Out of Condensed milk, one case

Can you substitute heavy cream for condensed milk?

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Heavy cream + sugar

1 cup cream + ½ cup sugar for every cup of condensed milk

Only in sauces, drinks and soaks, and only with sugar added: use 1 cup of heavy cream plus ½ cup of sugar for each cup of sweetened condensed milk, warmed until the sugar dissolves. It will not set a key lime pie, fudge or seven-layer bars, because cream has far less milk protein and sugar than condensed milk. For those, use evaporated milk with sugar.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Warm the cream and granulated sugar gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved; do not boil. For something uncooked, beat powdered sugar into cold cream instead.
Best for —: coffee, iced coffee and tea
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full condensed milk card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Condensed milk substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup condensed milk	Verdict
1	Heavy cream + sugarcoffee, iced coffee and tea	1 cup cream + ½ cup sugarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Evaporated milk + sugarkey lime pie and other no-bake pies	1 cup evaporated milk + ¾ cup sugarTweak it	Tweak it
3	Homemade: simmered milk + sugarbaking and pies when there is no canned milk of any kind	2 cups milk + ¾ cup sugar + 1 tbsp butter per canTweak it	Tweak it
4	Coconut milk + sugardairy-free and vegan desserts	1 can coconut milk + ½ cup sugarYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Heavy cream (unsweetened)	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Heavy cream + sugar

richer and creamier, without the cooked-milk, caramel note of the can

Cream brings the richness and the sugar brings the sweetness, but the mixture is thinner than condensed milk and has much less milk protein. It sweetens and enriches; it does not set.

Best for: coffee, iced coffee and tea, dessert sauces and drizzles, the soaking liquid for tres leches cake, sweetening oatmeal or fruit
Prep: Warm the cream and granulated sugar gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved; do not boil. For something uncooked, beat powdered sugar into cold cream instead.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Key lime and lemon icebox pie, fudge, seven-layer bars and no-churn ice cream. Use it in sauces and drinks only, never in a set filling or in candy.

Evaporated milk + sugar

very close to the can

The shortcut that does set. Evaporated milk is condensed milk without the sugar, so dissolving the sugar back in gets close to the can.

Best for: key lime pie and other no-bake pies, fudge, seven-layer bars, anything that has to set
Prep: Warm them together over low heat, stirring, for 5 to 10 minutes until every grain of sugar has dissolved and the mixture turns glossy. Cool before using; it thickens as it cools.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Do not skip or reduce the sugar. Stirred in cold, the sugar stays gritty.

Homemade: simmered milk + sugar

close to the can, slightly less thick

Whole milk and sugar simmered down until thick. This replaces one 14-oz can, which is about 1 ¼ cups.

Best for: baking and pies when there is no canned milk of any kind, fudge, coffee
Prep: Simmer in a wide pan at a lazy bubble, stirring often, for 30 to 40 minutes until it reduces to 1 ¼ cups and coats a spoon. Stir in the butter at the end and cool completely.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Under-reducing is the usual failure: measure it, because a thin batch will not set a pie. It keeps 4 to 5 days in the fridge.

Coconut milk + sugar

clearly coconut

The dairy-free version: one 13.5-oz can of full-fat coconut milk simmered with sugar until it is thick.

Best for: dairy-free and vegan desserts, coffee and iced drinks, bars and fillings that can taste of coconut
Prep: Simmer gently, stirring, for 20 to 30 minutes until reduced to about 1 cup. Stop while it still pours; it thickens a great deal as it cools.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Anything that has to taste neutral, and dulce de leche or fudge that depends on milk browning.

Heavy cream (unsweetened)

Cream poured straight from the carton has none of the sugar that makes condensed milk what it is. Condensed milk is roughly 40 to 45% sugar.

Best for: nothing in place of condensed milk
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: The recipe comes out unsweetened and loose. A pie filling stays liquid and fudge never reaches the right stage.

Tips for substituting condensed milk

5 tips

For one 14-oz can (about 1 ¼ cups): 1 ¼ cups heavy cream plus ½ cup and 2 tbsp sugar.
For coffee: 2 tbsp cream plus 1 tbsp sugar stands in for 2 tbsp of condensed milk. Stir the sugar into the hot coffee first so it dissolves.
Warm cream and sugar over low heat and stir until you cannot feel grains when you rub a drop between your fingers. Do not boil it.
If there is a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard, use that with ¾ cup of sugar per cup instead of cream. It is the swap that sets.
Use the cream mixture within 3 to 4 days and keep it in the fridge. It does not keep like the can.

Questions

5 questions

Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of sweetened condensed milk in key lime pie?

No. A key lime or lemon icebox filling thickens because the lime juice acts on the concentrated milk protein in condensed milk. Cream has plenty of fat but far less milk protein, so the filling stays loose however long it chills. Use evaporated milk with ¾ cup of sugar dissolved into each cup.

Can I use heavy cream and sugar in place of condensed milk in fudge?

Not in a condensed-milk fudge recipe. Those recipes rely on the can's fixed balance of sugar, milk solids and very little water. Cream and sugar has a different balance, and the batch does not set the same way. Either make the condensed milk from evaporated milk and sugar, or use a fudge recipe written for cream and cooked to a temperature.

How much heavy cream and sugar replaces one can of sweetened condensed milk?

A 14-ounce can holds about 1 ¼ cups. Use 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream plus ½ cup and 2 tablespoons of sugar, warmed until the sugar dissolves. Use this in sauces, drinks and soaks, not in fillings that have to set.

Can I use sweetened condensed milk in place of heavy cream, the other way around?

Rarely. Condensed milk is roughly 40 to 45% sugar and it will not whip. In a savory sauce or soup it makes the dish inedibly sweet. It can replace cream in coffee or in a sweet dessert sauce if you leave out the sugar the recipe calls for.

Does it work for no-churn ice cream?

No. No-churn ice cream stays scoopable because condensed milk carries a lot of dissolved sugar in very little water. Cream with sugar stirred in has more water and less dissolved sugar, so it freezes harder and icier.