Out of Half-and-half, one case
Can you substitute milk for half-and-half?
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Whole milk
1 cup for every cup of half-and-half
Yes: use 1 cup of whole milk for each cup of half-and-half, and expect a thinner, less rich result, because whole milk is about 3.25% fat and half-and-half is 10 to 12%. To close the gap, use 7/8 cup whole milk plus 1 tablespoon melted butter per cup. Plain milk is fine in coffee and most baking; in cream sauces, custards and ice cream the difference shows.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- Best for —
- coffee and tea
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full half and half card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup half-and-half | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whole milkcoffee and tea | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Whole milk + butterbaking | 7/8 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp melted butterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Whole milk + heavy creamany recipe, with no changes | ¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup heavy creamWorks | Works |
| 4 | Evaporated milksoups and chowders | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Skim, 1% or 2% milkcoffee, if you accept a thinner cup | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Whole milk
lighter and less creamy
The same volume of milk supplies the liquid and about a third of the fat. Recipes still work, with less body and richness.
- Best for
- coffee and tea, pancakes, muffins and quick breads, scrambled eggs and French toast, thin soups
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Cream sauces come out thin, quiche and custards set softer and can weep, and ice cream freezes icy. Milk also curdles more easily than half-and-half when boiled with acid such as tomato, wine or lemon.
In a sauce or soup, simmer a few minutes longer or add 1 tsp cornstarch stirred into cold milk per cup to make up for the missing body.
Whole milk + butter
close to half-and-half, slightly buttery
A tablespoon of butter puts back the fat that milk is missing. Fill a 1-cup measure with milk, take out 2 tablespoons, and add the butter.
- Best for
- baking, cream sauces and gravies, mashed potatoes, quiche and casseroles
- Prep
- Melt the butter, let it cool slightly and whisk it into room-temperature milk just before using. Cold milk makes the butter set into flecks.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Anything served cold or stored: the butter separates and firms up in the fridge. It is not a base for ice cream or panna cotta.
Whole milk + heavy cream
the same as half-and-half
If there is any cream in the fridge, this is half-and-half itself: the mix comes to about 11% fat.
- Best for
- any recipe, with no changes, ice cream and custards, coffee
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Nowhere.
Evaporated milk
slightly cooked and caramel-like
Canned milk with much of the water removed. Undiluted, it has more body than fresh milk and stands up to heat better.
- Best for
- soups and chowders, mac and cheese and cream sauces, coffee
- Prep
- Use straight from the can. Do not add water.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Recipes where a fresh cream flavor matters.
Skim, 1% or 2% milk
thin and slightly watery
Lower-fat milk measures the same but is further still from half-and-half. Skim milk has almost no fat, so the result is noticeably thin.
- Best for
- coffee, if you accept a thinner cup, pancakes and muffins, thinning a soup
- Prep
- If you have heavy cream, mix 2/3 cup low-fat milk with 1/3 cup cream per cup instead.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Sauces, custards, quiche and ice cream. Skim milk also curdles easily when boiled.
Tips for substituting half-and-half
5 tips- For baking, swap whole milk cup for cup. Most cakes, muffins and pancakes show little difference; scones and biscuits are slightly less tender.
- For a cream sauce, use 7/8 cup milk plus 1 tbsp butter per cup, and add the milk to the pan warm so it does not split.
- In soup, add milk at the end and keep it below a boil. With tomatoes or wine in the pot, thicken the soup with a little flour or cornstarch first, which helps keep the milk from curdling.
- For quiche, milk alone gives a softer, wetter custard. Add 1 extra egg yolk per cup of milk, or use the milk-and-butter mix.
- In coffee, use whole milk as it is, and pour a little more than you would of half-and-half.
Questions
5 questionsHow do I turn milk into half-and-half?
With cream: ¾ cup whole milk plus ¼ cup heavy cream makes 1 cup. Without cream: 7/8 cup whole milk plus 1 tablespoon melted butter. The butter version works in cooking and baking but separates if chilled.
Can I substitute skim milk for half-and-half?
Only where richness does not matter, such as in coffee or a pancake batter. Skim milk has almost none of the fat, so sauces turn out thin and custards set poorly. Evaporated milk, undiluted, is a better stand-in from the pantry.
Can I use milk in place of half-and-half in pasta sauce?
Yes, with help. Use 7/8 cup whole milk plus 1 tablespoon butter per cup, and thicken with a roux or a little cornstarch, because milk will not reduce to a coating sauce the way cream does. Keep it at a gentle simmer so it does not curdle.
Can I use milk in place of half-and-half in ice cream?
It freezes, but harder and icier, because fat is what keeps ice cream smooth. If the recipe uses both half-and-half and heavy cream, replacing only the half-and-half with whole milk gives a lighter but still scoopable result.
How much milk replaces ½ cup of half-and-half?
Use ½ cup of whole milk. To match the richness, use 7 tablespoons of milk plus 1 ½ teaspoons of melted butter.