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We love cream for baking, making pan sauces, and for lightening up our coffee and tea. It adds richness and creaminess (of course) to all manner of foods and drinks. But what can you do if a recipe calls for cream and you dont have any?
Combine 1/4 cup (57 grams) of melted butter with 3/4 cup (178 mL) of milk and mix thoroughly to make 1 cup (237 ml) of heavy cream. You can also add a tablespoon (8 grams) of flour to thicken the liquid, especially if you’re using low fat milk.
Substituting Sour Cream for Heavy Cream
Sour cream is cream thats been treated with lactic acid to thicken it and create a sour flavor. It has a fat content of around 20%.
This makes it a good substitute in situations where the sourness doesnt offset the flavors of the dish.
Try it in white chili. Add directly after cooking. It may curdle if the stew is still under heat.
You can sweeten sour cream with powdered sugar and use it instead of whipped cream for a tangy taste in desserts.
What is cream, exactly?
Cream is the part of cow (or other dairy) milk that contains most of the fats. After milking a cow, as the liquid rests, the fattiest parts—the cream—rise to the top. Then people typically skim off and package it, leaving behind milk.
For comparison, whipping cream contains between 30% and 36% fat. Heavy cream has at least 36% milk fat, and light cream has between 18 and 30%. Whole milk typically contains no more than 3.25% milk fat.
Half-and-half is equal parts cream and whole milk. 2% and 1% milk contain the percentages of milk fat you would expect, and skim milk contains less than .5% milk fat.
You can usually use heavy whipping cream and heavy cream in recipes interchangeably. Whipping cream is lighter and fluffier when whipped, however.
People use cream in everything from homemade cake recipes to rich winter soups, so its beneficial to have on hand. It freezes well. If you have a carton thats approaching the expiration date, you can just pop it in the freezer until you need it.
If you dont have any cream, here are 9 alternatives to heavy cream and when to use them.
Keep in mind that flavor and fat content will determine where you can successfully make a substitution. For example, because milk doesnt have enough fat, it wont maintain a structure when whipped.
So it wouldnt be ideal as a dessert topping, nor will it hold up in a pan sauce. But if youre using it for a flavoring, it can work okay.
As a rule of thumb, the higher the fat content, the more likely youll be able to use one of these alternatives under heat. Baking with cream substitutes is trickiest. The variations in dairy thickness, acidity levels, and water content can have significant impacts. We advise you to test the substitute before serving it to guests.
How to Make Heavy Cream
FAQ
Can you make heavy cream without milk?
Can You Make your own heavy cream?
There’s good news, though. It turns out you can make your own heavy cream from just two simple ingredients that you probably have in your fridge right now. Surprisingly, heavy cream is a breeze to make. All you need is whole milk, butter and a little bit of elbow grease.
How to make sour cream from sweet cream?
You will need the following ingredients: 1 can of whey-free cream, 2 squeezed lemons, 1 spoon of salt and pepper to taste. Then you will follow the following method of preparation: squeeze the lemon and remove the seeds, mix all the ingredients in a bowl, take it to the fridge for 10 minutes and it is ready.
How do you make heavy cream if you don’t have milk?
Surprisingly, heavy cream is a breeze to make. All you need is whole milk, butter and a little bit of elbow grease. To make 1 cup of heavy cream, mix 2/3 cup of whole milk with 1/3 cup melted butter. Really, it is that simple. As an alternative, if you don’t have milk on hand, you can also use 1/6 cup butter and 7/8 cup half-and-half.
Can you use heavy cream if you’re fresh?
Heavy cream lends a velvety texture to anything it touches. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make a heavy cream substitute when you’re fresh out. Heavy cream is the wonderfully fatty stuff—up to 40% fat, to be precise—that rises to the top of fresh milk. A staple of the dairy section, this product is often labeled “heavy whipping cream.”