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Evaporated vs. Condensed Milk

What is the difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk?  Can I substitute one for the other?


Evaporated milk is milk from which about 60% of the water has been evaporated.  Condensed milk, or sweetened condensed milk, is milk and sugar which has been heated until about 60% of the water is cooked off. Evaporated milk is also referred to as unsweetened condensed milk.

Because condensed milk contains sugar, it can not be substituted directly for evaporated milk.  However, the other way around, you can substitute evaporated milk for sweetened condensed milk and add sugar.  For each cup of condensed milk, use 5 fluid ounces of evaporated milk and ¾ of a cup of granulated sugar.  Heat the evaporated milk and sugar together over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved completely.  If your recipe says to warm the condensed milk, cool it to the desired temperature, otherwise cool to room temperature before proceeding.

You can make a substitute for evaporated milk at home by simmering regular milk.  For a cup of evaporated milk, start with 2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups of whole, 2% or skim milk and cook it down.


I wanted to know if you can substitute regular sugar for splenda or stevia types of sweetners to make sugar free sweetened condensed milk. I asume you can, i will let you know how it works out


Awesome! I got sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated and didn't notice until this morning - Thanksgiving morning. Too late to return to the store and what is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?!

Thank you! I was trying to make an old family recipe for my husband for dessert and had evaporated instead of condensed. I fixed the problem right then and there with no trip to the grocery in the middle of baking. Can't thank you enough!

Thank you! Not good to have 5 cans of sweetened condensed milk and not one condensed milk on Thanksgiving morning!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was making peanut butter fudge frosting, and had evaporated milk, instead of condensed milk. You rock! :)

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