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Whipped Cream from Evaporated Milk

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Can you make whipped cream from evaporated milk? Find out with us. We will give it a try and share the results with you.

Can of evaporated milk in front of mixer bowl and beater.

Have you ever wished you had a dollop of whipped cream to top your dessert but didn’t have any heavy cream in the refrigerator? We have all been there.

That little dollop sometimes makes all of the difference. But sometimes a run to the store just to get a carton is out of the question.

So we have been trying different methods of making whipped cream without the heavy cream. It started by trying to make whipped cream out of sweetened condensed milk.

Bowl of whipped evaporated milk ready to top desserts.

It seemed like a perfect solution as the condensed milk is already thick and sweet. You can check out that post to see the results.

I had heard from reputable sources that you can make whipped cream from a can of evaporated milk. You just have to freeze it for a half hour first.

So we did just that. We put the mixer bowl, beater and can of evaporated milk in the freezer.

Soft peak of whipped cream made from evaporated milk on mixer beater.

When the timer announced the half hour was up we began whipping the milk. It started to foam and become voluminous right away.

A little bit of powdered sugar and vanilla add the flavor you need. Then keep whipping the milk until it holds a peak.

It’s basically whipped cream at this point. Put some on your favorite pie. It is fabulous on pumpkin pie with sweetened condensed milk or you can put some on maple pumpkin pie like we did.

The Results

We were impressed how much air the evaporated milk held. It easily tripled in size and was fluffy like you would expect.

The downside is it isn’t very stable. You have at most about twenty minutes before it starts deflating.

I have read that you can stabilize it with some bloomed gelatin. I rarely have unflavored gelatin in my pantry though, so I couldn’t give that a try.

Soft evaporated milk whipped cream on top of a slice of maple pumpkin pie.

One of my favorite ways to stabilize whipped cream is to make cream cheese whipped cream. It is delicious and easy.

I haven’t tried it with evaporated milk, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I will have to try adding some beaten cream cheese next time.

What to do with the leftovers

We weren’t sure what to do with the rest of the whipped cream, so we froze it. We whipped it back up to make it as fluffy as possible and then put it in a glass container in the freezer.

Scoop of frozen whipped evaporated milk on top of apple crisp.

After a few hours we had a reasonable facsimile of no churn ice cream. We served it over some apple crisp and it was delicious.

Whipped Cream Recipe Without Heavy Cream

While making whipped cream from evaporated milk definitely has some drawbacks, it works in a pinch. Just make it right when you are ready to serve and you should be in good shape.

The flavor and texture goes well with your favorite desserts. And the frozen version is great on plenty of sweets as well.

Do you have any tips for making whipped cream without heavy cream? I’d love to hear what you would do in a pinch.

Can of evaporated milk in front of mixer bowl and beater.

Whipped Cream from Evaporated Milk

Servings: 12 Servings
Author: Carlee
If you want whipped cream, but don't have any heavy cream, this is a recipe that will help in a pinch. Grab a can of evaporated milk from the pantry and turn it into whipped cream.
4.80 from 15 ratings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 12 oz. can evaporated milk
  • ½ cup powdered sugar or more as desired
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Put can of evaporated milk, mixer bowl and beater in freezer for 30 minutes.
    12 oz. can evaporated milk
  • Pour chilled evaporated milk into bowl and beat for 1 minute or until frothy.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla, beat two minutes more or until the mixture holds a medium peak.
    ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Serve immediately.
  • Freeze leftovers for a great ice cream alternative.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 34mgSugar: 8g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




Kathy Hannah

Tuesday 1st of August 2023

I grew up with condensed milk "whipped cream" in the 50's and 60's. I didn't know it wasn't real whipped cream until much later. Once in a while I still male it for old times sake and it takes me bake to my childhood and the fond memories of laughter around the table.

Carlee

Wednesday 2nd of August 2023

Well now I am dying to know how you made it! I have tried and haven't had any success getting it it to whip.

Suzette

Sunday 23rd of April 2023

You should try using pudding mix dry not mixing it with milk and add to the whipped evaporated milk to stabilize it

Sharon

Tuesday 27th of June 2023

@Suzette, how much dry pudding mix? Would that be vanilla flavor? I'm in desperate need. I'm in the middle of making this and I thought I had whipping cream. But I dont. Otherwise i might try to use cool whip in its place. Thanks Sharon

Carlee

Sunday 23rd of April 2023

That's a great idea!

Quanna

Monday 19th of September 2022

Wouldn’t a little dash of cream of tartar work to stabilize the evaporated milk?

Carlee

Monday 19th of September 2022

That's an interesting idea! We should give that a try.