Out of Heavy cream, one case
Can you substitute evaporated milk for heavy cream?
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Evaporated milk
1 cup for every cup of heavy cream
Yes in cooked and baked recipes: use 1 cup evaporated milk, straight from the can, for each cup of heavy cream. It is about 6 to 7% fat against at least 36%, so the dish is less rich and a sauce is thinner; thicken with 1 teaspoon cornstarch per cup if it has to coat. It does not replace whipped cream: chilled hard it beats to a soft foam that collapses in 20 to 30 minutes.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- Shake the can, then measure it undiluted. Do not add water.
- Best for —
- batters, custards and pie fillings
- 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 milkbatters, custards and pie fillings | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Evaporated milk + cornstarchcreamy pasta sauces | 1 cup evaporated milk + 1 tsp cornstarchYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Evaporated milk, chilled and whippeda topping served within minutes | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Half-and-half + butterrich pan sauces | ¾ cup half-and-half + ¼ cup butterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Coconut cream (chilled)whipped topping made ahead | 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, like the milk in milky tea
Milk with about 60% of its water removed, unsweetened and shelf-stable. It is thicker than milk and pours like thin cream, but it is a concentrated milk, not a cream.
- Best for
- batters, custards and pie fillings, creamy soups, casseroles and mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and other cheese sauces
- Prep
- Shake the can, then measure it undiluted. Do not add water.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Reduced cream sauces, which stay pale and thin, delicate desserts such as panna cotta where the canned flavor shows, and ganache or no-bake fillings that have to set.
A 12 fl oz can holds 1 ½ cups. A 5 fl oz can holds ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons.
Evaporated milk + cornstarch
smooth but lean; finish with a tablespoon of butter for richness
For a sauce that has to coat pasta or a spoon. Evaporated milk has too little fat to thicken by reducing, so a little starch does that job.
- Best for
- creamy pasta sauces, pan sauces and gravies, chowders
- Prep
- Whisk the cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water, stir it into the sauce with the evaporated milk and simmer for 1 minute.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Baking and custards, which do not need the starch, and anything whipped.
Evaporated milk, chilled and whipped
light and milky, with none of the richness of cream
Evaporated milk that is very cold beats to a light foam. It is airier and far less stable than whipped cream, so it is a last resort for a dessert going straight to the table.
- Best for
- a topping served within minutes, folding into a chilled dessert that sets with gelatin
- Prep
- Put the evaporated milk, the bowl and the beaters in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the milk is icy at the edges, then beat on high speed and sweeten at the end.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It weeps and collapses after about 20 to 30 minutes, so it cannot frost a cake, fill a pie made ahead or be piped.
Half-and-half + butter
very close to cream
Closer to cream than evaporated milk is, at about 27% fat. Reach for it when fat is the point of the dish.
- Best for
- rich pan sauces, cream soups, quiche
- 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: it stays liquid.
Coconut cream (chilled)
clearly coconut
For whipped cream that has to hold. The thick layer from chilled full-fat coconut milk whips to peaks and stays whipped in the refrigerator.
- Best for
- whipped topping made ahead, no-bake fillings where coconut fits
- Prep
- Chill the can upright overnight, open it without shaking and spoon off only the solid layer. Two 13.5 oz cans give about 1 cup.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Desserts where coconut flavor does not belong.
Sweetened condensed milk
The can that looks like evaporated milk and is not.
It is loaded with sugar and does not replace cream or evaporated milk.
- Best for
- recipes written for it
- Where it fails
- It makes a savory dish sweet and throws off the sugar in a dessert. Check the label before you open the can.
Tips for substituting heavy cream
5 tips- Measure it cup for cup and do not dilute it. For ½ cup heavy cream use ½ cup evaporated milk; for ¼ cup use ¼ cup.
- Use whole evaporated milk. Fat-free and low-fat cans are thinner again and give a flat-tasting sauce.
- To make a sauce coat, whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water per cup of evaporated milk, stir it in and simmer for 1 minute.
- Add lemon juice, wine or tomato at the end and keep the pan below a hard boil. With this little fat, the sauce is more likely to curdle than one made with cream.
- Opened evaporated milk keeps a few days in the refrigerator. Pour it out of the can into a covered container.
Questions
5 questionsCan I substitute evaporated milk for heavy whipping cream to make whipped cream?
Only as a last resort. Chill the evaporated milk, bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes and beat on high: it forms a light foam, but it weeps and collapses within about 20 to 30 minutes. For whipped cream that holds, use real cream or chilled full-fat coconut cream.
Can I use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream in pasta sauce?
Yes. Use the same amount, and thicken it with 1 teaspoon cornstarch whisked into 1 tablespoon cold water per cup, because evaporated milk will not reduce to a coating sauce the way cream does. Stir in a tablespoon of butter and the cheese off the heat. The sauce is lighter than one made with cream.
Can I use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream in baking?
Yes, cup for cup, in cakes, quick breads, custards, quiche and pie fillings. It is the easiest swap in baking because nothing has to be added. Scones and biscuits that use cream as their only fat come out leaner and drier; for those, use ¾ cup evaporated milk or half-and-half plus ¼ cup melted butter.
Can I use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream in soup?
Yes, in the same amount. Stir it in at the end and heat it through without boiling hard. It makes a creamy soup that is thinner and less rich than one made with cream.
Is evaporated milk the same as heavy cream?
No. Evaporated milk is whole milk with water removed, about 6 to 7% fat. Heavy cream is at least 36% fat. That difference is why evaporated milk works as a liquid in cooking and baking and does not thicken a reduction or hold whipped peaks.