Condensed Milk Substitutes

Out of condensed milk? These are the swaps that actually work, with conversion ratios for any recipe size and notes on how each one changes the result.

Need to convert condensed milk between cups, grams, or ounces first? Open the condensed milk converter.

What to use instead of condensed milk

  • Milk + sugar, simmered

    DIY mix

    1 cup milk + 3/4 cup sugar, simmered to ~1 cup

    Simmer milk with sugar until it reduces, thickens, and turns pale gold to mimic sweetened condensed milk. About 1 cup milk plus 3/4 cup sugar makes roughly 1 cup. Stir often so it does not catch, and cool before using in no-bake fillings.

  • Evaporated milk + sugar

    DIY mix

    1 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup sugar, warmed

    Warm evaporated milk with sugar until the sugar fully dissolves to stand in for sweetened condensed milk, since both are reduced tinned milks. The result is a little thinner, so simmer briefly to thicken it if a recipe needs the stickier texture of condensed milk.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I substitute for condensed milk?
There are 2 workable substitutes for condensed milk, depending on what you have on hand and which property of condensed milk matters most for your recipe. The closest swap is usually Milk + sugar, simmered. Each option below lists the conversion ratio for any recipe size, plus notes on how the swap changes the texture, flavour, rise, or browning.
Will substituting condensed milk change how my recipe turns out?
Yes, every swap trades one property for another: fat content, moisture, acidity, or protein. The notes on each substitute describe what changes in texture, flavour, rise, or browning, so you can choose the swap that matters least for your recipe. Open the condensed milk converter
How do I measure condensed milk accurately?
Weighing in grams is more reliable than scooping cups, especially when a substitute has a different density from what the recipe expects. The condensed milk converter on this site converts between cups, grams, ounces, millilitres, fluid ounces, tablespoons, and teaspoons, so you can scale a recipe up or down without losing the ratio. Open the condensed milk converter

Other ingredient and produce substitutes

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