Heavy cream substitutes: 3 swaps and how the nutrition changes
To replace 1 cup of heavy cream, use 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter, 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup oil or 1 cup evaporated milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar. 1 cup of heavy cream has 816 calories, and the swaps come to 445 to 712 calories for the same amount. The biggest change is in saturated fat: 48.6 g in the original, 11.6 g to 37.9 g in the swaps.
Per 1 cup
| Calories | Fat | Saturated fat | Protein | Carbs | Total sugars | Sodium | Cholesterol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy cream (original) | 816 calories | 84.6 g | 48.6 g | 4.8 g | 9 g | 6.9 g | 50 mg | 245 mg |
| 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter | 674 calories (-143) | 68.1 g (-16.6) | 37.9 g (-10.6) | 6.6 g (+1.8) | 8.5 g (-0.5) | 9.2 g (+2.3) | 466 mg (+416) | 200 mg (-45) |
| 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup oil | 712 calories (-104) | 74.4 g (-10.2) | 12 g (-36.6) | 5.6 g (+0.8) | 7.8 g (-1.2) | 8.7 g (+1.8) | 150 mg (+100) | 8.1 mg (-237) |
| 1 cup evaporated milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar | 445 calories (-372) | 19.2 g (-65.4) | 11.6 g (-37.0) | 17.3 g (+12.5) | 52.3 g (+43.3) | 51 g (+44.1) | 268 mg (+218) | 73 mg (-172) |
Numbers in brackets show the change from the original. USDA FoodData Central.
How to make each swap
- 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter. Use: cooking and baking only. This mix will not whip. Compared with 1 cup of heavy cream: -143 calories, -16.6 g fat, +1.8 g protein, +2.3 g sugars, +416 mg sodium. The numbers use whole milk. Made with 2% milk, 654 calories and 65.7 g fat or with nonfat milk, 624 calories and 62.3 g fat. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension, Illinois Extension.
- 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup oil. Compared with 1 cup of heavy cream: -104 calories, -10.2 g fat, +0.8 g protein, +1.8 g sugars, +100 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension.
- 1 cup evaporated milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar. Use: listed for whipping cream. Compared with 1 cup of heavy cream: -372 calories, -65.4 g fat, +12.5 g protein, +44.1 g sugars, +218 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension.
Which swap fits what you need
Per 1 cup, among the swaps above.
- Fewest calories: 1 cup evaporated milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar, 445 calories (816 calories in heavy cream)
- Least saturated fat: 1 cup evaporated milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar, 11.6 g (48.6 g in heavy cream)
- Most protein: 1 cup evaporated milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar, 17.3 g (4.8 g in heavy cream)
- Least sodium: 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup oil, 150 mg (50 mg in heavy cream)
- Least sugar: 2/3 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup oil, 8.7 g (6.9 g in heavy cream)
Choosing a swap
Milk plus butter is the swap the extension guides agree on for cooking and baking. It will not whip. For whipping, NDSU lists the evaporated milk mix with lemon juice and sugar instead.
Milk plus butter saves about 140 calories a cup, but salted butter pushes sodium from 50 mg to 466 mg.
Buttermilk with oil cuts saturated fat from 48.6 g to 12 g a cup, about as far as the evaporated milk mix at 11.6 g. The evaporated milk mix, which NDSU lists for whipping cream, has about half the calories of heavy cream and more than three times the protein, along with 51 g of sugar from the milk and the added sugar.
Written from the extension guidance and USDA numbers on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
Substitution ratios
- New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, In a Pinch Ingredient Substitution (Guide E-131, revised May 2016). https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_e/E131/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
- NDSU Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198, J. Garden-Robinson, April 2013 edition). https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HHS/HHS-784-W.pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)
- University of Illinois Extension, Substitutions for Common Ingredients (modified December 2024). https://extension.illinois.edu/media/5732/download (accessed 2026-10-12)
Nutrition numbers: USDA FoodData Central (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Heavy cream: Cream, heavy, FDC ID 2705597 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Whole milk: Milk, whole, FDC ID 2705385 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Butter (salted): Butter, stick, FDC ID 2710155 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk, FDC ID 2705393 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Vegetable oil (soybean): Oil, vegetable, soybean, refined, FDC ID 172370 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Evaporated milk: Milk, canned, evaporated, with added vitamin D and without added vitamin A, FDC ID 171276 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice, raw, FDC ID 167747 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01) · full profile
- Granulated sugar: Sugar, white, granulated or lump, FDC ID 2710258 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
How we calculate: each part of a swap is converted from its household measure to grams with the USDA portion weight for that food (1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp), then multiplied by the USDA values per 3.5 oz (100 g). Water counts as zero, and so do pinches under 5 g (salt, baking powder) where USDA lists no value. A dash (—) means USDA reports no value for at least one part. USDA measures sugars directly but calculates total carbohydrate by difference, so in a few foods here, mostly dairy, sugars come out slightly higher than carbs. We show the USDA numbers as published. How we verify.