How to Make DIY Evaporated Milk - Plus 3 Other Substitutes! (2024)

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March 10, 2019 by Victoria 10 Comments

If you need an evaporated milk substitute, this homemade evaporated milk recipe is perfect for you! Plus, 3 other easy evaporated milk substitutes!

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When we found out that we were allergic to processed dairy, there were a lot of things we needed to adjust in our cooking habits. Even pumpkin pie needed to be changed since we couldn't use store bought evaporated milk.

For a long time we just used dairy free or raw milk as a substitute for evaporated milk, but when I decided I wanted to start making caramels from scratch, I realized that I needed to learn how to make my own real evaporated milk!

Evaporated Milk Substitutes

Here are a few ideas for evaporated milk substitutes followed by a recipe for homemade evaporated milk.

Whole Milk

If you can tolerate dairy then whole milk is a great replacement for evaporated milk in a recipe, especially in pumpkin pie. I used whole raw milk in equal parts in place of evaporated milk for years.

It works really well and there is no texture change at all.

Non-Dairy Milk

You can also use any unflavored non-dairy milk, such as almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk, as an evaporated milk replacement.

Just like whole milk, this is also a one for one replacement in the recipe.

Heavy Cream

If you just happen to be out of evaporated milk then you can grab the container of heavy cream and keep on going! This makes a rich and delicious substitute for evaporated milk!

PIN THIS FOR LATER

How to Make Homemade Evaporated Milk

Now for some things, you really do need evaporated milk, especially candy making. But fortunately, it's really easy to make your own evaporated milk with this easy recipe!

Step One:

Place 3 1/2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom sauce pan. You need to use a heavy bottom sauce pan to ensure that the milk doesn't burn during the reduction process.

Step Two:

Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Seriously, don't skim the stirring process. I like to use a whisk, but you can use any utensil you'd like.

Step Three:

Continue to simmer and stir until milk reduces by at least half. I usually simmer it down to 1 cup of liquid. This can take between 25-45 minutes, depending on your kitchen and stove temperature.

Step Four:

Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can double or triple this recipe (or more) if needed.

Homemade Evaporated Milk

Learn to make your own evaporated milk for a great evaporated milk substitute any time!

4 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: DIY Evaporated Milk, Evaporated Milk Recipe, Evaporated Milk Substitute

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups whole milk

Instructions

Place 3 1/2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom sauce pan.
Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Continue to simmer and stir until milk reduces by at least half. I usually simmer it down to 1 cup of liquid.
This can take between 25-45 minutes, depending on your kitchen and stove temperature.
Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

You can double or triple this recipe (or more) if needed.

Tried this recipe?Mention @AModHomestead or tag ##amodernhomestead!

More Condiment Recipes:

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Homemade Cream Cheese

2 Minute Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Reader Interactions

Comments

Christina Kamp says
March 11, 2019 at 5:46 am
wow, this is an awesome tip. thank you!
Reply
- Victoria says
  March 11, 2019 at 3:26 pm
  You’re so welcome! I was very pleased with how it turned out!
  Reply
Josh says
July 23, 2019 at 9:04 pm
Bringing to a simmer then continuing for 25-45 minutes produces curdled milk. What a waste.
Skipping the continuation part of the instruction, however, left me with exactly halved milk as needed.
Reply
- Victoria says
  July 23, 2019 at 9:15 pm
  Hey Josh, I’m sorry to hear that your milk curdled. I make this frequently with no issues, perhaps my simmer is a bit lower than yours? Anyway, I’m sorry about that!
  Reply
Jamie says
October 31, 2019 at 8:57 am
Not able to pin!
Reply
- Victoria says
  October 31, 2019 at 9:08 am
  Hi Jamie, I’m sorry you’re still having difficulties! I have adjusted a few things, so that will hopefully help.
  This post has been pinned thousands of times, so I’m not sure why it’s not letting you pin it :-(
  Here’s the direct pin URL if you want to pin it that way: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/186617978296132217/
  Thanks for letting me know, and hopefully the adjustments I made will help <3
  Reply
Baba jyde says
December 14, 2020 at 2:55 pm
Amazing tip,will give it a shot this weekend.ls there any need to add small salt to preserve it?
Can it also be stored in a plastic bottle?
Thanks for the effort.
Reply
- Victoria says
  December 14, 2020 at 3:48 pm
  Hi! I would not add salt, but you could store it in plastic if desired. Glass would be better if you have it available. I would use it within a week or two though, so it’s not for long term storage. I typically just make it as needed for a recipe and use it right away. Enjoy!
  Reply
Janice Monroe says
December 24, 2020 at 12:31 am
I’m going to try this Christmas 2020 let you know how it turns out
Reply
- Victoria says
  December 24, 2020 at 9:50 am
  Fabulous! Merry Christmas!
  Reply