Half and half substitutes, and the mix that actually matches it
Mix 3/4 cup whole milk with 1/4 cup heavy cream for one cup of half and half. What works in coffee, pasta sauce, baking and ice cream, compared on fat.
How they compare, per 100 g
Most substitute guides tell you what works and stop there. If you are choosing partly on macros, here are the numbers side by side.
Half and half sits around 11.5 g of fat per 100 g, and the milk and cream mixes land almost exactly on it. Evaporated milk and plain milk fall well short, which is what you notice in a sauce, and cornstarch adds body with no fat at all.
| Per 100 g | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half and half | 131 | 3.1 g | 4.3 g | 11.5 g |
| Whole milk and heavy cream, 3:1 | 131 | 3.1 g | 4.3 g | 11.4 g |
| Skimmed milk and heavy cream, 2:1 | 136 | 3 g | 4.3 g | 12.1 g |
| Whole milk and melted butter | 138 | 3.1 g | 4.2 g | 12.3 g |
| Evaporated milk | 135 | 6.8 g | 10 g | 7.6 g |
| Coconut milk and oat milk | 122 | 1.5 g | 4.9 g | 11.3 g |
| Whole milk and cornstarch | 71 | 3.3 g | 7.6 g | 3.1 g |
| Whole milk | 61 | 3.4 g | 4.8 g | 3.2 g |
Typical values, rounded. Brands vary, so treat these as estimates for comparing options rather than exact figures.
Every option, and when to use it
Which one works depends on what the ingredient is doing in the recipe, so here is the full list, with where each one fails.
| Use | How much | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Whole milk and heavy cream | 3/4 cup whole milk plus 1/4 cup heavy cream per cup | anything at all, including coffee and ice cream Watch out: none worth mentioning: it is half and half made at home |
| Skimmed or low-fat milk and heavy cream | 2/3 cup milk plus 1/3 cup heavy cream per cup | the same jobs, with the milk most people already have |
| Whole milk and melted butter | 2 tbsp melted butter topped up to 1 cup with whole milk | cooking and baking when there is no cream in the house Watch out: floats as an oily film in hot coffee and sets into flecks in cold, so keep it for cooking |
| Evaporated milk | 1:1 | coffee, soups and baking, straight from the cupboard Watch out: a faintly caramelised flavour, and less fat than half and half |
| Whole milk and cornstarch | 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp cornstarch, simmered to thicken | body in a sauce or soup when fat does not matter Watch out: no richness at all, and useless in coffee or ice cream |
| Tinned coconut milk and oat milk | equal parts | dairy-free cooking and baking Watch out: tastes of coconut, and can separate in hot coffee |
| Whole milk on its own | 1:1 | baking and soups where a splash is all the recipe uses Watch out: about a quarter of the fat, so sauces are thinner and ice cream turns icy |
For one cup of half and half, mix 3/4 cup of whole milk with 1/4 cup of heavy cream. That is not really a substitute: half and half is milk and cream, so this is the same thing made at home, and it works anywhere half and half does. If you only have skimmed milk, use 2/3 cup of it with 1/3 cup of cream.
Every page on this lists ratios. What they rarely say is whether the mix lands where half and half actually is, so that is what the numbers below check.
What half and half is, and why the ratio matters
Under US federal regulations, half and half is a mixture of milk and cream containing at least 10.5 percent and less than 18 percent milkfat (21 CFR 131.180). Heavy cream must be at least 36 percent (21 CFR 131.150).
So the job of a substitute is to land somewhere in that 10.5 to 18 percent band. Here is where each common mix comes out, by our estimate from typical fat contents:
| Mix, per cup | Fat | Inside the half and half range? |
|---|---|---|
| 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream | about 11.4% | Yes |
| 2/3 cup skimmed milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream | about 12.1% | Yes |
| 3/4 cup 2% milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream | about 10.5% | Just, at the bottom edge |
| 2 tbsp melted butter topped up with whole milk | about 12.3% | Yes |
| 1/2 cup whole milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream | about 19.6% | No, richer |
| Evaporated milk | about 7.6% | No, leaner |
| Whole milk | about 3.2% | No |
That table explains most of what goes right or wrong. The equal-parts mix people reach for is richer than half and half, which is harmless in coffee and makes a heavier sauce. The butter mix lands in range on fat but not in texture, which is why it works in cooking and not in a cold drink.
With 2 percent milk, three parts milk to one part cream sits right at the bottom of the range. Two parts milk to one part cream, at about 13 percent, is the safer mix.
