What to use instead of 1 cup heavy cream
1
¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup melted butter
Whisk well. Good for cooking and baking; it will not whip.
Best for: Sauces, soups, baking
2
1 cup full-fat coconut cream, chilled
Whips like cream when cold; adds a mild coconut flavour.
Best for: Whipped topping, curries, dairy-free
3
1 cup evaporated milk
Lighter but stable when heated.
Best for: Soups, casseroles, pumpkin pie
Chef's tipStir a little hot liquid into milk-based swaps before adding them to a simmering pot, so they don't split.
Substituting dairy
Dairy brings fat, moisture and sometimes acidity to a recipe. Full-fat versions of a substitute behave most like the original, and adding a dairy swap to a hot sauce off the heat helps stop it from splitting. For dairy-free cooking, unsweetened soy and oat milk are the most versatile all-rounders.
Need more or less than 1 cup heavy cream? Scale the swap the same way as the original amount, or paste your recipe into the recipe converter to scale everything at once.
