Out of Evaporated milk, one case
Evaporated milk substitute for soup
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Half-and-half
1 cup for every cup of evaporated milk
In soup, use half-and-half cup for cup in place of evaporated milk. Stir it in at the end and keep the pot below a boil, because half-and-half curdles more easily than the canned milk does. In tomato soup or anything acidic, ¾ cup heavy cream plus ¼ cup water per cup is the safer choice. Plain whole milk works with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch per cup to give back the body.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Stir it in at the end and heat until steaming, not boiling.
- Best for —
- potato soup and chowder
- 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 | Half-and-halfpotato soup and chowder | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Heavy cream + watertomato soup and tomato bisque | ¾ cup cream + ¼ cup waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Whole milk + cornstarchpotato soup, corn chowder and mac and cheese soup | 1 cup milk + 1 tsp cornstarchYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Milk powder + waterwhen there is no fresh dairy in the house | 2/3 cup powder + 1 cup waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Full-fat coconut milksquash, sweet potato and carrot soups | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Sweetened condensed milk | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Half-and-half
fresher and slightly richer; the cooked, caramel note of canned milk is gone
About the same thickness as evaporated milk and unsweetened, so it pours straight in. It is a little richer: 10 to 12% fat against 6 to 7%.
- Best for
- potato soup and chowder, cream of chicken, mushroom or broccoli soup, any soup finished with dairy at the end
- Prep
- Stir it in at the end and heat until steaming, not boiling.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- A hard boil, or a soup with a lot of tomato, wine or lemon, where it can curdle.
Heavy cream + water
richer and rounder
Cream thinned with water. The high fat makes it the dairy least likely to curdle in a hot or acidic soup.
- Best for
- tomato soup and tomato bisque, soups with wine or lemon, soups that will be reheated
- Prep
- Stir the cream and water together and add them near the end. Taste for salt: fat mutes it, so the soup may want a pinch more.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Used undiluted, cup for cup, the soup is much heavier: cream has about five times the fat of evaporated milk.
Whole milk + cornstarch
lighter and less rich
Whole milk is thinner than evaporated milk, since it still has the water the can had taken out. A little cornstarch gives the soup its body back.
- Best for
- potato soup, corn chowder and mac and cheese soup, when milk is all there is
- Prep
- Whisk the cornstarch into 1 tbsp of the cold milk, stir it into the soup with the rest of the milk, and simmer gently for 1 minute.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Low-fat and skim milk curdle more readily and taste thin. Keep any milk below a boil.
Milk powder + water
clean and milky; lean if the powder is nonfat
Dry milk mixed at double strength is close to what evaporated milk is, and it keeps in the cupboard the same way.
- Best for
- when there is no fresh dairy in the house, camping and pantry cooking
- Prep
- Whisk the powder into warm water until no grains remain, let it stand 10 minutes, then whisk again before adding it.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- With nonfat powder the soup has less richness. A spoonful of butter stirred in at the end helps.
Full-fat coconut milk
a clear coconut flavor
The dairy-free option with real body. Use the canned kind, not the thin drink sold in cartons.
- Best for
- squash, sweet potato and carrot soups, curried soups and corn chowder, a dairy-free or vegan soup
- Prep
- Shake or whisk the can until the thick and thin layers are one liquid before you measure.
- Suits
- vegan, dairy-free
- Where it fails
- Classic potato soup, clam chowder or cream of mushroom, where the coconut taste is out of place.
Sweetened condensed milk
very sweet
The can looks the same on the shelf, but it is milk cooked down with sugar: about ¾ cup of sugar in every cup.
- Best for
- desserts that call for it
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It makes any soup sweet, and there is no way to take the sugar back out.
How it behaves in this recipe
Recipes put evaporated milk in soup for two reasons: it makes the soup creamy with less fat than cream, and it holds up to heat, so it is slow to curdle in a simmering pot. Most substitutes give the creaminess but not the heat tolerance, which is why when and how you add them matters more than the amount.
Tips for substituting evaporated milk
5 tips- Add the dairy last. Take the pot off the boil, stir it in, and heat only until the soup is steaming.
- Temper it: stir a ladle of hot soup into the cold half-and-half or milk, then pour that back into the pot.
- One 12 oz can of evaporated milk is 1 ½ cups. A 5 oz can is a little under 2/3 cup.
- Slow cooker: add half-and-half, milk or cream in the last 30 minutes, not at the start.
- If you plan to freeze the soup, freeze it before the dairy goes in and add it when you reheat. Soups finished with milk or half-and-half can separate after freezing.
Questions
5 questionsCan I use regular milk in place of evaporated milk in potato soup?
Yes. Use the same amount of whole milk and thicken it with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch per cup, whisked into a little cold milk first. The soup is lighter and less rich. Keep it below a boil once the milk is in.
Will half-and-half curdle in soup?
It can, if it boils hard or meets a lot of acid. Add it at the end, heat it gently, and stir a ladle of hot soup into it before it goes into the pot. Evaporated milk is more forgiving, which is why recipes use it.
What should I use in tomato soup?
Heavy cream thinned with water: ¾ cup cream plus ¼ cup water for each cup of evaporated milk. Cream stands up to the acid in tomatoes better than milk or half-and-half does.
What is a dairy-free substitute for evaporated milk in soup?
Full-fat canned coconut milk, cup for cup, stirred smooth first. It tastes of coconut, so it fits squash, sweet potato and curried soups best. Thin plant milks from a carton make a thinner soup.
Can I use sweetened condensed milk in soup?
No. It is heavily sweetened, and a cup carries about ¾ cup of sugar. Use any of the unsweetened options on this page.