Out of Heavy cream, one case
Heavy cream substitute for caramel
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Half-and-half + butter
Per cup of heavy cream
¾ cup half-and-half + ¼ cup butter
For caramel sauce, use ¾ cup half-and-half plus ¼ cup butter per cup of heavy cream, or the same amount of evaporated milk straight from the can. Warm the liquid first and add it off the heat. The sauce is thinner while hot and thickens as it cools. For chewy caramel candies cooked to a temperature, keep the cream or use a recipe written for evaporated milk.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Warm the half-and-half and butter together until the butter melts, take the caramelized sugar off the heat, and pour the liquid in slowly while whisking. Return it to low heat and simmer 1 to 2 minutes longer than the recipe says.
- Best for —
- caramel sauce for ice cream and desserts
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full heavy cream card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup heavy cream | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Half-and-half + buttercaramel sauce for ice cream and desserts | ¾ cup half-and-half + ¼ cup butterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Evaporated milkcaramel icing and caramel frosting | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Coconut creamdairy-free and vegan caramel sauce | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Whole milk + buttera pourable caramel sauce | ¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup butterYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Sweetened condensed milk | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Half-and-half + butter
very close, a little less rich
The closest match in a caramel sauce. Half-and-half brings some cream fat and the butter tops it up, so the sauce stays smooth and tastes like the original.
- Best for
- caramel sauce for ice cream and desserts, salted caramel, caramel for apple dip or drizzling
- Prep
- Warm the half-and-half and butter together until the butter melts, take the caramelized sugar off the heat, and pour the liquid in slowly while whisking. Return it to low heat and simmer 1 to 2 minutes longer than the recipe says.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Soft caramel candies and caramel fillings that have to set firm enough to cut. The extra water changes the set.
If the recipe already adds butter, keep that butter as well.
Evaporated milk
a cooked-milk note that suits caramel
Many old-fashioned caramel icings and caramel candies are written with evaporated milk, and it takes the heat of hot sugar better than fresh milk does. It is lower in fat than cream, so the sauce is thinner and less rich.
- Best for
- caramel icing and caramel frosting, caramel sauce when no cream or half-and-half is on hand, recipes written for evaporated milk
- Prep
- Use whole evaporated milk, warm it first, and add it off the heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra butter per cup to make up some of the fat.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- A thick, spoon-coating sauce: it stays pourable. Do not confuse it with sweetened condensed milk, which is a different can.
Coconut cream
caramel with a clear coconut flavor
Full-fat coconut cream has enough fat to make a thick, glossy caramel, and it is the standard choice for a dairy-free one. The caramel tastes of coconut.
- Best for
- dairy-free and vegan caramel sauce, caramel for tropical or chocolate desserts, a thick sauce that firms up in the fridge
- Prep
- Stir the can well or use the thick layer, warm it, and add it off the heat. Use coconut oil or vegan butter for any butter in the recipe.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- A classic caramel where coconut does not belong. Light coconut milk makes a thin sauce.
Whole milk + butter
thinner and milkier
Works when milk and butter are all you have. It carries more water than cream, so the sauce starts out thin and needs longer on the stove.
- Best for
- a pourable caramel sauce, cooked caramel frosting, which is often made with milk, caramel stirred into coffee or batter
- Prep
- Warm the milk and butter together, add them off the heat in a slow stream, then simmer gently for a few extra minutes until the sauce coats a spoon.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It can look grainy if cold milk hits hot sugar, and it will not make caramels that hold their shape.
Sweetened condensed milk
It makes its own kind of caramel, dulce de leche, when cooked slowly.
It does not replace cream in a caramel recipe, because it brings a large amount of sugar the recipe did not count on.
- Best for
- dulce de leche, as its own recipe, caramel recipes written for condensed milk
- Where it fails
- Poured into caramelized sugar in place of cream, it makes the sauce far too sweet and thick, and it scorches quickly.
How it behaves in this recipe
In caramel, cream does two jobs. It stops the sugar from cooking further the moment it goes in, and its fat is what makes the sauce smooth and thick once it cools. Any liquid does the first job. The second depends on fat, so a lower-fat swap gives a thinner sauce, and in a candy cooked to a set temperature the extra water changes how firm it ends up.
Tips for substituting heavy cream
5 tips- Warm the substitute before it goes in. Cold liquid makes hot sugar seize into hard lumps; if that happens, keep the pan on low heat and stir until they dissolve.
- Take the pan off the heat and pour slowly. Hot sugar bubbles up and spits steam when liquid hits it, so use a deep pan and a long-handled whisk.
- For a recipe using ½ cup heavy cream, use 6 tablespoons half-and-half plus 2 tablespoons butter.
- Judge the thickness cold, not hot. Put a spoonful on a cold plate for a minute: a sauce made with a lower-fat swap looks thin in the pan and thickens as it cools.
- For a cooked caramel frosting, whole milk or evaporated milk in the same amount as the cream works, because the powdered sugar beaten in at the end sets the frosting.
Questions
4 questionsCan I use milk instead of heavy cream in caramel sauce?
Yes, with butter: ¾ cup whole milk plus ¼ cup butter per cup of cream, warmed and added off the heat. The sauce is thinner than one made with cream, so simmer it a few minutes longer and expect it to thicken as it cools. Plain milk with no added butter makes a thin, less rich sauce.
What can I use instead of heavy cream in caramel frosting?
Evaporated milk or whole milk, in the same amount as the cream. Cooked caramel frostings are commonly made with either one. The frosting gets its body from the butter, brown sugar and powdered sugar, so the lower fat matters less than it does in a sauce. If it is too thin, beat in more powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time.
Can I make chewy caramel candies without heavy cream?
Use a recipe written for evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk instead of swapping into a cream recipe. Caramels are cooked to a set temperature, and their texture depends on the balance of fat, sugar and water. A lower-fat swap in a cream recipe can give caramels that are greasy, grainy or the wrong firmness.
Why is my caramel sauce thin after substituting?
The swap has more water and less fat than cream. Simmer the sauce gently for another 2 to 5 minutes to cook off water, then test a spoonful on a cold plate. Caramel also thickens a great deal as it cools, so a sauce that pours freely when hot may be right at room temperature.