What to use when you're out of heavy cream

Heavy cream is one of the more versatile ingredients found in the dairy aisle. It adds thickness to creamy sauces, keeps mashed potatoes light and fluffy and helps stabilize custard mixtures for dishes such as , and chocolate mousse. When whipped on its own, it’s a beloved topper for desserts like and pavlovas.

So, what do you do when you open the refrigerator and realize you’re out of heavy cream? Don’t stress — there are several ways to create seamless heavy cream substitutes with ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. Below, you’ll find our top nine substitutes for heavy cream that can be used for all of your everyday baking and cooking needs. You’ve probably noticed cartons of cream at the grocery store labeled as either .

Can you substitute one for the other? In short, yes. For all intents and purposes, these two cream products are basically the same thing. Heavy cream is made by pasteurizing whole milk and then spinning it in a centrifuge so that the fat rises to the top and separates from what is now skim milk.

The fat and skim milk are then combined in a particular proportion to make heavy cream. Finding the right substitutes for heavy cream is essential for creating various textures and flavors in desserts and other culinary creations. One easy swap is a duo of whole milk and .

“I use a combination of 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup melted butter in cake and muffin recipes for the creaminess that one cup of heavy cream adds to a recipe,” sa.