What Is the Best Substitute for Evaporated Milk? 9 Dairy and Non-Dairy Options

As a pantry staple, who would've thought you would one day need a substitute for evaporated milk? Yes, I made the same mistake, but now, I'm aware that there are many reasons why I need to be familiar with ingredients that can replace evaporated milk in my recipe.

Whether you're currently looking for an evaporated milk substitute or you still haven't been in a similar situation but want to avoid it, you will surely find my guide very handy.

Jump to:

• Top Reasons You Will Need a Substitute for Evaporated Milk
• Can I Substitute Evaporated Milk With Condensed Milk?
• How to Substitute Evaporated Milk With Other Liquid Milk Products
• 4 Best Substitutes for Evaporated Milk
• 5 Dairy-Free and Vegan Substitutes for Evaporated Milk
• Replacing Evaporated Milk With the Right Ingredient
• Recipe

Top Reasons You Will Need a Substitute for Evaporated Milk

Some of you might not be convinced that you will need to replace evaporated milk in your recipes at some point in your baker's or cook's life. Others might think that the only reason they will need an alternative ingredient is when they suddenly run out of it while in the middle of cooking or baking or they can't find one at their nearest local grocery store.

However, these substitutes come in handy in so many ways. With many people going vegan or vegetarian, it would help to have a good knowledge about plant-based milks that you can use to replace evaporated milk in your recipes.

Also, while evaporated milk is gluten-free, it isn't dairy-free. Needless to say, you will need to find a dairy-free substitute if you have one or more guests with a dairy allergy or are lactose intolerant.

While nutritious, evaporated milk isn't a low-calorie option. Surely, you will be cooking or baking for friends or relatives trying to lose weight or closely watching their calorie counts.

This is where some of the substitutes will come in handy. You don't want to be the reason they cheat on their diet, right?

On the other end of the scale, you might need to serve food with a higher calorie count. For instance, you'll be cooking or baking for children who require more calories than adults and tweens, teens, and adults who need to gain more weight. Luckily, there are healthy non-dairy and dairy products that can work perfectly as evaporated milk alternatives.

Can I Substitute Evaporated Milk With Condensed Milk?

Now that you're convinced that you will need an evaporated milk substitute one of these days, let's also get this commonly asked question out of the way.

I understand that the first ingredient that will come to mind when you need an alternative to evaporated milk is condensed milk. After all, you almost always see them sitting right next to each other on the grocery shelves. Plus, condensed milk is milk with low water content.

However, most bakers and cooks, including me, don't recommend replacing evaporated milk with condensed milk because of its sweetness. Yes, some of the substitutes you'll find on my list are sweeter than evaporated milk.

But condensed milk usually contains 40% sugar or sweetener. It will be a bit challenging to tweak your recipes. Not only that, but the condensed milk's thickness isn't very easy to thin out. Merely adding water won't significantly reduce both its sweetness and thickness.

Related: The Best Sweetened Condensed Milk Substitute

How to Substitute Evaporated Milk With Other Liquid Milk Products

As you browse through my list of dairy-based and non-dairy alternatives to evaporated milk, you'll find several liquid milk products.

Since evaporated milk is unsweetened cow's milk with reduced water content, around 40%, you will also need to reduce these dairy-free and non-dairy milks. Needless to say, it's like making a DIY evaporated milk.

The procedure of reducing the amount of water in any liquid milk product is the same. Hence, here's what you need to do:

1. For one cup of evaporated milk, place 2.5 cups of the liquid milk alternative in your saucepan.
2. Cook the milk over medium heat to boil, making sure you stir it occasionally with your whisk.
3. Continue stirring until the milk's volume is reduced to 40%, which takes around 30 minutes for thick liquid milk products, such as regular milk, or 15 to 20 minutes for thinner ones, like coconut milk.
4. Once reduced, remove the pan from the heat and allow your "DIY evaporated milk" to cool.
5. Once cool, you can now substitute evaporated milk with the reduced milk in your baking, savory, and/or sweet recipes. Of course, the ratio will differ for every liquid milk alternative.

