Out of Evaporated milk, one case
Can you substitute heavy cream for evaporated milk?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Heavy cream + water
¾ cup cream + ¼ cup water for every cup of evaporated milk
Yes, thinned with water: use ¾ cup heavy cream plus ¼ cup water for each cup of evaporated milk. Heavy cream is 36 to 40% fat and evaporated milk is 6 to 7%, so undiluted cream in a full-can amount makes a heavy, greasy result. For a few tablespoons, cream straight from the carton is fine.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Stir ¾ cup heavy cream with ¼ cup water and use it as the recipe directs. There is no heating or resting step.
- Best for —
- pumpkin pie and baked custards
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full evaporated milk card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup evaporated milk | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy cream + waterpumpkin pie and baked custards | ¾ cup cream + ¼ cup waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Heavy cream, undilutedcoffee and tea | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Half-and-halfpumpkin pie and custards | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Whole milk, simmered downfudge and dulce de leche | 2 ¼ cupsWorks | Works |
Heavy cream + water
richer and rounder, with none of the canned, cooked-milk note
Diluting the cream brings its fat down toward the range of evaporated milk while keeping enough body for a custard to set and a sauce to cling.
- Best for
- pumpkin pie and baked custards, cream soups and chowders, cheese sauces and casseroles
- Prep
- Stir ¾ cup heavy cream with ¼ cup water and use it as the recipe directs. There is no heating or resting step.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It is still several times richer than evaporated milk, so a custard sets a little softer. It will not give the caramel flavor that evaporated milk brings to fudge or dulce de leche.
In a savory sauce, taste for salt at the end. Fat mutes salt, and this adds fat.
Heavy cream, undiluted
much richer and heavier
Straight cream carries roughly five times the fat of evaporated milk. In a small amount that reads as richness; in a full can's worth it takes over the dish.
- Best for
- coffee and tea, a few tablespoons stirred into soup or sauce, amounts of ¼ cup or less
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- A full 12 oz can's worth in pumpkin pie, custard or a casserole: the result is dense and greasy, and a sauce can leak butterfat. Dilute it for anything over ¼ cup.
Half-and-half
slightly richer and fresher than evaporated milk
If there is half-and-half in the fridge as well, it is the easier swap: similar thickness to evaporated milk, and nothing to mix.
- Best for
- pumpkin pie and custards, cream soups and cheese sauces
- Prep
- Use it straight from the carton and keep the heat below a hard boil.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It curdles more easily than evaporated milk in a hard boil or with acid.
Whole milk, simmered down
fresher than canned, otherwise the same
Milk with the water boiled off is what evaporated milk is. Use it when the recipe depends on concentrated milk, not on fat.
- Best for
- fudge and dulce de leche, flan and tres leches
- Prep
- Simmer 2 ¼ cups whole milk in a wide pan at a gentle bubble for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring often, until it measures 1 cup. Cool before adding to eggs.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It takes half an hour, and it scorches if left unstirred.
Tips for substituting evaporated milk
5 tips- For a 12 oz can, which is 1 ½ cups, use 1 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream and 6 tbsp water.
- For a 5 oz can, a scant 2/3 cup, use ½ cup heavy cream and about 2 ½ tbsp water.
- Whipping cream, at 30 to 36% fat, works the same way with the same dilution.
- Heavy cream stands up to simmering and to acid better than half-and-half or milk does, so it is the safer swap in a tomato soup or a sauce with wine.
- Do not dilute with milk in place of water unless you want it richer still. Water is what brings the fat down.
Questions
4 questionsCan I substitute heavy cream for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie?
Yes. For the 12 oz can most recipes call for, use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 6 tablespoons of water. The filling is richer and silkier and sets a little softer, so chill the pie fully before cutting. Undiluted cream in that amount makes the pie heavy.
Is heavy cream a 1:1 substitute for evaporated milk?
Only in small amounts, about ¼ cup or less, where the extra fat does not matter. Above that, use ¾ cup cream plus ¼ cup water per cup. Heavy cream is 36 to 40% fat; evaporated milk is 6 to 7%.
Can I use heavy cream in place of evaporated milk in fudge?
Yes, diluted the same way: ¾ cup cream plus ¼ cup water per cup of evaporated milk. Cook to 234°F on a candy thermometer and stir constantly, because cream catches on the pan faster. The fudge is richer and a little softer.
Can I go the other way and use evaporated milk for heavy cream?
In soups, sauces and baking, yes, cup for cup, with a leaner result. It will not whip into stable whipped cream: chilled evaporated milk beats to a soft foam that soon collapses.