Heavy cream is an ingredient that is not readily available in everyone’s house. It is a grocery item that you buy from the store only when you have a specific recipe to make at home. It is mainly used in dessert recipes and main dishes such as pasta and casseroles.
Heavy cream is also added to soups to help avoid curdling. However, if you are making a creamy soup and you are out of heavy cream then it is better to switch to alternatives. Heavy creams have many substitutes that can be readily available within your pantry.
The milk fat content is 36% for heavy cream and at least 30% for whipped cream. If you are out of heavy cream then you can use whipped cream as an alternative too. But what if there is no cream? You can then try one of these heavy cream alternatives.
Keep in mind that the taste and fat content of the replacement will determine how well suited it is to the recipe at hand. Before finding its substitutes take a close look at what heavy cream is.
What is Heavy Cream?
The cream is extracted from milk. As Harold McGee, the food authority explains, “Cream is a special part of milk fortified with fat.” So, if you have a bucket of milk and you wait for a while, the fat will rise and form a layer of cream. Sometimes it is also called whipped cream.
It is made from fresh, fatty milk. The thick cream that rises to the top of the bucket, can be taken off easily and stored in a separate container. Heavy cream has approximately 40%, more fat than other types of creams, such as light, half and half, and whipped creams.
Best Substitutes For Heavy Cream In Soup
Fortunately, if you want to find a substitute for heavy or dairy-free cream, there are plenty of alternatives available. Here we have collected some useful substitutes for you.
- Milk and butter
The mixture of milk and butter is a very easy and reliable alternative to heavy cream that is suitable for many recipes. Butter adds fat to milk, making it a heavy creamy proportion of fat. Mix and stir 57g of butter and 178ml milk to make heavy cream (237ml).
Also, you can combine 1 tablespoon (8 g) of flour to thicken the liquid, especially if you are using dry milk. Both of these ingredients are easily available in any pantry as they are household staples. These items together also give the perfect high-fat content alternative to heavy cream.
Since the fat content is the main deciding factor for whether an alternative is well suited to the recipe or not.
If you do not like dairy products or are allergic to dairy, coconut milk is the best alternative for you. It has a creamy flavor like heavy cream. The best part is that it is vegan. This one checks all the boxes for being a perfect alternative to heavy cream.
If you are a vegan then it is more likely that you will have coconut milk in your pantry rather than heavy cream. It is best to switch it up rather than forgoing the recipe altogether.
- Soy milk and olive oil
For a dairy-free choice of heavy cream, you should mix soy milk and olive oil. Just like the combination of butter and milk, olive oil is going to add a little fat to your soy milk, giving it a taste and function similar to heavy cream.
To reflect the taste and density of one cup of heavy cream (237 ml), mix approx. 159 ml soy milk and approx. 79 ml of olive oil. This replacement is best for adding flexibility and flavor to cooking. Here are two other items that any health-conscious person will have in their house.
It is better that you choose these over heavy cream anyway for their health benefits.
- Light cream
Light cream can have a fat content of 18-30%. That said, it can be used as a hard substitute when you need to add some silkiness and richness to your dish. It will also work well for baking dishes like lasagna and casseroles.
If the fat content is high enough (30%), it can easily be used as an alternative to heavy cream. If you are someone who prefers low-fat substitutes anyway then this is a great option for you to make your soup recipe work with no added guilt of ingesting high-fat items.
- Milk and cornstarch
If you are looking for low fat and low-calorie content for heavy cream, this mixture may be for you. Corn starch is utilized to harden the milk and recreate a thick creamy consistency.
To substitute 1 cup of heavy cream in the recipe, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to approx. 237 ml of milk and mix till thicken the mixture. This may not taste as good as the other alternatives but it will give you the desired consistency easily.
The taste will also not be too different so it can easily be substituted if you are someone who is not extremely particular about specific tastes.
- Greek yogurt and milk
A blend of Greek yogurt and whole milk is an alternative to heavy cream that can help thicken your recipe. Greek yogurt is rich in protein. You can increase its quantity to make the finished product look healthy.
It is thicker than thick cream, but it can be thinned with milk and has a rich creamy texture. Mix equal amounts of Greek yogurt and whole milk and replace with equal amounts of heavy cream.
This substitute can thicken dishes such as soups or sauces, but should not be used for recipes that require whipping.
Wrapping up
Heavy cream is used in a variety of salty and sweet recipes. Fortunately, there are many alternatives if you don’t have heavy cream or prefer a low-fat or vegan alternative. Some add protein or even lower calories. These include Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and silk tofu.
These items are actually a must-have for any vegan or health fanatic. It will be great to use ingredients instead of a high fat item like heavy cream. Most of those recipes that you had been avoiding to the heavy cream can now easily be made using these substitutes.
However, replacing the ingredients in the recipe can change the taste and texture. So, use these substitutes in those dishes where you feel a bit of flexibility is allowed and you won’t lose the fundamental essence of the dish by replacing certain key ingredients.