4 Best Substitutes for Evaporated Milk

With many possible substitutes for evaporated milk, these four ingredients are my favorite because of how well they work for most of my recipes:

1. Regular Milk

Most of you surely have regular milk in your fridge that you consume every morning or evening or use for your oats, coffee, and tea. Whether it may be whole milk, skim milk, or 2% milk product, you can use it to replace evaporated milk in your baking, dessert, savory, and sweet recipes.

Simply reduce your regular milk following the procedure I discussed earlier, and add the same amount of the cool, reduced regular milk to your recipes.

Best for just about anything.

Related: 10 Best Whole Milk Substitutes

2. Heavy Cream

If you need an evaporated milk substitute because you want to add richness or decadence to the food you're preparing, I highly recommend heavy cream. Simply substitute evaporated milk with the same amount of heavy cream, and you're good to go!

However, if you don't need its creamy texture or don't want to tweak your recipe, you can dilute the heavy cream in water before measuring and using it in your recipes.

To ensure you end up with a substitute with the same consistency as evaporated milk, combine equal amounts of heavy cream and water and mix until well-blended.

One issue with heavy cream I want to share with you is its high caloric content. Thus, refrain from using it if you're serving someone trying to lose weight or strictly watching their calorie intake.

Best for baked goods, custards, frozen desserts, fillings, sauces, and casseroles.

Related: Best Vegan Heavy Cream Substitutes for Delicious Dishes

3. Half-and-Half

Why bother diluting your heavy cream when you have half-and-half in your fridge that you use for your coffee? Simply add the same amount of half-and-half as what your recipe calls for evaporated milk.

For those who aren't familiar with half-and-half, it contains 50% cream and 50% milk. This half-cream, half-milk formula gives half-and-half the same consistency as evaporated milk.

Since it has a higher good fat content than evaporated milk, you will serve food with a richer flavor. However, it will not be as rich as when you use pure heavy cream.

One thing I love most about half-and-half is its lower carbohydrate content than evaporated milk. Hence, you won't have to worry about guests who are following a low-carb diet.

Best for just about anything.

Related: Kitchen-Tested Light Cream Substitutes for Your Recipes

4. Powdered Milk

Unlike regular milk, heavy cream, and half-and-half, powdered milk is initially solid, so some of you might be surprised to see it in my list of evaporated milk substitutes. But it's easier to prepare than liquid milk because you only need to dissolve the powdered milk in water; no boiling needed.

All you have to do is read the package instructions to see how much water is required for every tablespoon of your powdered milk. Then, reduce that amount by 60% to mimic the water content of evaporated milk.

Expect a thicker, creamy consistency, but you can simply add the same amount of the diluted powdered milk to your recipe that calls for evaporated milk.

I also suggest reducing the amount of sugar or any sweetener in your recipes, as most powdered milk products contain sugar. Make sure you give it a taste or check the label to have an idea of how much sugar or sweetener it has.

With that out of the way, I also sometimes don't dilute my powdered milk. I simply add half the amount of my powdered milk to my pancake and cookie recipes. Then, increase the amount of water or any liquid ingredient included in the recipe.

Best for just about anything.

5 Dairy-Free and Vegan Substitutes for Evaporated Milk

While you can definitely find non-dairy evaporated milk and vegan evaporated milk, what if the store ran out? Or what if you need to serve food that's both vegan and dairy-free?

Fret not; plenty of dairy-free milk products can replace evaporated milk in your baking, savory, and sweet recipes. However, you will need to reduce them by following the same process I discussed earlier. Most of them also contain sugar or sweeteners, so make sure you pick an unsweetened version. If not, simply reduce the amount of any sweetener in your recipe.

With those out of the way, here are my favorite dairy-free milk substitutes for evaporated milk:

1. Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is one of the easiest vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free milk products that you can easily find at your grocery stores. Not only has it become very popular due to individuals following a keto diet, but it's also a common ingredient in certain Asian, Caribbean, and South American recipes.

In fact, you can even find evaporated coconut milk products now. If you happen to come across one, then go ahead and grab it.

Whichever coconut milk product you use, simply add the same amount of it to your recipes, and your guests will enjoy food that doesn't seem to be missing any ingredient.

One thing to keep in mind when using coconut milk is that it has a distinct flavor and aroma: coconut. While it isn't overpowering and can sometimes be beneficial for certain recipes, make sure it goes well with the other ingredients you will use.

