What Is The Difference Between Evaporated Milk And Heavy Cream – Sometimes two foods are so similar that we treat them interchangeably – yams and sweet potatoes, baking powder and baking soda, and cilantro and parsley, to name a few. These are all different foods that cannot be used interchangeably.

I ran into another example the other day when I was baking a bag that needed condensed milk, but in a hurry I bought evaporated milk. Unfortunately! Should I go back to the store or exchange one for the other? Both contain layer-stable condensed milk, but in my research I found that there is a clear difference. Let’s explore.

What Is The Difference Between Evaporated Milk And Heavy Cream

Condensed milk is often called sweetened condensed milk and the name refers to its differentiation. This shelf-stable condensed milk has had 60 percent of the water removed and lots of sugar added before it is canned in a factory. In fact, condensed milk contains 40 to 45 percent sugar. It is very sweet, dense and has a light caramel color.

What Is Evaporated Milk, How It Is Made And Difference From Condensed Milk

Condensed milk is used worldwide in baked goods, desserts such as pies, puddings, ice cream and as a sweetener in tea or coffee.

Evaporated milk, condensed milk without added sugar. Before refrigerators were common in homes, this unsweetened canned milk product was very popular as people needed to know how to get their families the daily calcium they needed.

Evaporated milk is made by slowly boiling milk over low heat until 60 percent of its water content evaporates. The resulting product is richer, thicker and creamier. Manufacturers then sterilize and package the products.

If you want to use it today, dilute it with a little water and mix it with mac and cheese or mashed potatoes for a creamier recipe. Or use it straight to defat your coffee or any recipe that calls for cream. It’s low in fat, so it won’t hit you right away, but you can also whip it up as a low-fat spread.

Spring Farm Evaporated Milk

They are both shelf-stable dairy products and although there are some similarities, they cannot be used interchangeably. Replacing evaporated milk with condensed milk can result in tastier baked goods, but using condensed milk in a recipe that calls for evaporated milk will result in a sweeter dish.

If you are like me and you make a mistake in your choice at the supermarket – I hate to say this – but you go back to the store. You should follow whatever prescription it requires.

Megan is a full-time writer who explores the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle, but she lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She prides herself on how many food products are the same because they are usually packaged in cans and shelf-stable dairy products in the grocery store.

In short, they are both made from (mostly) cow’s milk and 60% of their water content is evaporated or reduced, but one has added sugar and the other is heavily processed. This post will quickly go over the basic differences between sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, so you know which one to buy for your next recipe.

The Best Substitutes For Evaporated Milk

Before refrigerators became common household items or were invented, it was difficult to have fresh cow’s milk on hand because it spoiled easily and quickly. In those days, it was hard to get access to fresh cow’s milk unless you lived near a farm with milking cows, so it was even harder to import or export cow’s milk. This is where the invention of canned milk comes in to facilitate shelf life for dairy products.

Canned milk appeared in France in the 19th century when a scientist named Nicolas Appert invented canning to preserve food. Later, an American named Gail Borden developed an industrial process for evaporating canned milk and reducing the water content of milk in a vacuum (or vacuum boiler). Since then, there have been a large number of different brands and types of evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.

Condensed milk is one of my staples in Vietnamese and other Asian recipes. Great to use in recipes when you just want a sweet, milky taste.

Some of my favorite ways to use sweetened condensed milk are: Vietnamese iced coconut coffee, cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee), avocado smoothies, ube halaya, Thai iced tea, and as a dipping sauce for mantou.

Kitchen Tips & Hacks: Got (evaporated) Milk?

The processing time of sweetened condensed milk is relatively shorter than that of evaporated milk because the added sugar acts as a preservative. This involves heating the milk to stabilize it, evaporating the high water content, adding sugar, cooling and canning.

There is also a vegan version of condensed milk made from coconut milk and sugar. It is prepared in the same way where coconut milk and cane sugar are mixed together and boiled until it becomes a viscous syrup. You can buy this version, like Nature’s Charm Coconut Sweetened Condensed Milk, in stores like Spíra or online.

Condensed milk has a very sweet and sweet taste due to its low sugar and water content. It has a very viscous, opaque and syrupy texture, suitable for sweetening drinks and desserts. My favorite brands of condensed milk are Long Life brand and Bourdon-Eagle brand. Condensed milk comes in many different flavors these days, such as ube and pandan in desserts.

Evaporated milk is used in many recipes for a nice milky flavor, and is also good for the consistency of a dish like sweetened condensed milk. Some of my favorite recipes that include evaporated milk are halo, tapioca cake, pumpkin spice latte, and egg tarts.

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk Recipe

One of the most popular brands of evaporated milk that you can find at your grocery store is Carnation Evaporated Milk.

Since no added sugar is added to evaporated milk, there are additional steps in production to ensure the milk is safe and shelf-stable. Evaporated milk begins with heat treatment and goes through an evaporation process similar to condensed milk, but requires additional steps such as homogenization, cooling, pasteurization, and then sterilization after processing.

In addition to condensed milk, you can also find a vegan version from the brand Nature’s Charm, which makes a coconut milk version of evaporated milk. Please note that they add coconut sugar to their products, so they may contain more sugar than traditional evaporated milk.

Evaporated milk is not the same as fresh 2% milk from the refrigerated aisle of the grocery store. However, there are different types of evaporated milk that are low 2% fat and fat free. It only refers to the type of milk that was originally used when the milk was evaporated and canned. If you want less fat in the evaporated milk, you can use these types.

Condensed Vs Evaporated Milk: What’s The Difference?

Evaporated milk is very similar to regular milk, except that due to the lower amount of water, it is slightly thicker and slightly creamier. It’s not too sweet because there’s no added sugar and it still has a rich, milky taste.

Sweetened condensed milk differs from evaporated milk in taste; It has the same amount of water reduction (about 60% water reduction), but sugar is added to the ingredients to sweeten the taste and act as a preservative. Sweetened condensed milk is sometimes called “condensed milk” in the US and is always sweetened with sugar.

Since sweetened condensed milk is boiled and contains more sugar (sometimes 40% more sugar) than regular milk, it is difficult to substitute this ingredient for regular milk. It is possible to make condensed milk from the evaporated milk by adding sugar and cooking in a hot pan until it becomes thick and viscous.

Evaporated milk can be used as a milk substitute in recipes, however, evaporated milk has a slightly different taste than fresh cow’s milk due to high heat and pasteurization.

How To Make Evaporated Milk

Since evaporated milk contains less water than fresh cow’s milk, you may want to check to see if you need to adjust the liquid in your recipe. You may want to add more water based on the original recipe’s measurement for milk.

I’m cool! I share delicious recipes from Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese and more. I’m here to help, so leave a comment if you have any questions! About MePeggy Trowbridge Philippone is a writer who creates accessible recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.

Although these dairy products have similar names, condensed and evaporated milk are not the same and cannot be used interchangeably in cooking. Both forms are condensed milk from which most of the water has been removed by high heat cooking. The two of them