Vegan Evaporated Milk Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is there a vegan version of evaporated milk? ›

Almond, oat, soy, cashew, and any other alternative milk base you can think of, can all be reduced on the stovetop to make a plant-based equivalent of evaporated milk.

For people who have dairy intolerances, milk in any form is a no-no. In that case, it's often possible to use vanilla flavored soy or almond milk. You'll want to use about 3/4ths the amount of almond or soy milk as evaporated milk.

Make evaporated milk by heating 2 ¼ cups of regular milk and gently boiling it down until it reduces to 1 cup. This exact method is used to make evaporated milk for commercial retail. Evaporated milk is most commonly made with 2 percent milk, but whole milk, 1 percent, or skim will also work.

Store Bought Vegan Evaporated Milk Products

We've encountered versions that are made from all different varieties of plant milks including evaporated coconut milk, evaporated oat milk, and evaporated almond milk.

But you can definitely try soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, cashew milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc.! Keep in mind that if you are using this evaporated milk in a savory recipe, such as a creamy soup, casserole, or sauce, it is important to use plain, unsweetened milk!

While yogurt is typically not recommended as a substitute for evaporated milk in most recipes, some have success with Greek yogurt as it also has a thick consistency, similar to evaporated milk. Like with any substitution, most probably will have to slightly reformulate the recipe.

Sour cream is an acceptable replacement for whole milk, buttermilk or evaporated milk in baking. Regular and reduced-fat are preferred over nonfat in baking because the latter will separate.

While many recipes call for it, you can absolutely make an outstanding pumpkin pie without evaporated milk. If your recipe calls for one can of evaporated milk (as most do), you can substitute 1 ½ cups of cream or half and half, or a combination of the two. You can also use milk (any kind from whole to skim).

Can almond milk be cooked down as a substitute for evaporated milk?? You can simmer almond milk to reduce and concentrate the flavor and texture: when reduced by half, it is approximately the thickness of heavy cream.

Can coconut milk substitute for evaporated milk? ›

Another alternative for evaporated milk is to substitute coconut milk 1:1 in the recipe. This will impart a coconut flavor to the recipe, so it works in some recipes but not all.

Yes, you can generally substitute almond milk for evaporated milk in baking recipes, but keep in mind that the texture, flavor, and thickness of the final product may be slightly different due to the lower fat content and different flavor profile of almond milk.

Substitute Non-Dairy Milk for Evaporated Milk

In fact, some manufacturers make evaporated almond and coconut milk that you can buy from the store. Keep in mind that each type of non-dairy milk has a very different flavor and varies significantly in protein, carbohydrate, and fat content.

And while milk might only last a week in the refrigerator, unopened evaporated milk that is properly stored can last up to two years. But how can you tell when it's gone bad? In short, by looking at it. If your milk has turned dark yellow or brown, don't use it.

Evaporated milk starts out as fresh milk and is heated to drive off more than half of the water. Add water and use it as milk or pour it straight out of the can and use it as half-and-half. Creamy, rich and perfect for baking, custards, soups and even ice cream.

There are a few brands of dairy-free evaporated milk that you can buy online and keep on hand. The most popular one is Nature's Charm . But they cost much more than my first suggestion, and are essentially the same thing. You can make my Instant Dairy-Free Evaporated Milk Recipe .

Canned coconut milk is a perfect vegan evaporated milk substitute. The simplest way to make vegan evaporated milk is to just use canned coconut milk. It doesn't require any preparation and can be substituted at a ratio of 1:1.

According to Carnation, one tin of its regular condensed milk contains around 2.5 grams of saturates, while the vegan version contains 0.4 grams.

It's actually pretty simple. Take a can of full-fat coconut milk and some sugar (or a vegan sweetener of your choice). Simmer it down until it thickens up, and voila, vegan condensed milk. And if it's a dulce de leche flavor you're after, just keep that simmer going until the mix caramelizes.