Best for coconut-flavored baked goods and sweet and savory dishes.

2. Oat Milk

Oat milk is one of the healthiest dairy-free and vegan evaporated milk substitutes that you can easily find in your local grocery and online stores.

Although it has a nutty flavor, it isn't overpowering and can work well with many ingredients. To use it as a substitute for evaporated milk, add the same amount of reduced oat milk to your recipes.

Now, if you can't find oat milk or are not in the mood to run to the grocery, you can make this milk in your kitchen, as long as you have, well, oats. Here's what you need to do:

1. Place three cups of water and one cup of rolled oats in your blender.
2. Replace your blender's lid and cover it with a towel.
3. Pulse for 30 to 60 seconds, making sure you're hand is placed over the towel to prevent splashing or making a mess in your kitchen.
4. Once well blended, place two layers of cheesecloth over a mixing bowl.
5. Scoop out a good amount of the blended oats and place it on the cheesecloth. Repeat until you have transferred all the blended oats to the cheesecloth.
6. Once done, cover the blended oats with your cheesecloth and squeeze to release the liquid (or your oat milk).
7. Transfer the liquid (oat milk) to a bottle, seal tightly, and put it in your fridge until you're ready to use it. This oat milk will last for up to five days.

Unlike the commercially available oat milk, you won't have to reduce the homemade milk before measuring and using it. It already has a thicker consistency than the store-bought products.

Best for just about anything.

3. Soy Milk

Soy milk is another dairy-free, plant-based substitute for evaporated milk with an almost similar nutritional profile as regular milk without dairy. Its consistency is also similar to evaporated milk.

If that's not enough, soy milk also has a neutral taste, making it an ideal substitute for almost all recipes requiring evaporated milk.

One problem with soy milk that you need to keep in mind is that some people are allergic to soybeans. Likewise, some children with dairy milk allergies are most likely allergic to soy milk.

Now, if you can use soy milk in your recipes, simply add the same amount of the reduced milk.

Best for just about anything.

4. Nut Milks

Today, you'll find several nut milks in the grocery aisle, health stores, and even online stores, but I have two go-to products for when I need a substitute for evaporated milk. They are:

Almond Milk

A perfect dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan evaporated milk substitute that you can opt for when serving guests requiring low-calorie diets is almond milk. However, make sure none of your guests have nut allergies before using it in your recipes.

Yes, it does have a nutty flavor, but it won't overpower most ingredients. It's also an ideal choice if you're making goodies or treats that require nuts, as almond milk will enhance their nutty taste and aroma.

Substituting evaporated milk with almond milk is also very easy. You won't need to do any maths because one cup of evaporated milk is equivalent to one cup of reduced almond milk.

Best for baked goodies and sweet dishes.

Related: 7 Best Orgeat Substitutes for Your Cocktails, Coffee, and More

Cashew Milk

If you're preparing savory dishes and need the nutty taste and aroma of almond milk, grab your cashew milk! Simply reduce it and add the same amount as what the recipe calls for evaporated milk.

Best for savory dishes.

5. Rice Milk

Start baking and making sweet desserts without dairy and meat products by adding the same amount of reduced rice milk to your recipe that calls for evaporated milk.

While it won't have the same consistency as evaporated milk even when reduced, like most of the liquid non-dairy milk products I recommended, its neutral taste won't make it difficult for you to use it in your recipes.

However, I suggest you opt for other options if you're also serving individuals with gluten allergies because, well, rice is a grain. I also want to note that rice milk has a high glycemic index, so refrain from using it if you're serving guests with diabetes.

Best for baked goodies and sweet desserts.

Replacing Evaporated Milk With the Right Ingredient

Whether you're preparing sweet dishes, savory dishes, desserts, or baked goods, my list of substitutes for evaporated milk won't disappoint you. Most of them are easily accessible; in fact, they might even be already available in your pantry or fridge. All of them are also easy to use since they follow a 1:1 substitution ratio.

While most of the milk products require water reduction, the process isn't too tedious and won't require special tools and appliances. Some will also require recipe tweaking, like reducing sweeteners, but that won't be too much of a hassle.

So, go ahead and pick your favorite dairy, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian, and even gluten-free substitute for evaporated milk.

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