The Best Substitutes for Heavy Cream and Double Cream: Cooking, Baking, and Whipping Alternatives
What is this guide? A breakdown of the best swaps for heavy cream (US) or double cream (UK), split by what you’re actually making — a sauce, a whipped topping, or a dairy-free dessert.
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Key details:
- 🥣 Best for: Sauces, soups, bakes, whipped toppings, and dairy-free swaps
- ⏱ Ready to use: Most swaps take under 5 minutes to mix
- 🥛 Options covered: 12+ dairy and dairy-free alternatives
- ✅ Works for: Cooking, baking, whipping, and vegan diets
Quick tip: If you’re out of cream and something’s already simmering on the stove, milk and butter will bail you out faster than anything else on this list.
⚡ A Quick Look at This Guide
What is this recipe? Heavy cream and double cream are high-fat dairy creams for sauces, bakes, and whipped toppings. This guide covers 12+ swaps split by cooking, whipping, and dairy-free needs.
💡 Quick tip: Out of cream mid-recipe? Milk and melted butter (25g butter + 75ml milk per 100ml cream) is the fastest fix for anything already on the stove.
You’re halfway through a recipe and the fridge has no heavy cream, or the double cream tub you thought was half full is somehow empty. It happens to every cook, and the good news is that cream is one of the easier ingredients to work around once you know which swap suits which job.
This guide breaks the options down by what you’re actually doing with the cream, because a swap that’s great in a simmering soup can fall apart completely if you try to whip it for a dessert topping. Whether you’re after a quick dairy fix, a lower-fat option, or something entirely plant-based, there’s a swap here that will get your dish back on track.
What Are Heavy Cream and Double Cream?
Heavy cream and double cream are both high-fat dairy creams, and for most kitchen purposes they can be treated as the same ingredient. Heavy cream (the US term) typically sits around 36-40% fat, while double cream (the UK term) usually runs closer to 48%, which is why double cream whips up slightly thicker and holds its shape a little better.
Both are used for the same jobs: enriching sauces and soups, adding body to bakes, and whipping into toppings or fillings that hold their structure. Most substitutes work by doing one of two things — adding extra fat back into a lower-fat dairy product like milk or yoghurt, or leaning on a naturally rich ingredient like coconut cream or blended cashews to recreate that same thick, silky texture.
Substitutes for Cooking and Baking
These swaps are built for dishes where the cream gets stirred into something hot — think sauces, soups, casseroles, and bakes. They won’t whip into peaks, but they’ll behave beautifully once they hit the pan or the oven.
Milk and butter is the classic emergency fix, and it works because you’re simply adding the missing fat back into the milk. For every 100ml of double cream, mix 25g of melted butter with 75ml of full-fat milk; for a 1-cup US measurement of heavy cream, use around ¾ cup whole milk plus ¼ to ⅓ cup melted butter. Whisk them together while the butter is still warm so they combine smoothly rather than separating into little flecks of fat.
Full-fat milk and cornflour (cornstarch in the US) gives you a lighter, slightly thinner substitute that still thickens nicely in sauces. Combine 100ml full-fat milk with 10g of cornflour and whisk it in as your sauce heats, which will bulk it up without adding the extra fat that milk and butter brings.
Single cream and melted butter is a good middle ground if you have single cream in the fridge but need something closer to double cream. Mix 90ml single cream with 10g melted butter for every 100ml of double cream you need, which pushes the fat content back up to something workable in most cooked dishes.
Evaporated milk swaps in at a straightforward 1:1 ratio and holds up particularly well in slow-cooked dishes, soups, and casseroles — it’s worth keeping a tin on hand if you make a lot of slow cooker meals. It has a similar consistency to cream but noticeably less fat, so expect a slightly less rich result.
Yoghurt and milk works well in savoury dishes, mixing 50ml full-fat yoghurt with 50ml full-fat milk for every 100ml of cream you’re replacing. Add this one toward the end of cooking rather than at the start, since yoghurt is prone to splitting if it hits a rolling boil — the same tempering technique used for straight cream will help it blend in smoothly.
Cream cheese is a solid option for thick sauces and fillings, at roughly 100g of cream cheese for every 100ml of double cream. It brings a noticeably tangier, denser result, so it works best in dishes where that extra richness is welcome rather than a distraction.
Substitutes for Whipping and Desserts
Whipped toppings and mousses need a substitute with enough fat and structure to hold air, which rules out several of the swaps above. These options are built specifically for that job.
Whipping cream is the closest dairy match if you have it on hand, though it’s naturally lighter and lower in fat than double cream and won’t whip up quite as stiff. It’s still your best bet for anything that needs to hold a soft peak.
Ready-whipped cream works as a straight swap when you just need something to dollop on top of a cake or dessert rather than fold into a batter. It’s lighter than double cream because of the air already whipped into it, but for garnishing purposes that’s rarely a problem.
Coconut cream is the strongest dairy-free option for whipping. Chill a tin of full-fat coconut milk overnight, scoop off the thick cream that separates and settles at the top, and drain away the liquid underneath. Use the solid cream in a 1:1 ratio wherever heavy cream would be whipped, and it works especially well in frozen desserts like nice cream.
