Name: Homemade Evaporated Milk
Cook time: 45 min
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups whole milk

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

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!

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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.

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Evaporated Milk

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

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

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

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 1 cup

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.

Recipe Notes

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

Homemade Evaporated Milk