Out of Milk, one case

Milk substitute for pudding

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Evaporated milk + water

½ cup + ½ cup water for every cup of milk

For any pudding, boxed or homemade, the surest swap is ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water for each cup of milk. Cooked pudding thickens with starch, so unsweetened soy, oat or almond milk also works cup for cup. Instant pudding mix is different: it needs dairy milk to set, so it stays runny with water or soy milk and sets soft with almond or oat milk unless you use less.

Verdict —: Works
The tweak —: Stir the evaporated milk and cold water together before you measure them into the mix.
Best for —: instant pudding mix
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full milk card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Milk substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup milk	Verdict
1	Evaporated milk + waterinstant pudding mix	½ cup + ½ cup waterWorks	Works
2	Half and half + waterinstant pudding mix	1/3 cup half and half + 2/3 cup waterTweak it	Tweak it
3	Dry milk powder + waterinstant pudding mix	1/3 cup powder + 1 cup waterWorks	Works
4	Soy, oat or almond milk, in cooked puddingcook-and-serve pudding mix	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Almond or oat milk, in instant puddinginstant pudding eaten from a bowl	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Water	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Evaporated milk + water

slightly cooked and caramel-like, hard to notice in chocolate or butterscotch

Evaporated milk is milk with about 60% of its water removed, so adding water back gives you milk again. It sets instant pudding and thickens cooked pudding the way fresh milk does.

Best for: instant pudding mix, cook-and-serve pudding, homemade stovetop pudding
Prep: Stir the evaporated milk and cold water together before you measure them into the mix.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: A plain vanilla pudding shows the canned-milk taste more than other flavors do.

Use evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk. They sit next to each other on the shelf.

Half and half + water

the same as milk when thinned; richer and creamier when used straight

Half and half is dairy, so instant pudding sets with it. Thinned this way it stands in for milk; used straight it makes a thicker, richer pudding.

Best for: instant pudding mix, homemade stovetop pudding, pie fillings that should hold a slice
Prep: Mix 1/3 cup half and half with 2/3 cup water per cup of milk. For a richer pudding, use half and half straight, cup for cup.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Straight half and half sets instant pudding firmer than the box describes, which is good in a pie and heavy in a bowl.

Dry milk powder + water

like skim milk: a little thinner and less rich than whole milk

Instant nonfat dry milk mixed with water is skim milk. It sets instant pudding and cooks into stovetop pudding with no other change.

Best for: instant pudding mix, cook-and-serve pudding, camping and pantry cooking
Prep: Whisk the powder into cold water until no lumps remain, then measure the amount of milk the recipe asks for.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: A pudding that counts on whole milk for richness tastes leaner. Stir in 1 tbsp butter per cup at the end of cooking if you want it back.

Soy, oat or almond milk, in cooked pudding

soy and oat are close to milk; almond is thinner and a little nutty

Cook-and-serve mix and homemade pudding thicken with cornstarch, and starch thickens any liquid that reaches a boil. Unsweetened plant milk works cup for cup here.

Best for: cook-and-serve pudding mix, homemade cornstarch pudding, dairy-free pudding
Prep: Bring it to a full boil while stirring and keep it there for 1 minute, so the starch thickens all the way.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Instant pudding mix, which does not set the same way with plant milk. Almond milk also gives a softer, less creamy cooked pudding than soy or oat.

Use an unsweetened carton. A sweetened or vanilla one adds sugar to a mix that is already sweet.

Almond or oat milk, in instant pudding

a little nutty or oaty, and less creamy

Instant mix sets softly with almond or oat milk, so the usual fix is to use less liquid. Start with ¾ cup for each cup of milk the box asks for.

Best for: instant pudding eaten from a bowl, layered desserts and trifles that are scooped
Prep: Whisk for the full 2 minutes, then chill at least 30 minutes before you judge the set. For a firmer pudding next time, drop to 2/3 cup per cup.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Pie filling that has to hold a clean slice. Soy milk is worse: the Jell-O box itself warns that instant pudding will not set with it.

Brands of plant milk vary, so treat the amount as a starting point.

Water

thin and flat

Water has none of the milk protein and calcium that instant pudding mix reacts with, and none of the fat or flavor a cooked pudding needs.

Best for: nothing in pudding
Where it fails: Instant pudding made with water stays a runny liquid. Cook-and-serve pudding thickens with water but tastes thin and looks dull and slightly translucent.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeMilk

Milk does two different jobs in pudding. In cooked pudding it is the liquid and the richness, and the starch does the thickening. In instant pudding the mix reacts with the milk itself to set, which is why a liquid that is not dairy milk gives a soft or runny result.

Tips for substituting milk

5 tips

Read the box first. "Instant" mix needs dairy milk to set; "cook and serve" mix thickens with any milk once it boils.
Small box of instant pudding (3.4 oz, asks for 2 cups milk): use 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 cup cold water.
With almond or oat milk in instant mix, start with 1 ½ cups for a box that asks for 2 cups, and chill it before deciding it has failed.
For cooked pudding with plant milk, boil a full minute while stirring. Pudding pulled off the heat before it boils stays thin whatever the milk.
If all you have is water, make something else or add dry milk powder: 1/3 cup powder per cup of water turns it back into milk.

Questions

5 questions

Can I use water in place of milk in instant pudding?

No. Instant pudding made with water does not set; it stays a thin liquid. If you have dry milk powder, whisk 1/3 cup into each cup of water and use that. Evaporated milk thinned half and half with water also works.

Can I use almond milk in pudding?

In cooked pudding, yes, cup for cup, boiled for a full minute. In instant pudding it sets soft, so use less: start with ¾ cup almond milk per cup of milk, which is 1 ½ cups for a small box. Expect a looser pudding than one made with dairy milk.

Can I use half and half in place of milk in pudding?

Yes. To match milk, mix 1/3 cup half and half with 2/3 cup water per cup. You can also use it straight, cup for cup, for a thicker and richer pudding, which suits a pie filling.

Why did my pudding not set with soy milk?

Instant pudding mix does not set with soy milk, and the Jell-O packaging says so. Use cook-and-serve mix or a homemade cornstarch pudding with soy milk; both thicken on the stove because the starch does the work.

Can I use heavy cream in place of milk in pudding?

Yes, thinned. Mix ½ cup heavy cream with ½ cup water for each cup of milk. It is dairy, so instant mix sets, and the pudding comes out richer than with milk.