Out of Milk, one case
Milk substitute for meatballs
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Water
1 cup for every cup of milk
In meatballs, milk only moistens the breadcrumbs, so the same amount of water, broth or unsweetened plant milk works with no other change. Broth adds the most flavor, and plain water is the swap no one will notice. For Swedish meatballs, the cream gravy is the part that needs a creamy liquid: use ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water per cup of milk, or unsweetened soy or oat milk.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- Italian-style meatballs in sauce
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full milk card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup milk | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WaterItalian-style meatballs in sauce | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Beef or chicken brothbeef and pork meatballs | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 3 | Unsweetened soy or oat milkdairy-free Swedish meatballs | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 4 | Evaporated milk + waterSwedish meatballs and their gravy | ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup waterWorks | Works |
| 5 | Buttermilk or thinned yogurttender beef, pork or turkey meatballs | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Sweetened plant milk | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Water
no difference once the meatballs are seasoned and sauced
The soaked breadcrumbs, called a panade, keep meatballs tender by holding moisture. Water wets the crumbs as well as milk does.
- Best for
- Italian-style meatballs in sauce, dairy-free meatballs, any recipe that soaks crumbs or bread in milk
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- A milk-based gravy, as with Swedish meatballs: water makes it thin and gray. Use it in the meat, not the sauce.
Most recipes use ¼ to ½ cup per pound of meat. Swap the same measure.
Beef or chicken broth
a little more savory
Broth moistens the crumbs and seasons the meat from inside. It is the swap that adds something.
- Best for
- beef and pork meatballs, turkey or chicken meatballs, dairy-free meatballs
- Where it fails
- Regular broth adds salt. Use low-sodium, or cut the recipe's salt by a pinch.
Unsweetened soy or oat milk
no difference in the meat; close in the gravy
Either works in the panade and, unlike water, in a cream gravy too.
- Best for
- dairy-free Swedish meatballs, meatballs with a creamy sauce
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Sweetened and vanilla cartons. Read the label: a carton marked original is usually sweetened. The sugar is plain to taste in meat and in gravy.
Evaporated milk + water
the same as milk
Canned milk diluted to the strength of fresh. It works in the meat and makes a stable cream gravy.
- Best for
- Swedish meatballs and their gravy, any meatball recipe
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Sweetened condensed milk is a different can and is not a swap.
Buttermilk or thinned yogurt
a faint tang that the sauce covers
An acidic panade makes especially tender meatballs. Use buttermilk as it is, or plain yogurt thinned with water.
- Best for
- tender beef, pork or turkey meatballs, meatballs for spaghetti
- Prep
- For yogurt, whisk ¾ cup plain yogurt with ¼ cup water per cup of milk.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- A cream gravy, where the tang shows and the sauce can split if it boils.
Sweetened plant milk
sweet, and wrong with meat
Vanilla, original and other sweetened cartons.
- Best for
- nothing savory
- Where it fails
- The sugar cannot be seasoned out. Use water in its place; it is the better swap.
How it behaves in this recipe
Milk goes into meatballs to wet the breadcrumbs, not for anything milk itself does. Any plain liquid in the same amount keeps the meatballs tender. Only a milk-based gravy, as in Swedish meatballs, needs a substitute that is actually creamy.
Tips for substituting milk
4 tips- Soak the breadcrumbs or torn bread in the liquid for 5 minutes before the meat goes in. That step matters more than which liquid it is.
- Keep the amount the recipe gives, usually ¼ to ½ cup per pound of meat. More makes the meatballs too soft to hold their shape.
- Cook meatballs of ground beef, pork, veal or lamb to 160°F in the center, and ground chicken or turkey to 165°F.
- Swedish meatball gravy: use evaporated milk and water, or unsweetened soy or oat milk, and keep it at a gentle simmer.
Questions
4 questionsWhy do meatball recipes use milk at all?
To soak the breadcrumbs. The wet crumbs hold moisture and keep the meat from tightening into a dense, dry ball as it cooks. The liquid matters; that it is milk matters very little.
What is the dairy-free substitute for milk in meatballs?
The same amount of water or broth. Unsweetened soy or oat milk also works. Check the rest of the recipe as well: Parmesan and some packaged breadcrumbs contain milk.
What replaces milk in Swedish meatballs?
In the meat, any liquid: water, broth or plant milk in the same amount. In the gravy, use ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water per cup of milk, or unsweetened soy or oat milk. Half and half thinned with water, 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup, also works.
Can I leave the milk out of meatballs?
Replace it with water instead of leaving it out. Dry crumbs with no liquid pull moisture from the meat, and the meatballs come out dry and tight.