Half-and-half substitute

What are you making?

1. Whole milk + heavy cream (3 to 1)

   Great fit

   ¾ cup whole milk and ¼ cup heavy cream

   For this dish: Tastes and pours like store-bought half-and-half.

   How: Stir the milk and cream together. Light cream can stand in for the heavy cream.

   What changes: Bake or Break calls this the closest match, and Savory Simple says it lands close to the fat of store-bought half-and-half.

   Contains milk.

2. Whole milk + heavy cream (equal parts)

   Great fit

   ½ cup whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream

   For this dish: Slightly creamier in a cup of coffee, which few people mind.

   How: Stir equal amounts of milk and cream together.

   What changes: Richer than half-and-half. Savory Simple puts this mix at about 21% fat, a little above the 18% limit for half-and-half.

   Contains milk.

3. Skim or low-fat milk + heavy cream

   Great fit

   ⅔ cup skim or low-fat milk and ⅓ cup heavy cream

   For this dish: Pours and tastes like half-and-half.

   How: Stir 2 parts lower-fat milk into 1 part heavy cream.

   What changes: The extra cream makes up for the fat missing from the milk, so the result is close to half-and-half.

   Contains milk.

4. Light cream + milk

   Great fit

   ½ cup light cream and ½ cup whole milk

   For this dish: Same body and flavor as half-and-half.

   How: Stir equal amounts of light cream and milk together.

   What changes: Colorado State University Extension and Bake or Break both give this mix. Light cream can be harder to find than heavy cream.

   Contains milk.

5. Evaporated milk

   Works

   1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted

   For this dish: It works, but the cooked-milk flavor is noticeable in a plain cup.

   How: Use it straight from the can, cup for cup. Do not add water.

   What changes: A shelf-stable swap listed by both Colorado State and Utah State. It tastes slightly cooked. Do not confuse it with sweetened condensed milk, which is very sweet.

   Contains milk.

6. Heavy cream + water (no milk)

   Works

   1 cup minus 1 tbsp heavy cream and 1 tbsp water

   For this dish: Works, but it is heavier than half-and-half, so use less.

   How: Put 1 tablespoon of water in a measuring cup and fill to the 1 cup line with heavy cream (Bake or Break).

   What changes: Much richer than half-and-half, so Tasting Table suggests adding cream a little at a time and tasting. Use it when you have cream but no milk.

   Contains milk.

7. Coconut cream + oat milk (dairy-free)

   Works

   ½ cup coconut cream, skimmed from a can of full-fat coconut milk and ½ cup unsweetened oat milk

   For this dish: Creamy in coffee, with a noticeable coconut taste.

   How: Let a can of full-fat coconut milk settle, skim off the thick cream on top, then blend it with an equal amount of unsweetened oat milk. Go Dairy Free says plain soy or rice milk also works.

   What changes: Go Dairy Free's dairy-free half-and-half. Tasting Table notes it carries a noticeable coconut flavor. Store-bought dairy-free half-and-half from brands such as Ripple is another option.

   No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

8. Milk + melted butter

   Avoid

   ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk and 1½ tbsp unsalted butter, melted

   For this dish: Butter does not stay mixed in a drink and floats as specks of fat.

   How: Let the melted butter cool slightly, make sure the milk is not fridge-cold, and whisk well, or the butter can set into blobs (Bake or Break).

   What changes: For cooking and baking only, as both extension charts say. Colorado State uses 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, Food Network 2 and Utah State up to 3. The butter firms up in cold drinks, and the mix will not whip.

   Contains milk.