and must never be used as one.

If it went wrong

3 fixes

The no-bake pie filling never set and is still liquid after hours in the fridge.The mixture was too dilute or not sweet enough — usually plain milk, cream, or unsweetened evaporated milk used in place of condensed milk.Chilling longer will not help. Pour the filling into glasses, chill it and serve it as a lemon cream pot with the crust crumbled over — it tastes exactly the same. If you want to save the pie itself, whisk 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatine bloomed in 2 tablespoons of cold water into the warmed filling and re-chill for 4 hours.
The fudge or filling is gritty on the tongue.The sugar never fully dissolved, so it recrystallised as sharp grains.Return it to a low heat with 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water and stir until you cannot feel grains between your fingers, then set it again. Wiping the inside of the pan above the mixture with a wet brush stops stray crystals seeding the whole batch.
The milk you were reducing caught on the bottom and tastes burnt.Too high a heat, a narrow pan, or too long between stirs — sugar plus milk solids scorches quickly.Pour off what sits above the burnt layer without scraping, and taste. If the burnt flavour has carried through, start again: a scorched note runs through the whole dessert and cannot be masked. Use a wide pan, a bare bubble and stir every minute or two.

Measure it

7 measures

1 standard can14 oz = about 1 ¼ cups = about 300 mlSome brands sell a 14 fl oz can, which is a fraction more.
Sugar contentroughly 40-45% sugar by weightAbout 130 g of sugar per cup, which is roughly 2/3 to ¾ of a cup of granulated sugar.
Water contentabout 27% waterAgainst about 73% for evaporated milk and 88% for whole milk. This is why swapping in a thin liquid stops a filling setting.
Shortcut from the unsweetened can1 cup evaporated milk + ¾ cup sugar, warmed 5-10 minStir until no grains remain, then cool. It thickens as it cools.
Make it from milk2 cups whole milk + ¾ cup sugar + 1 tbsp butter, simmered 30-40 min to 1 ¼ cupsWide pan, lazy bubble, stir often. Add 2 tbsp dry milk powder at the start for a thicker, more opaque result.
Dairy-free version1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk + ½ cup sugar, simmered 20-30 min to about 1 cup
Condensed vs evaporatedcondensed: 14 oz can, 40-45% sugar. Evaporated: 12 fl oz can, no sugarNot interchangeable in either direction without changing the recipe's sugar.

Questions

7 questions

Can I use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk?

Only after you add sugar. They are the same concentrated milk, but sweetened condensed milk is roughly 40-45% sugar and evaporated milk has none. Warm 1 cup of evaporated milk with ¾ cup of granulated sugar over low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring until you cannot feel any grains, then cool it — it thickens as it cools. Used straight from the can, evaporated milk leaves a no-bake pie liquid and fudge unset.

What is the difference between condensed milk and evaporated milk?

Sugar, and a lot of it. Both are canned milk with most of the water boiled off, but sweetened condensed milk has around 40-45% added sugar by weight, which makes it thick, sticky and shelf-stable, while evaporated milk is unsweetened and pours like thin cream. On the shelf, condensed comes in a 14 oz can with sugar listed second; evaporated comes in a 12 fl oz can marked unsweetened.

How do I make condensed milk at home?

Put 2 cups of whole milk, ¾ cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of butter in a wide pan and simmer at a lazy bubble, stirring often, for about 30-40 minutes, until it reduces to 1 ¼ cups — one can's worth — and coats the back of a spoon. Cool it completely; it will look worryingly thin while hot and thicken a great deal as it cools. For a thicker, more opaque result closer to the canned product, whisk in 2 tablespoons of dry milk powder at the start. It keeps 4-5 days in the fridge.

Can I use condensed milk in savoury dishes?

No. It is roughly 40-45% sugar, so in a cheese sauce, chowder or scalloped potatoes it is simply too sweet to eat, and nothing you add takes the sweetness back out. If you picked up the wrong can and needed evaporated milk, use half-and-half instead, or simmer 2 ¼ cups of whole milk down to 1 cup.

Is there a dairy-free substitute for condensed milk?

Yes, and it works well. Simmer one 13.5 oz can of full-fat coconut milk with ½ cup of granulated sugar for 20-30 minutes, stirring, until it reduces to about 1 cup and coats a spoon. It sets firmer than the dairy version when cold, because coconut fat hardens in the fridge, and it tastes clearly of coconut — which suits a key lime pie and does not suit plain fudge. Use full-fat canned coconut milk, not light and not the carton drink.

Can I use cream and sugar instead of condensed milk?

For a coffee, a milk tea or a sauce, yes — 1 cup heavy cream with ½ cup sugar dissolved into it is sweet and rich. For anything that has to set, no. Cream has plenty of fat but far less milk protein than condensed milk, and it is that protein reacting with the lemon or lime juice that firms up an icebox pie. Made with sweetened cream, the filling stays soupy.

How do I make dulce de leche safely?

Do not boil or bake the can unopened. Heating a sealed can builds pressure inside it, and cans have burst and caused serious burns. Instead, pour the condensed milk into an ovenproof dish, cover it tightly with foil, set it in a roasting tin with hot water halfway up the sides and bake at 425°F for about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours, whisking smooth at the end. On the stovetop, cook it in an open heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly, until it turns amber.

Tips for substituting condensed milk

8 tips

Condensed milk and evaporated milk are different cans. Condensed is 14 oz and about 40-45% sugar; evaporated is 12 fl oz with no sugar at all.
In fudge and no-bake pies the sugar is structural. Cutting it because the dessert seems too sweet is what stops the filling setting.
To make it from the unsweetened can: 1 cup evaporated milk plus ¾ cup sugar, warmed and stirred 5-10 minutes until no grains remain.
To make it from scratch: 2 cups whole milk, ¾ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter simmered in a wide pan for 30-40 minutes down to 1 ¼ cups.
It looks far too thin while it is hot. Judge it cold — it thickens a great deal as it cools.
Whisk 2 tablespoons of dry milk powder into a homemade batch at the start if you want the thickness and opacity of the canned version.
Never boil or bake an unopened can to make dulce de leche. Heating a sealed can builds pressure and cans have burst; decant it into a dish, cover with foil and bake in a water bath instead.
Homemade keeps about 4-5 days in the fridge, against a year or more for an unopened can.

Sources — US FDA, Code of Federal Regulations 21 CFR 131.120 (sweetened condensed milk) (opens in a new tab), USDA FoodData Central (opens in a new tab)

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