Heavy cream being poured into a bowl.
The Closest Substitution For Heavy Cream In Cooking And Baking

NEWS

By ALLIE SIVAK
A cup of heavy cream.
When it comes to cooking or baking, combining milk and melted unsalted butter results in a mixture that can impart the same creamy richness heavy cream provides.
Butter and milk being whisked in a bowl.
To whip up 1 cup of a makeshift heavy cream alternative, melt ¼ cup (4 tablespoons, or half a stick) of butter, let it cool down, and combine it with a ¾ cup of whole milk.
Butter melting in a pan.
Heavy cream contains at least 36% milk fat. Since butter holds about 80% milk fat, adding it to whole milk, which comprises 3.25% fat, increases the fat percentage and richness.
Glass of milk against a blue background.
If you’re using skim or low-fat milk, add an extra teaspoon or two of butter. Another great alternative is half and half, which is basically equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
Cartons of heavy cream and half and half in fridge.
However, a half-and-half contains between 10.5 to 18% milk fat, so if you want to increase its fat content, consider incorporating two tablespoons of melted butter into the product.