Powdered cream can be reconstituted for recipes that call for liquid cream — blend around ½ cup of powder with 1 cup of cold water and let it rest in the fridge until it thickens. It’s a useful pantry backup if you bake often and don’t want to rely on having fresh cream in the house.
Dairy-Free and Vegan Substitutes
These options are worth knowing whether you’re cooking for someone avoiding dairy or you’re simply out of cream and have a fridge full of plant-based alternatives instead.
Coconut milk and coconut cream are the most versatile dairy-free options, adding real richness and body to soups, curries, and desserts. Coconut cream is the closer match texture-wise and often swaps in at a straight 1:1 ratio, making it an easy addition to dishes like creamy winter soups where you want that same silky finish.
Cashew cream is made by soaking raw cashews in water for a few hours, then blending them smooth with fresh water until you get a thick, pourable cream. It’s particularly good in savoury dishes and vegan sauces where you want richness without a strong coconut flavour coming through.
Nut creams made from pine nuts, almonds, or cashew butter thinned with water or stock can mimic cream’s richness, though expect a noticeably nuttier flavour that works better in some dishes than others.
Plant milk and oil is a simple fix when you need a dairy-free option in a hurry — mix around 65ml of soy milk with 35ml of olive oil for every 100ml of double cream you’re replacing. The oil adds back the fat that plant milk is missing on its own.
Silken tofu and soy milk creates a neutral, protein-rich base that takes on the flavour of whatever you’re seasoning it with. Blend 50g of silken tofu with 50ml of soy milk for every 100ml of cream needed, which works especially well in savoury sauces and dips.
Quick Comparison Table
| Original (per 100ml) | Substitute | Ratio / How to Use | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double/heavy cream | Butter + full-fat milk | 25g butter + 75ml milk | Sauces, casseroles |
| Double/heavy cream | Milk + cornflour (cornstarch) | 100ml milk + 10g cornflour | Thicker sauces, bakes |
| Double/heavy cream | Single cream + butter | 90ml single cream + 10g melted butter | General cooking |
| Double/heavy cream | Yoghurt + milk | 50ml yoghurt + 50ml milk | Savoury sauces, dressings |
| Double/heavy cream | Evaporated milk | 1:1 by volume | Soups, sauces, slow cooker |
| Double/heavy cream | Cream cheese | 100g cream cheese | Cheesecakes, thick sauces |
| Double/heavy cream | Coconut cream (chilled, whipped) | 1:1 by volume | Whipping, frozen desserts |
| Double/heavy cream | Cashew cream | 1:1 by volume | Savoury dishes, vegan sauces |
| Double/heavy cream | Plant milk + oil | 65ml plant milk + 35ml oil | Dairy-free cooking |
| Double/heavy cream | Silken tofu + soy milk | 50g tofu + 50ml soy milk | Savoury sauces, dips |
Tips for Getting the Best Results
A few things are worth keeping in mind no matter which substitute you reach for, since they’ll save you a split sauce or a flat dessert.
- Match the swap to the job. Milk and butter, evaporated milk, and yoghurt mixes are all great in hot, cooked dishes, but none of them will whip into peaks — save the whipping cream, coconut cream, or ready-whipped options for that.
- Watch the heat with yoghurt and plant milks. Both can curdle if they hit a rolling boil, so stir them in toward the end of cooking and keep the heat gentle.
- Expect some flavour changes. Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut cream, and nut-based creams all bring their own tang or nuttiness to a dish, which can work in your favour or need balancing depending on what you’re making — our guide to sour cream alternatives covers more on that trade-off.
- Lower-fat swaps taste lighter. Single cream, Greek yoghurt, and evaporated milk are all lower in fat than double cream, so the finished dish will taste a little less indulgent even when the texture holds up well.
- Temper when adding cream to something hot. Stir a spoonful of the hot liquid into your substitute first before adding it to the pan — it’s the same trick used for straight cream and it stops the substitute from splitting the moment it hits the heat.
Recipe FAQs
What’s the difference between heavy cream and double cream? They’re essentially the same ingredient with different names depending on where you’re shopping. Heavy cream (US) sits around 36-40% fat, while double cream (UK) runs closer to 48%, which is why double cream whips up a little thicker.
Can I substitute milk for heavy cream in a recipe? Milk alone will work in a pinch for cooked dishes, but it won’t have the same richness or thickening power. Mixing it with melted butter closes that gap and gets you much closer to the real thing.
What’s the best dairy-free substitute for whipping cream? Chilled coconut cream is the closest match. Refrigerate a tin of full-fat coconut milk overnight, scoop off the solid cream that rises to the top, and whip it exactly as you would dairy cream.
Does buttermilk work as a cream substitute? Buttermilk is much lower in fat and has a tangier flavour, so it’s not a direct swap for cream in most recipes. It has its own uses in cooking and baking, which our buttermilk guide covers in more detail.
Can I freeze leftover cream substitutes? It depends on the substitute — dairy-based mixes like milk and butter don’t freeze well once combined, as they tend to separate on thawing. Coconut cream and cashew cream both freeze reasonably well and can be stirred smooth again after defrosting.
