What is a Substitute for Cream?

Cream Substitute?

Looking for a substitute for heavy cream? If you need a light cream substitute, heavy cream substitute, a whipping cream substitute, a half and half substitute or even a whipped cream substitute use this table to find a substitute for heavy cream or whichever cream you need to substitute in your recipe. A suitable substitute for cream can be found below.

People most often look for a substitute for sour cream because they don’t use sour cream that often so there is often some colorful mold on the top when they open the container so they need a quick sour cream substitute. If the cream substitute is just appropriate for baking, it is noted in the table of cream substitutes below.

Substitutes for Cream Products

Cream	Amount	Substitute
Sour Cream substitute	1 Cup	1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice plus enough Cream to make 1 Cup
		OR 1 cup Plain or Greek Yogurt
		OR 3/4 Cup Buttermilk mixed with 1/3 Cup soft Butter
Light Cream substitute	1 Cup	3/4 Cup Milk +plus 3 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine (for use in baking and cooking)
		OR 1 cup Evaporated Milk
Half and Half substitute	1 Cup	1/2 Cup Whole Milk +plus 1/2 Cup Light Cream
		OR 3/4 Cup Whole Milk +plus 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
		OR 7/8 Cup Milk +plus 1/2 Tablespoon Butter or Margarine
		OR 1 cup Evaporated Milk
Heavy Cream substitute	1 Cup	3/4 Cup milk +plus 1/3 Cup Butter or Margarine (*for use in baking or cooking)
		OR 2/3 Cup Buttermilk +plus 1/3 Cup Oil
		OR 1/2 Cup part skim Ricotta Cheese +plus 1/2 Cup nonfat yogurt (Blend this well)
		OR 1 Cup Whipping Cream
Whipped Cream substitute	1 Cup	Whip a can of completely chilled Evaporated Milk (13oz) with 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Of course, frozen whipped topping or Cool Whip can be substituted for whipped cream at any time once thawed.
Substitutes for sour cream or other creams can result in a slightly different taste or texture in your final recipe result, depending on the complexity of ingredients involved.
For more information on half and half substitutes, check our blog post on half and half.