Out of Half and half, one case

Fat-free half and half substitute

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Fat-free evaporated milk

1 cup for every cup of half and half

Fat-free evaporated milk is the closest fat-free stand-in for half and half in desserts: use it cup for cup, straight from the can, in custards, puddings and pie fillings. With no can in the cupboard, whisk 2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk into 1 cup water. Nothing fat-free whips into a topping that holds or makes a creamy ice cream.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Shake the can and use it undiluted. Check that it says evaporated, not sweetened condensed.
Best for —: baked custards, pumpkin pie and bread pudding

One casethe full half and half card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Half and half substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup half and half	Verdict
1	Fat-free evaporated milkbaked custards, pumpkin pie and bread pudding	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
2	Instant nonfat dry milk + watercustards and puddings	2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk + 1 cup waterTweak it	Tweak it
3	Skim milk + cornstarchstovetop puddings and custard sauces	1 cup skim milk + 1 tsp cornstarchYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Skim milkcake, muffin and quick bread batters	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Fat-free evaporated milk

a faint cooked, caramel note and a slightly tan color

Skim milk with more than half its water cooked off. The concentrated milk solids give it more body than its fat content suggests, which is what a custard or pudding needs.

Best for: baked custards, pumpkin pie and bread pudding, stovetop puddings and cream pie fillings, coffee
Prep: Shake the can and use it undiluted. Check that it says evaporated, not sweetened condensed.
Where it fails: Anything served plain and cold, such as a pour over fruit, where the canned flavor shows. It does not whip into a topping that holds, and ice cream made with it freezes hard and icy.

Instant nonfat dry milk + water

plain milk flavor, less cooked than the canned

Double-strength reconstituted skim milk, which is close to what fat-free evaporated milk is. This is the route when the cupboard has powder and no can.

Best for: custards and puddings, baking
Prep: Whisk the powder into warm water until no grains remain, let it stand 10 minutes so it fully hydrates, then whisk again.
Where it fails: It is grainy if it is not given time to hydrate. Like the canned version it has no fat, so it does not whip or enrich an ice cream.

Skim milk + cornstarch

thinner and less rich; thickens once it has simmered

Carton fat-free half and half is typically skim milk with thickeners added. A little cornstarch does the same job in anything that is cooked on the stove.

Best for: stovetop puddings and custard sauces, cream pie fillings
Prep: Whisk the cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of the cold milk, stir it into the rest, and simmer for 1 minute.
Where it fails: Uncooked desserts and anything that never reaches a simmer: cornstarch only thickens with heat.

Skim milk

leaner and thinner; baked goods are slightly drier

Fine where the half and half is one liquid among many, as in cake, muffin and pancake batters.

Best for: cake, muffin and quick bread batters
Where it fails: Puddings, custards and cream pies set looser and taste watery. Use one of the rows above for those.

Questions

4 questions

Can I use carton fat-free half and half in place of regular half and half in desserts?

Yes, cup for cup, in puddings, custards, pie fillings and baking. It is typically skim milk thickened with corn syrup and a stabilizer such as carrageenan, so it pours like half and half but brings almost no fat. It falls short where the fat does the work: it will not whip, ice cream made with it is icy, and a caramel or chocolate sauce comes out thinner and less rich.

The recipe calls for fat-free half and half and I only have regular. Can I use it?

Yes, cup for cup. Regular half and half is 10-12% fat, so the dessert will be richer and nothing else in the recipe needs to change.

Which fat-free substitute is best for pumpkin pie and baked custard?

Fat-free evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is already the usual dairy in pumpkin pie, and in a baked custard the eggs do the setting, so the filling sets the same way with less richness.

Can any fat-free substitute be whipped or churned into ice cream?

No. Whipping needs roughly 30% fat, and without fat an ice cream base freezes hard and icy. For a lighter frozen dessert, choose a recipe written for milk, such as a sherbet, and do not convert one built on cream.