Which substitute for which job
| You are using it in | Best substitute | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | Whole milk and heavy cream, 3:1 | Tastes and pours the same |
| Coffee, from the cupboard | Evaporated milk | Rich enough, and shelf-stable |
| Pasta sauce and soup | Milk and cream, or milk and melted butter | Both carry enough fat to stay smooth off the boil |
| Baking | Milk and cream, milk and butter, or evaporated milk | Baking is forgiving here |
| Ice cream | Whole milk and heavy cream, 3:1 | Fat is what keeps ice cream smooth, so nothing leaner works |
| Dairy free | Tinned coconut milk and oat milk, equal parts | The closest fat match without dairy |
In coffee
The milk and cream mix is the only substitute you will not notice. Evaporated milk comes close and has the advantage of living in the cupboard, with a faintly caramelised note that some people prefer. Skip the butter mix: melted butter floats as an oily film on hot coffee and sets into flecks in a cold one.
For a dairy-free cup, plant milks can separate in hot, acidic coffee. The oat milks sold for coffee are made to resist that, so they are the better choice here than the coconut mix.
In pasta sauce and soup
Milk and cream works 1:1 and gives the same sauce. Milk with melted butter is the answer when there is no cream: whisk the butter into warm milk rather than cold, so it does not seize.
Keep it off a hard boil either way. Half and half and everything that replaces it is low enough in fat to curdle in a boiling or acidic sauce, which heavy cream tolerates better. If the recipe uses wine, tomato or lemon, take the pan off the heat before it goes in.
If you are here to make a sauce lighter rather than because the carton is empty, pasta sauce without heavy cream compares eight ways to make a creamy sauce on estimated macros.
In baking
Almost anything here works, because half and half in a cake or a batch of scones is mostly liquid and a little fat. Milk and cream, milk and butter, or evaporated milk all go in 1:1. Plain whole milk is fine where the recipe uses a small amount.
In ice cream
This is the one place to be strict. Fat is what keeps homemade ice cream smooth rather than icy, so use the milk and cream mix at the ratio above. Milk alone, evaporated milk or cornstarch-thickened milk all freeze harder and grainier.
Can you use half and half instead of milk?
Yes, and it is the easier direction. One part half and half to two parts water comes to about 3.8 percent fat by our estimate, close to whole milk, and works in baking, sauces and coffee. Used straight, half and half makes a richer result, which is rarely a problem.
Half and half and heavy cream
These two get confused because they sit on the same shelf, but heavy cream has more than three times the fat.
Heavy cream in place of half and half: mix it with milk at the ratios above. Used straight, it is far richer and a sauce will be heavy.
Half and half in place of heavy cream: fine in cooking, 1:1, with a thinner result, and it will never whip. The heavy cream substitutes page covers that direction in full, including how to add butter to get closer.
Dairy free
Tinned full fat coconut milk and oat milk, in equal parts, lands closest on fat, at around 11 percent by our estimate. It tastes of coconut, which suits curries, soups and baking better than coffee.
Oat milk made for coffee is the better dairy-free choice in a cup, for the reason above. On its own it is much leaner than half and half, so it is not the answer for a sauce or ice cream.
If you are shopping in Britain
Half and half is rarely sold in the UK, and it is not the same as single cream. British single cream is typically around 18 percent fat, at the very top of the half and half range. Equal parts single cream and whole milk comes to around 10 to 11 percent, which is half and half in all but name, and 3 parts whole milk to 1 part double cream, at around 48 percent, lands at roughly 14 percent.
What the swap does to the macros
The milk and cream mixes match half and half almost exactly on calories, protein and fat, which is the point of them. The butter mix is close on the numbers and different in how it behaves.
Evaporated milk carries about twice the protein of half and half and about a third less fat, per the table at the top of this page. Whole milk on its own is the lightest dairy option, at under half the calories and about a quarter of the fat.
Macro figures are estimates per 100 g from typical ingredient values rather than measurements, and the mixes assume the ratios given on this page.
Dishes to make next
- Healthy broccoli cheddar soup, and what Panera's bowl really costsA cheesy soup made with 2% milk and a roux instead of half and half, with the cheese stirred in off the heat.
Common questions
Mix 3/4 cup of whole milk with 1/4 cup of heavy cream for each cup of half and half. It lands at about 11 percent fat, inside the legal range for half and half, so it behaves the same in coffee, sauces, baking and ice cream. With no cream in the house, whisk 2 tablespoons of melted butter into a measuring cup and top it up to 1 cup with whole milk.
Combine milk and cream. With whole milk, use three parts milk to one part heavy cream. With skimmed or low-fat milk, use two parts milk to one part heavy cream. Both come out at roughly 11 to 12 percent fat by our estimate. Equal parts whole milk and heavy cream is richer, at around 20 percent, which is above the half and half range.
In baking and in soups that use only a splash, usually yes. Whole milk is about 3 percent fat against roughly 11.5 for half and half, so a cream sauce comes out thinner, coffee tastes lighter, and ice cream made with milk freezes icy. Stirring 2 tablespoons of melted butter into each cup closes most of the gap in cooking.
Whole milk and heavy cream mixed three to one, because it is the same thing made at home. Evaporated milk is the best cupboard option and works 1:1 in coffee, soups and baking. For dairy free, equal parts tinned coconut milk and oat milk match the fat most closely, though they taste of coconut.