Out of Heavy cream, one case
Can you use condensed milk for heavy cream?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Evaporated milk
1 cup for every cup of heavy cream
No, not as a direct swap. Sweetened condensed milk is milk cooked down with a large amount of sugar, about 22 g of sugar in every 2 tablespoons, and it is far lower in fat than heavy cream. It makes a savory dish sweet, throws off the sugar in a dessert, and will not whip. If the can is unsweetened evaporated milk, that one does work: use 1 cup per cup of heavy cream in cooked and baked dishes.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- Best for —
- custards, pie fillings and batters
- 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 | Evaporated milkcustards, pie fillings and batters | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Half-and-half + butterpan sauces and pasta sauces | ¾ cup half-and-half + ¼ cup butterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Whole milk + butterbaked dishes where cream is one liquid among several | ¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup butterYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Coconut cream (chilled)whipped topping | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Sweetened condensed milk | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Evaporated milk
slightly cooked and sweetish, not sugary
The unsweetened can that sits next to condensed milk on the shelf, and the one that does replace cream. It is milk with about 60% of the water removed and no sugar added.
- Best for
- custards, pie fillings and batters, creamy soups and casseroles, mac and cheese and other cheese sauces
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It is about 6 to 7% fat, so a reduced sauce is thinner and it does not whip into a topping that lasts.
To thicken a sauce made with it, whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water per cup, stir it in and simmer for 1 minute.
Half-and-half + butter
very close to cream
The closest stand-in for heavy cream in anything cooked, with no sugar to work around.
- Best for
- pan sauces and pasta sauces, cream soups, quiche and custard bases
- Prep
- Melt the butter, let it cool for a minute, then whisk it into the half-and-half. Add it off the boil.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Whipped cream: at about 27% fat it stays liquid.
Whole milk + butter
thinner and milkier
The version made from what most kitchens already have. It is thinner than cream, so thicken a sauce separately.
- Best for
- baked dishes where cream is one liquid among several, gravies and chowders
- Prep
- Whisk the warm melted butter into the milk in a thin stream, and whisk again before pouring.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Anything whipped or set, and sauces simmered with lemon, wine or tomato.
Coconut cream (chilled)
clearly coconut
If the cream was going to be whipped, for a topping or a no-churn ice cream, this is the common ingredient that whips.
- Best for
- whipped topping, no-churn ice cream without dairy cream, chilled desserts where coconut fits
- Prep
- Chill a can of full-fat coconut milk upright overnight, spoon off only the thick layer and whip it cold. Two 13.5 oz cans give about 1 cup.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Desserts where coconut flavor is unwelcome.
Sweetened condensed milk
very sweet, with a cooked-milk flavor
Thick, sticky and very sweet. It is a sweetener and a dairy in one can, so it cannot take the place of unsweetened cream in a recipe unless the recipe is rewritten around it.
- Best for
- coffee and tea, in place of both cream and sugar, recipes written for it, such as no-churn ice cream, fudge and key lime pie
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Soups, pasta sauces and anything savory, where the sugar ruins the dish. Whipped cream, because it does not hold air. Cakes, custards and ganache written for cream, where the extra sugar changes how they bake and set.
In coffee, start with 1 tablespoon per cup and leave out the sugar.
Tips for substituting heavy cream
4 tips- Check the label first. Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk come in similar cans; only evaporated milk is unsweetened and usable in place of cream.
- In coffee or tea, 1 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk per cup replaces both the cream and the sugar. Add more to taste.
- No-churn ice cream uses one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk and 2 cups of heavy cream whipped to peaks. The condensed milk is the sweetener; it cannot also stand in for the cream.
- Do not pour sweetened condensed milk into a soup or pasta sauce. For savory dishes use ¾ cup half-and-half plus ¼ cup melted butter per cup of cream.
Questions
4 questionsCan I substitute condensed milk for heavy cream in ice cream?
Not for the cream itself. In no-churn ice cream the two work together: one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk sweetens the base, and 2 cups of heavy cream whipped to peaks give it air and fat. Without the whipped cream the mixture freezes dense and hard. If you have no cream, whip chilled coconut cream in its place, or churn a base made with half-and-half, which comes out icier.
Is condensed milk the same as evaporated milk?
No. Both are milk with water removed, but sweetened condensed milk has sugar added and is thick and syrupy, while evaporated milk is unsweetened and pours like thin cream. Evaporated milk replaces heavy cream cup for cup in cooked dishes. Sweetened condensed milk does not.
Can I use condensed milk instead of heavy cream in pasta or soup?
No. Sweetened condensed milk makes a savory dish taste like dessert, and there is no way to take the sugar back out. Use evaporated milk in the same amount as the cream, or ¾ cup half-and-half plus ¼ cup melted butter per cup.
Can you whip sweetened condensed milk like heavy cream?
No. It is too low in fat and too heavy with sugar to hold air, so it stays a thick syrup. It can be folded into cream that has already been whipped, which is how no-churn ice cream is made.