How Much Evaporated Milk to Substitute for Heavy Cream
Works for baking, sauteing, and slow cook. Evaporated Milk keeps a similar flavor profile to Heavy Cream.
How much evaporated milk equals one cup of heavy cream?
Use 1 cup evaporated milk per 1 cup heavy cream.
Health notes
Compared with Heavy Cream, Evaporated Milk has: less calories (134 vs 340 per 100g in Heavy Cream), less fat (7.6g vs 36.1g per 100g in Heavy Cream), less saturated fat (4.6g vs 23g per 100g in Heavy Cream), more protein (6.8g vs 2.8g per 100g in Heavy Cream), and more carbs (10g vs 2.8g per 100g in Heavy Cream).
Using evaporated milk as a heavy cream substitute in baking
Use 1:1 in custards, pies, and quick breads. Expect a lighter, less rich crumb with a touch more sweetness.
Other cooking methods
- Sauteing
1:1 in pan sauces; whisk over low heat since it has less fat to buffer against curdling.
- Slow Cook
1:1 works to add body to soups and braises, but stir gently and avoid a hard boil.
- Steaming
1:1 in steamed puddings and custards; holds together well since it's heat stable.
- Raw Cold
1:1 in coffee or chilled desserts, though it pours thinner and tastes sweeter.
- Drinks
1:1 in coffee or cocktails; adds body without the heavy richness of cream.
Methods to avoid (2)
- Frying
Not recommended: too little fat and too much water to hold up in hot oil.
- Grilling
Not recommended: no role in dry, direct heat cooking.
FAQ
- How much evaporated milk equals one cup of heavy cream?
Use 1 cup evaporated milk per 1 cup heavy cream.
- Can I substitute evaporated milk for Heavy Cream in baking?
Yes. Use 1:1 in custards, pies, and quick breads. Expect a lighter, less rich crumb with a touch more sweetness. Not recommended: too little fat and too much water to hold up in hot oil.
- How much evaporated milk to use as a heavy cream substitute?
Sweeter and less rich than cream; cut a little added sugar if the recipe has it.
- How does the flavor change when substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
Evaporated milk keeps a similar flavor profile to heavy cream.
- How does texture change when substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
Evaporated milk thinner body, less silky richness, and won't whip into foam like cream.
- What else should I know about substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
For custards, pies, soups, and coffee. Expect a thinner, less rich result with a bit more sweetness and a faint cooked-milk taste. Skip frying and grilling, and don't boil hard or it can separate. Whip won't work since it has too little fat to hold air. Good pick when you want body without all the fat.
- What still works when substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
Evaporated milk still works as a moisture, emulsifier, and flavor carrier.
- What won't work when substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
Evaporated milk won't work as a fat and texture.
- How well does Evaporated Milk match Heavy Cream?
Evaporated milk is okay on structure, good on heat, and okay on flavor.
- How does nutrition compare per 100g when substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
Evaporated milk has about x3 fewer calories and x5 fewer fat and sat. fat, and about x2 more protein.
- How do the flavor notes shift when substituting Evaporated Milk for Heavy Cream?
The flavor shifts toward more sweet notes.