Cream at 36% fat or higher. High enough in fat to whip into stable peaks and to reduce into a sauce without splitting.
What it does in a recipe: Fat, body, and the ability to both whip and reduce without curdling. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Heavy whipping cream, Double cream (UK, richer)
4substitutes
Reliablebest available
Dairy & milkscategory
Quick answer
Whole milk + melted butter
1 cup heavy cream = 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup melted butter
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace heavy cream
Whole milk + melted butter
Reliable
1 cup heavy cream = 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup melted butter
This rebuilds cream's fat percentage from its two parts. It behaves like cream in anything cooked, because what a sauce wants from cream is fat and liquid.
MethodLet the melted butter cool slightly and whisk it into the milk gradually so it emulsifies rather than seizing into flecks.
Trade-offThis will NOT whip. The fat is not emulsified into microscopic globules the way it is in real cream, so there is nothing for the whisk to trap air against.
Allergen checkUS labelling rules classify coconut as a tree nut, so a coconut swap is not automatically safe for a nut-allergic cook even though coconut is botanically a drupe. Check with the individual, and read labels for shared-line warnings.
Crème fraîche
Reliable
1 cup heavy cream = 1 cup crème fraîche
Crème fraîche is cultured cream at a similar fat level, so it enriches a sauce the same way and resists curdling even better than cream does.
Trade-offAdds a pleasant sour tang that suits savoury sauces but changes a sweet one.
Concentrating the milk raises its protein and solids enough that, thoroughly chilled, it will hold soft peaks - the only common pantry swap that whips at all.
MethodFor whipping, chill the can, the bowl and the beaters until very cold, then whip immediately. The foam is soft and will collapse within an hour.
Trade-offFar less rich, with a cooked-milk flavour. The whipped result is loose and short-lived, not a piping cream.
Nothing that is not real cream whips like real cream. If the recipe needs stiff, stable, pipeable peaks, no substitution in this list will fully get you there - coconut cream comes closest.
Related guide
Heavy cream substitutes
Milk plus melted butter replaces cream in anything cooked. Nothing replaces it for whipping. Here is where the line falls and why.
Can I use whole milk + melted butter instead of heavy cream?
1 cup heavy cream = 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup melted butter. This rebuilds cream's fat percentage from its two parts. It behaves like cream in anything cooked, because what a sauce wants from cream is fat and liquid. This will NOT whip. The fat is not emulsified into microscopic globules the way it is in real cream, so there is nothing for the whisk to trap air against.
Can I use coconut cream instead of heavy cream?
1 cup heavy cream = 1 cup coconut cream, or the thick solids from a chilled can of full-fat coconut milk. Coconut cream is high enough in saturated fat to whip and to hold together in a hot sauce, which makes it the best dairy-free stand-in for both jobs. Tastes distinctly of coconut. Excellent in a curry or a chocolate dessert, out of place in a delicate vanilla cream.
Can I use crème fraîche instead of heavy cream?
1 cup heavy cream = 1 cup crème fraîche. Crème fraîche is cultured cream at a similar fat level, so it enriches a sauce the same way and resists curdling even better than cream does. Adds a pleasant sour tang that suits savoury sauces but changes a sweet one.
Can I use evaporated milk (chilled) instead of heavy cream?
1 cup heavy cream = 1 cup evaporated milk. Concentrating the milk raises its protein and solids enough that, thoroughly chilled, it will hold soft peaks - the only common pantry swap that whips at all. Far less rich, with a cooked-milk flavour. The whipped result is loose and short-lived, not a piping cream.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.