Reduced milk. At its core, evaporated milk is milk with some of the water, well, evaporated out. You can do this yourself on the stove. Add milk to a heavy bottomed pot, then simmer until it’s reduced in half. Let cool, then use in your recipe as needed.
Whole milk. In a pinch, you can equally swap whole milk for evaporated milk. This may, however, result in a runnier texture, depending on what you’re making.
Condensed Milk Substitutes
Milk + sugar. Did you know you can make your own sweetened condensed milk on the stove or in the microwave? Simply mix milk and sugar, then let thicken in the fridge. Find the exact instructions here.
Cream of coconut. For a dairy-free option, canned cream of coconut has a thick, sweet taste similar to condensed milk. It can be substituted cup for cup, but be prepared for a tropical, coconutty flavor.
Sour Cream Substitutes
Plain Greek yogurt. It’s so similar to sour cream, and even has fewer calories and fat.
Buttermilk. It’ll add the same tang to your recipe as sour cream would. You may need to use a little less buttermilk than you would sour cream, just to make sure the consistency is right.
Cottage cheese. To thin it out, mix with milk and lemon juice.
Yogurt Substitutes
Sour cream. When swapped 1:1 for plain, Greek yogurt, sour cream is up for the task. It has a similar texture and tangy flavor.
Buttermilk. In baked goods, buttermilk is another good swap, but pay attention to the texture. You may need to up the amount of flour (or reduce the called-for amount of yogurt) to compensate for buttermilk’s thinner consistency.
Learn more about yogurt substitutes.
Cream Cheese Substitutes
Mascarpone. With a very similar texture to cream cheese, mascarpone is a spot-on replacement. If desired, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice to achieve that iconic, tangy cream cheese flavor.
Ricotta cheese + yogurt. When whipped with yogurt, ricotta takes on a creamy, decadent cream cheese substitute. Combine 1 cup of both yogurt and ricotta in a food processor, then blend to create 2 cups of substitute. (This hack is also great for dips!)Brown Sugar Substitutes
White sugar + molasses. This is what brown sugar is made of! It’s easy to remember, too—use 1 tablespoon molasses to 1 cup sugar and you’ll get that rich caramel flavor in a snap. Mix in your stand mixer until thoroughly combined.
White sugar. Your cookies might be a little crispier, but they’ll still come out great. Learn what chocolate chip cookies look like with white sugar vs. brown sugar.
Raw sugar. You’ll get that same molasses flavor as brown sugar. The large crystals in turbinado sugar should dissolve well in wetter batters, but you can grind it in a food processor to help achieve a better texture in other goodies.
Corn Syrup Substitutes
Maple-flavored syrup. Unlike pure maple syrup, these imitations are made of corn syrup, anyway. As long as the maple flavor won’t throw off your recipe, reach for this one first.
Honey. In baked goods, honey’s flavor is subtle enough to barely notice.
Agave nectar. This might be the mildest-tasting of them all, and you can use half as much agave as corn syrup.
Molasses Substitutes
Dark maple syrup. For that rich, earthy taste, swap maple syrup (the darker the better) 1:1 for molasses. You may also want to consider reducing the amount of sugar in your recipe.
Brown sugar. White sugar + molasses = brown sugar. So you can use that same math to substitute 3/4 cup of brown sugar for 1 cup of molasses. Keep an eye on your texture, though. You may need to add in a little extra liquid.
ADVERTISEMENT
