Substitutes for half-and-half

Half-and-half substitutes

Half-and-half is milk and cream together, about 12 to 16 percent fat. Rebuilding it from milk and cream is the closest swap; the others suit cooking more than coffee.

What half-and-half does

Half-and-half is milk and cream together, about 12–16% fat. It gives richness and a smooth texture to sauces, soups, custards and coffee without being as heavy as cream.

Quick reference

SubstituteAmount
Whole milk and heavy cream Sources vary¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup heavy creamper 1 cup half-and-half
Evaporated milk, undiluted 1 cup evaporated milkper 1 cup half-and-half
Whole milk and melted butter Sources vary⅞ cup whole milk + 1 tbsp butter, meltedper 1 cup half-and-half

When the substitute matters

  • Coffee and custards: mix whole milk with heavy cream.
  • Soups and sauces: undiluted evaporated milk.
  • No cream in the house: milk with a little melted butter, for cooking only.

The substitutes, in detail

Whole milk and heavy cream

Amount: ¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup heavy cream per 1 cup half-and-half

Sources vary

Land O'Lakes and America's Test Kitchen use 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Food Network and Tasting Table use equal parts, which is richer. America's Test Kitchen also gives 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk with 1/3 cup heavy cream.

  1. Stir or shake the milk and cream together.

Best for

  • coffee
  • soups and sauces
  • custards
  • baking

What changes

The closest match in flavour and texture.

Sources: Land O'Lakes·America's Test Kitchen·Food Network·Tasting Table

Whole milk and melted butter

Amount: ⅞ cup whole milk + 1 tbsp butter, melted per 1 cup half-and-half

Sources vary

Saskatchewan Health Authority (7/8 cup milk) and Food Network (a scant cup) both use 1 tablespoon melted butter. Copies of the extension chart disagree with each other: North Dakota State 1/2 tablespoon, Colorado State 1 1/2 tablespoons, Utah State 3 tablespoons. Tasting Table uses 2 tablespoons.

  1. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
  2. Whisk it into 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk.

Best for

  • cooking
  • baking

Not for

  • coffee

What changes

Adds some of the missing fat, but tastes less creamy than half-and-half and the butter can separate.

Sources: Saskatchewan Health Authority (provincial government health agency, Canada)·Food Network·North Dakota State University Extension·Utah State University Extension·Tasting Table

How we source this

Each swap is backed by at least two independent sources, including a test kitchen, university extension service or product maker. The amounts replace one unit of the original ingredient and do not work in reverse. See the full source list.

Sources

Related substitute pages