Can You Substitute Milk For Whipping Cream?

Last updated on August 19th, 2022 at 05:39 pm

Milk is a healthy drink full of nutrients. You can drink it alone or mix it with some chocolate for a delicious drink. Milk is also used in many cooking and baking recipes. 

Whipping cream (not to be confused with whipped cream) is made from milk. The high-fat cream from dairy milk is skimmed to make whipping cream. This ingredient is often used in desserts, coffee, and other recipes. Let’s say your recipe calls for whipping cream and you just don’t have any, can you use milk as a substitute instead? 

Usually you use substitutes for milk in recipes but if you are wanting to use milk instead of whipping cream, you can. Using milk as a substitute for whipping cream will change the texture of the dish but can help to cut back on calories.

So, if you happen to be out of whipping cream and need a replacement in your recipe, you can use milk. When using milk instead of whipping cream you will need to add butter into it to help thicken it up so the consistency  is close to what whipping cream would create. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of whipping cream and you are using milk instead, just mix ¼ cup of melted butter with ¾ cup of milk. 

For those with a dairy allergy, you can also use a non-dairy milk as a replacement for whipping cream but it will change the texture of the recipe. A good low-fat and low-carb milk substitute for whipping cream is 1 cup of a low-fat or fat-free milk and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. The cornstarch helps to thicken the milk so your dish tastes as it should. 

As you can see, for whatever reason and if you want to, you can use milk as a substitute for whipping cream as long as you add in extra ingredients to thicken the milk up. 

What Can You Substitute For Whipping Cream?

You are in the middle of your recipe when you realize you are out of an important ingredient, whipping cream. I already mentioned you can substitute milk (with a couple other ingredients) for whipping cream, but what are some other substitutes?

Instead of whipping cream you can use milk mixed with butter, olive oil, cornstarch, silken tofu, greek yogurt, or cottage cheese. Virtually any milk can be used as a substitute for whipping cream. Remember that the lower in fat the milk becomes the thinner it is. To correctly substitute for whipping cream you will need to thicken it up with another ingredient. Other substitutes for whipping cream include, half and half, evaporated milk, coconut cream, and cream cheese.

There are many substitutes you can use instead of whipping cream in recipes. Most contain milk. Since whipping cream is made with milk, any milk substitutes will work just fine if you need to substitute for whipping cream.

Whipping cream is made from the high-fat part of fresh dairy milk. This means it is thick, high in fat and also contains dairy. Some people can’t have dairy and need a substitute for the whipping cream. 

Is Milk And Whipping Cream The Same?

Milk and whipping cream can be used interchangeably in many recipes. While you may need to add some ingredients to milk to thicken it up to the consistency of whipping cream, they are similar. 

They are both dairy and not creamy, so are milk and whipping cream the same?

Milk and whipping cream are both dairy. Whipping cream is made from milk however they are not exactly the same. These ingredients have some differences such as texture and fat content.

So, milk isn’t the same thing as whipping cream. Whipping cream is the high fat cream of milk that rises to the top of the milk, is skimmed off and is then used for toppings for recipes or in desserts, soups, sauces and even beverages. 

Milk is also used in many recipes but is more liquidy than whipping cream. Basically, milk is the actual liquid from the cow and whipping cream is the cream from the milk. 

Milk and whipping cream can be used interchangeably in recipes but since milk is thinner, thickening ingredients have to be added to bring it to the same consistency that whipping cream would have. So, milk and whipping cream are similar but not exactly the same.

Final Thoughts

You can substitute milk for whipping cream. Since whipping cream is thicker than milk some other ingredients will need to be added to the milk to thicken it up when using it as a replacement in recipes. 

There are many substitutes  for whipping cream. Many involve using milk but some don’t. More whipping cream substitutes are mentioned in this article. 

Milk and whipping cream are not the same thing. Milk is the liquid from the cow and whipping cream is the cream that has risen to the top of the milk. Still, you can use milk instead of whipping cream in cooking or baking if you have to.